Bronxville may not be strangers to the big stage, but until June 11, they didn’t know how it felt to be state champions. On Saturday, a dominant second half against Skaneateles propelled the Broncos into the winners circle with a 15-8 win, capping off a tremendous run for Bonxville’s seniors and erasing the sour taste left by the team’s last trip up to Cortland in 2019.
Senior Kiki Tormey, who was a freshman on the Broncos’ 2019 team that fell in to Mattituck in the championship game said she knew after that loss that she and her classmates would eventually get the chance to redeem themselves at SUNY Cortland. But after COVID-19 canceled the entirety of the 2020 season and all non-section postseason play in 2021, this would be the final opportunity for Bronxville’s seniors to win a state title.
“[After 2019] we knew we would be back here, we just didn’t know it would take so long,” said Tormey. “But to be able to come out and get the win, this is an amazing feeling.”
Tormey and classmate Molly Krestinski led the Broncos with four goals each, but the game was a showcase for the offensive versatility of a Broncos team that had established itself as one of the best in the state from the early-goings of the season.
Caroline Ircha, who finished with two goals and an assist, said after heading into halftime with a vulnerable 6-3 lead, the Broncos came out in the second half knowing that they needed to get back to basics and apply constant pressure on the Lakers in order to pull away.
“One of the most important goals was that first one right at the start of the second half,” said Ircha. “That’s the momentum we needed to get it going, we started to get that energy from the bench and that was so important.”
“I think sometimes when we get nervous, we tend to play a little fast,” she added. “But we slowed it down, moved the ball around and got it done.”
Bronxville also got big days from Bridget Finley and Catherine Berkery, who both scored two goals as well. Olivia Shinsato had five saves for the Broncos.
Bronxville ends the season with a stellar 22-1 record, its lone loss coming to eventual Connecticut state champion New Canaan. But for a team that had come into the season with astronomically high expectations, said Tormey, Saturday’s win was cause for both celebration and relief.
“It’s honestly a bit of both emotions, this was our goal since day one and we were just so happy to be able to do it,” she said. “Being able to call ourselves state champions is just a dream.”
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