Bromfield Boys Top Lenox in State Semi-Finals
CHICOPEE, Mass. -- For 38 minutes Wednesday night, Lenox boys soccer coach Matt Cote knew that a special season for his Millionaires was coming to an end.
When Bromfield’s Nolan Granville scored his second goal of the game just after half-time, the Central Massachusetts champion Trojans were well on their way to an eventual 5-0 win over Lenox in the Division 4 state semi-finals.
“I knew it wasn’t going to be our night when the second goal went in,” Cote said. “One goal goes in, maybe you can counter. The second goes in and they had all that momentum … I knew it was pretty unlikely.
“The whole team kept fighting, though.”
Lenox, which fought back from a losing regular season record to a second straight Western Mass title, did not have quite enough to get past defending state champion Bromfield.
Cote said Bromfield could have competed with the Division 1 and 3 teams that Lenox butts heads with in the Berkshire County North Division.
“I don’t know what they put in the water in Bromfield,” Cote said after a second straight loss to the Trojans in the semis. “They’re all big, fast and physical.”
Midway through the first half, Granville gave Bromfield all the offense it needed, when he curled a shot under the crossbar from about 20 yards out.
Lenox’s defense and keeper Jacob Munch (15 saves) kept it a 1-0 game despite being outshot 8-0 in the first 40 minutes.
“In our huddle after the game, I gave a special shoutout to Jacob Munch,” Cote said. “He was inspiring tonight. He’s been to four Western Mass championship games without ever having played in one before this year.
“A lot of him is in this team.”
In the critical opening moments of the second half, Granville scored again, this time intercepting a clearance pass inside the 18 and finishing to give Bromfield what seemed like an unsurmountable two-goal edge.
Charlie Pappas scored a pair of goals to make it 4-0 at the 55-minute mark. Will Armstrong added an exclamation point in the 63rd minute.
Although the final game -- really the final 40 minutes -- were hard to watch, Cote knows his team will be one to watch next fall.
“This year was 100 percent a success,” Cote said. “I don’t look at this game as a black mark on the season. We did everything we set out to do and more.
“[Winning Western Mass] was not really a goal for us this year, at least not one we talked about. But given who is coming back next year, it would be foolish for us to undersell ourselves.”