HARVARD – The standard for excellence is lofty for the Bromfield High School boys’ soccer team. Fourteen trips to the state finals, 11 state championships, including 10 outright, and one shared, will create an expectation of winning.

With all their success, you can hear the proverbial record-scratch when the Trojans lose their first game in about two years to Algonquin on Tuesday. Both teams battled to a 0-0 first half draw but Algonquin pulled ahead with two second half goals. The red flags of an impending loss were evident to the coaching staff and the team leaders prior to their loss. They admitted it has been a struggle to find their game even during the last few victories. Bromfield head coach Alex Horne hopes his team takes losing as a wakeup call to getting back to playing proper soccer fundamentals that made them so dominant for most of the season.

“We lost 2-0 today to a very competitive D1 soccer program,” Horne said after the loss. “They outplayed us and created numerous chances. We still need to work on the little things. Addressing these are crucial to moving forward and becoming the team we are capable of being.”

Horne has seen the signs coming almost a week ago during their match with Tyngsboro (3-6) on their home field. At the time, they had a 8-0 record and the Trojans seemed poised to make another title run, but to achieve that goal, Horne does need his talented team to understand that the championship is not just going to be handed to them. Following a messy 2-1 victory over the Tigers on Sept. 30, Horne addressed the “little” mistakes that were prevalent in the Algonquin loss.

“As coaches, we talk about the little things all the time,” he calmly told his team immediately after the game. He pointed out several players with less than five minutes to go in the game and the team clinging to a 2-1 lead “running as fast as they can” to throw out-of-bounds balls back into the field of play. Instead, they should have looked to bleed the clock. “They just scored a goal to make it 2-1. They got all the momentum. That’s when we need to use soccer sense. Manage the clock,” he said.

Even with that win, Horne wanted his team to learn a lesson. “Why are we blasting a shot from the 40 when we need to maintain possession under five minutes,” Horne said to his team. “We need to keep the ball. Where do we go with it?” He paused briefly to let the question sink in as his players quietly and attentively stared at their coach. 

“To the corners! Slow it down,” Horne answered the rhetorical question.

He then mentioned one player, who came off the bench, immediately made two fouls, with one leading to Tyngsboro’s goal. On the foul opportunity just outside the box, he said a Tigers’ player drove the ball to the goal. “It was a ripped shot,” he said. Bromfield goalkeeper had trouble catching the shot which caused a rebound. “It was a hard-hit shot, but who followed it?” 

This time the group answered, “they did!”

“That’s right, they did!” said Horne. “I hate calling kids out, but all these little things … We can’t afford to have games like this. We have to find a different way, because if this was a postseason game, we could lose that game.”

After speaking to his team, Horne clarified his weariness with his team’s play. “Where my frustration comes from, we have so much talent and so much potential, so when you don’t meet that in a game this far along in the season, it’s frustrating, because I have high expectations with this group,” he said. “We always talk about fundamentals. Those are the basics and foundations of soccer. It’s the passing; It’s the first touch; It’s looking up. If you can’t do those things collectively as a team, you’re going to have no chemistry on the field. As coaches, we talk about the little things all the time … We got to learn from this.”

Senior captain Geraghty Vellante said mistake filled games happen, but it’s up to the more experienced players to settle things down. He thinks that players are either trying to do too much or are trying not to make big mistakes.

“Everyone wants to be that player that makes the amazing cross, or an assist, or that goal, but what we say to those players is just relax for a second. Slow the game down … At the end of the game when we have those opportunities, we need to keep the ball, and keep the game in front of us. We need to keep our composure.”

Vellante, the team’s starting center back, said the team will learn from their mistakes and right the ship. “Even for me as a freshman, I remember experiencing this same thing where I would get the ball on the midfield and try to turn on somebody really quickly and lose the ball, when I really needed to take a step back and play smart like I know I can play,” he said. “Right now, it’s just a lot of nerves and a lot of anxiety that comes with getting on the field after a whole game if you come from the bench or if you’re a young player who doesn’t have a lot of experience.

“As captains, we say to them, ‘hey, you need to take a breath, slow things down, and put your head up.’ We’ll find the best thing for our team right now. We’ll get better,” he said. 

Senior captain Ryan McNulty said their recent dip in play could mark a positive turning point for the team. He mentioned the team went through similar growing pains two years ago, the last time they won the championship. “I think this is almost a mirror image to when we tied Clinton” and coincidently lost to Algonquin, he said. “When we went down two years ago, it had a similar vibe and everyone was a little bit off, but it was a big turning point in our season and we elevated our game after that. We used it as motivation so it didn’t happen again and I think that’s definitely what we need to do.”

Senior captain Cameron Avola is confident the Trojans can turn things around. “What makes the best teams the best is being able to recover and being able to elevate,” he said. “This is going to be huge for us starting tomorrow … I know we’re capable of much greater skill and teamwork. Honestly, I think that we’re going to build off this and our younger players and anyone who’s a little bit nervous and rattled after today will bring their game up because that’s what Bromfield does every year.”

The next chance for Bromfield to get back to their winning ways comes during their home game on Thursday against Oakmont at 4 p.m.

“Right now, the playoffs aren’t our focus,” Vellente said. “We have to take it one game at a time. Eventually, we’ll get there, but right now, we need to figure out the kinks … I believe kids on this team are capable of doing great things. It’s up to us to make it happen.”

Bromfield High School

Boys’ Soccer

At a Glance

Nickname: Trojans

Affiliation: Midland Wachusett C

Colors: Blue and White

202 Record: 9-1

Home Field: Harvard Park (McCurdy Track)

34 Lancaster County Road, Harvard, MA

Coach: Alex Horne

Assistant: Tom Hill

Captains: Cameron Avola, Ryan McNulty,

      Geraghty Vellante