MILLBURY – Sutton trailed Bromfield 1-0 for most of Saturday’s MIAA Division 5 quarterfinals game at Millbury High School until there was about ten minutes left. That’s when freshman phenom Anna Joseph took over the game.

This was a rematch of the CMADA Division 3 Tournament finals where Sutton defeated Bromfield, 4-2 last month. The first game proved to be extremely

Bromfield senior captain Katie Iacomini. Photo by Kevin Paul Saleeba

competitive and physical. Sutton head coach Jensen Shipp said the rematch “was very physical. More physical than last game. Both teams wanted their season to continue and you could see that in the way they both played.”

Trojans senior captain Katie Iacomini scored about eight minutes into the game from a Tallie Dutkewych feed and it appeared that the lone goal would hold up. 

“We scored first,” Bromfield head coach Katie Greene said after the game. “We came out hot and that’s exactly what we planned to do.  We caught Sutton off guard and they were not ready for us. We kept them scoreless for 70 minutes.”

Bromfield led until about the thirty-one-minute mark of the second half. That’s when Joseph tied the score 1-1 by finishing off a pass by freshman Addy Jerome. Joseph then scored the game-winner in the closing minutes of the second overtime as she lobbed a shot over Trojan goalkeeper Annabel Ashe and into the back of the net with only 53 second left in overtime.

“Anna Joseph receives the ball on a throw in and makes a good chop move,” Shipp said after the game. “As soon as her foot goes through the ball and I see the trajectory of the ball, I know it is going in. After that, it is a blur of emotions and happiness for the team.”

Shipp said he was pleased with the way his team responded after going down a goal. “We talk about starting strong but finishing strong could be the most important,” he said. “We talked about settling the game down and starting to possess more. They responded to instruction. We thought Bromfield would play a higher line with their back four and they adjusted and were better prepared for us this time. We adjusted again and talked about calming the game down and possessing rather than looking for the early long ball. We changed to three center forwards instead of two with seventeen minutes left and the goal came after that. The players took to heart every word the coaching staff gave them.”

Despite the loss, Bromfield had several impactful players in the game. Greene said senior Abigale Baker was solid in the midfield. “She is so smart on and off the ball and on both sides of the field,” she said. “She is the one the girls look to during these games and sets the tone of how we play, and we played fantastic.”

Iacomini finished the tournament with four goals and three assists. “Katie Iacomini makes herself known out there,” Greene said. “She plays with so much heart and determination it is infectious for her teammates.  She scored the lone goal which lifted us up to start that first half.”

Dutkewych, who got the assist on the first goal, played with a lot of intensity for the Trojans. Greene said she “plays her heart out, whistle to whistle, and that was no different the other night. She was everywhere on the field chasing balls down, servicing into the box, and even defending for a portion of the game.”

Allie Corrieri and Julia Mara also played smothering defense in the back line for Bromfield. Their “center back combination was unreal,” Green said. “They had only played two games together in the back before this game and you would never have known it. Their communication and tenacity in the back was just incredible to watch.”

Finally, Ashe in goal “controlled the top of the box so well which really stopped Sutton’s way of attacking.”

For Sutton, Joseph gets most of the credit for the victory. “Great players score great goals and she did that, times two,” Shipp said. “She played more as a nine in both halves and created three to four great goal scoring chances and scored two of them.” 

Sutton senior captain Katie Wright. Photo by Kevin Paul Saleeba

Joseph was not the only key to victory though. Senior captain Katie Wright is one of the best goalkeepers in Central Mass and she is the backbone of Sutton’s defense. “She continues to do everything,” Shipp said. “The back line struggled to start in terms of working together. They were playing great as individuals but needed to come together as a group. After the first goal, we talked about this at the time out and Katie was a big part of building up their confidence and keeping the players in front of her organized.”

The Trojans completed their season with a 13-4-3 record which included their runner-up finish in the Central Mass finals and making it to the MIAA Round of Eight. “I honestly don’t think we could have played better [on Saturday],” Greene said. “These girls gave everything they had and left it all on the field.  They worked so hard these last few weeks on defensive adjustments and midfield to striker connections.  We had two major lineup changes due to injuries that we overcame. The girls didn’t even bat an eye. They understood their assignments and just went out and played their hearts out.  It was devastating to see it end the way it did.

