Bruins Withstand Churchill Test To Reach Field Hockey Final

So much of Broadneck’s field hockey season has been the opposite of what was expected for one of the state’s premier programs.

The Bruins have struggled to score early, and as a result they have often had to come from behind. They’ve churned through their depth but have, at the same time, relied on three mainstays to see them through.

The one constant has been winning. And while Thursday’s Class 4A state semifinal against Winston Churchill was far from vintage, the Bruins added another W to their growing haul.

Cayman Holmes opened the scoring and Cate Imber added two goals of her own, as Broadneck withstood a late charge from Churchill to win 3-2 and advance to the state championship round for the second time in three years.

“We just talked about keeping their heads, and breaking the game down into smaller sections,” said Broadneck coach Shannon Hanratty. “There were some panicky plays early, but we did a good job possessing and knowing when to push and when to sit back.”

Churchill’s defense stymied Broadneck’s attack outside of a couple of bursts. Holmes’ goal 20 seconds into the game gave the Bruins a rare early lead, but they didn’t get another until the very end of the quarter when Imber doubled the advantage. The Bruins led 3-0 early in the second quarter, before Churchill mounted a push to get back into the game.

The Bruins didn’t score in the second half, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort or opportunities. They maintained possession and limited Churchill’s chances, they racked up corners, and they even won a penalty stroke, which Katelyn Kearns dragged wide. But Kearns, kept quiet in attack, came up big defensively in the final two minutes, when Churchill threw everything at the Broadneck defense – and Broadneck answered.

First Clare Imber, who had anchored the defense all night, disrupted a two-on-one opportunity for Churchill. Then, on the Bulldogs’ last attack of the night, Kearns stepped to intercept a pass and then took the ball the length of the field the other way to salt the remaining time off the clock.

“That’s this team – they trust each other,” Hanratty said. “When someone misses an opportunity, there’s no glaring at them; they’re all just like, ‘You can do it. It’s OK.’”