BROMFIELD – Thanks to some dogged determination on the field, the fortunes of the Bromfield High varsity field hockey team are trending upwards.

After experiencing a difficult 1-0 loss to Lunenburg in the first game of the year, Trojans head coach Susan Silver felt her squad was not yet where she wanted them to be. In that game, Bromfield battled to a 0-0 draw for most of the game, a few mistakes and some tired players led to Lunenburg’s go-ahead goal. 

“(The loss) will build some toughness and they won’t complain so much when we say they need conditioning,” she said after that game. “I know we’re going to get better.  I know we will.  We’re a quick team. We just got to clean it up.”

The team has gotten better. Since Sept. 8, Bromfield has gone unbeaten in four out of five games, with a record of 2-1-2.

Bromfield’s senior captain Jordan Hoover is a foundational piece to the Trojans this season as a midfielder. Silver said Jordan covers a lot of space on the field and plays with great control. “If she gets the ball, she’s going to get it where she wants it,” she said. “At midfield Jordan Hoover is taking command. She moves up and controls passes into the circle and hustles back on defense to help get the ball out of the circle and up the sides.”

The Trojans took their cue from Hoover’s spirited play with wins against Maynard and Tyngsboro, ties against Hudson and Fitchburg and just one loss against Midland Wachusett Division D powerhouse and undefeated Littleton (4-0). 

“I finally felt this week the ladies are starting to play together and figure out where everyone will be on the field,” Silver said. She also pointed out that the team’s forwards, sophomores Olivia Muller-Juez and Sanjana Shukla, and juniors Sara Burns and Imogen Slavin, are “finally passing and hitting the ball hard to each other. They are becoming more aggressive in the circle.”

Junior Sara Selig has also been playing well on the left side of the field. “Her scoops and ariels have gotten the ball quickly down the field,” Silver said. Sophomores Sophia Rypinski and Mairead Daly “have also been playing mid and are improving on a daily basis.”

While the offense has been aggressive moving the ball, the Trojans have been equally solid on defense. This begins with their outstanding freshman goalkeeper Hannah Murphy. She has allowed only two goals during their four unbeaten games. “Our freshman goalie has been phenomenal!” Silver said.

Murphy has a lot of help from the defensive players in front of her. “Our defense is finally getting the ball out to the wings where the ball can be moved quickly down the field,” Silver said. Juniors “Asha Khurana and Sienna Stanten have been solid. (They’ve made) good stops and strong hits as well as backing up the goalie.”

Directing traffic and perhaps one of the most important pieces to the Trojans’ defense, other than the goalie, is junior sweeper Sahara Sulliman. She can be seen directing traffic and communicating to her teammates in the defensive third of the field. “She’s all over the field. She has great moves and makes great stops … Sulliman is our strongest hitter and not much gets by her defensively.”

With the return of sophomore Alex Areliano from an injury, Silver’s roster does get an added boost of depth. With senior captains Erin Flynn, who can start at either midfield or forward, and Patti Bonney, and with contributions from sophomore Ava Laperriere, who plays both offense and defense, Silver has a lot of versatility moving forward.

Bromfield has a rematch against Lunenburg on their home field on Monday, Sept. 27 at 4 p.m. The first Lunenburg game was away and played on artificial turf which gave the Blue Knights an advantage. “It’s hard to practice that. We are definitely better on our home grass field … We don’t play on turf. So, it makes a huge difference. The skills are totally different, (between) grass and turf. Totally different. It affects passing, shots, stops. Everything is faster. You can do sweeps which you don’t do on the grass.”

Whether grass or turf, Silver said her team is progressing on schedule. “Things right now seem to be moving in the right direction,” Silver said. “For a group that has only two returning varsity players I guess we are where we should be. We definitely need to improve but I feel we are finally comfortable in our positions. We know we can be better and are working to get there.”

Bromfield Field Hockey

At a Glance

Nickname: Trojans

Affiliation: Midland Wachusett Division D

Colors: Blue and White

Current Record: 2-2-2

Coach: Susan Silver

Captains: Erin Flynn, Jordan Hoover, Patti Bonne