“I told the girls I was so proud of each and every one of them,” she said. “They should be so proud of themselves. They are good sports and a class act every game. That is something I take pride in. I told them to lean on each other during this difficult loss but to stay focused on all of the amazing things we accomplished together this season.  We were in the top eight in the state for D5 and that’s pretty great.”  

The Suzies have won 11-straight games and improved to 16-4-1. Sutton will face their biggest test of the season as they face the top-seeded Monson High (1) at the Assabet Valley field in Assabet at 5 p.m.

As Sutton head into the Final Four, Shipp said the message to his players remains the same as it has all season. “Play confident, communicate on the field to solve problems, and approach the warm up and game with tons of energy,” he said. “We have information on them and have seen video and we will have a game plan. We know they are a fantastic team and we look forward to the challenge.”

 

GIRLS SOCCER

Central Mass Roundup

Division 1

Algonquin (8) were shutout by top seeded Hingham (1), 3-0, in the Round of Eight on Saturday. The team finishes the season with a record 12-6-2. Caroline Alcock scored both Algonquin’s tournament goals in back-to-back 1-0 victories over Lincoln-Sudbury and Andover.

 

Division 2

Westborough (7) blanked Westwood (15), 3-0, to advance to the Division 2 Final Four with the help of two Elsi Aires second half goals. Riley Allen put the Rangers up 1-0 late in the first half after redirecting a Casey Bruck corner kick late in the first half. Goalkeeper Yael Dugaez’s clean sheet marks the 15th shutout by the Rangers this season.  

 

Grafton (8) was overmatched by top seeded Plymouth North (1), 5-0, in the Round of Eight of the state tournament. Lola Follansbee scored three of the four tournament goals for the Gators in the postseason. Grafton finishes the season with a stellar 16-2-3 record.

 

Division 4

Millbury (4) beat Blackstone Valley (5) on Saturday to advance to the Division 4 Final Four. Cali Brouillard scored the eventual game-winner four minutes into the second half. The Woolies have four different goal scorers for a balanced postseason attack. Mila Nikifarow, Grace Martin, and Jacquelyn Gilbert scored the other goals for the Woolies. Millbury will play Cohasset on Tuesday at Woburn High School at 5 p.m. for the right to go to the finals.

 

Northbridge (10) was shutout by Hamilton-Wenham (2) at St. John’s Prep in Danvers on Saturday. Their Cinderella season ends in the Round of Eight as the Wolverines’ final record stands at 10-7-2. 

Douglas sophomore Owen Gray. Photo by Kevin Paul Saleeba

 

BOYS SOCCER

Central Mass Roundup

Division 1

 

Leominster (5) lost a hard-fought game against Lexington (13) 1-0 on penalty kicks on Saturday. Alex Miller scored four-out-of-the-five goals for the Blue Devils in the tournament, including a hat-trick against Peabody in the second round. Leominster finished their season with a 17-1-2 record.

 

Saint John’s (11) lost to Newton North (3), 1-0, to end their season. Shane Fonseca scored five goals in the tournament for the Pioneers, including a hat-trick against Lincoln-Sudbury in the second round. St. John’s finished with a 14-4-3 record.

 

Division 5

 

Douglas (3) had three different scorers as the Tigers beat Keefe Tech. (11), 3-0, at Millbury High School on Saturday. Chris Dame, Owen Gray and Even Wheeler scored the goals for the Tigers as they advanced to the Division 5 Final Four. Dame and Gray both have three goals each in the tournament thus far, while teammate Aiden Ferguson has two goals. They will travel to Medway High School to play Westport (7) on Tuesday at 5 p.m. with a chance to advance to the finals.

 

Bromfield (1) extends their unbeaten streak to nine games as the Central Mass champion Trojans beat Mt. Greylock (8), 2-0 in the Round of Eight on Saturday. Senior captain Ryan McNulty continued his scoring dominance with a penalty kick goal early for Bromfield. Brendan Listzwan added an insurance goal late in the second half as goalkeeper recorded his 12th clean sheet of the season and sixth shutout in the last seven games. The Trojans will travel to Assabet Valley to face a dangerous Sutton squad at 7 p.m. The Sammies upset Hopedale (4), 2-1, at Milford High School to advance to the semifinals against the Trojans.