'This is special': Douglas outlasts Bromfield in PKs to take Division 5 boys' soccer state semifinal

AYER — Alex Ferguson couldn't bear to watch.

With his team in the midst of penalty kicks Wednesday night, the Douglas High boys' soccer coach stood away from the field as Douglas and Bromfield swapped PK tries in a Division 5 state semifinal at Ayer-Shirley Regional High School.

"I can't watch PKs," said Ferguson, who started coaching in 2002 and will retire after this season. "I was over in the corner not watching. I could just hear the roar of the crowd."

Luckily for Ferguson, it was his crowd that had the last roar.

Check out the latest scoring and goalie leaders in Central Mass. soccer and field hockey

Thanks to three straight saves from senior goalkeeper Gavin Gualtieri, and consecutive PK scores from senior captains Chris Dame, Logan Hooper and Evan Wheeler, the second-seeded Tigers beat No. 3 Bromfield after a scoreless regulation and overtimes.

Douglas (14-3-5) moves on to face No. 8 Westport (21-0-1) in a Division 5 state final Saturday, at a time and site to be determined. Bromfield, winner of five straight D5 state titles, finished 17-6.

"It's always good when you beat the giant, and they're the dynasty right now," said Ferguson, a 1992 Douglas High grad. "This is special, it doesn't happen all the time. Whatever we're going to do the next game, we have to make the most of it. I've been (to the state finals) three times, and we haven't won yet."

“I couldn’t be happier for Douglas and their coach Alex," Bromfield coach Alex Horne said. "They played a great game and hope they find a way to bring a title back to Douglas.”

'So glad that he stuck around'

Ferguson originally wanted to step down from his position after the 2021 season when the Tigers lost to Bromfield in overtime, 1-0, in the Division 5 state final.

But after being persuaded to come back, Ferguson returned and saw his team advance to the state semifinals last year before losing to Sutton in double overtime. Then this season, Ferguson made it clear that this was his last hurrah with the Tigers.

"Coach couldn't get rid of us luckily," Gualtieri said. "So glad that he stuck around."

Stuck in a scoreless tie after regulation and two overtimes, Ferguson snuck himself in the corner at the turf field in Ayer as he watched the Tigers try to tame the playoff beast that has become Bromfield over the years.

To kick off PKs, Bromfield's Vasilis Psathas snuck a ball past Gualtieri before the Douglas keeper took his own penalty shot. When Gualtieri's kick was saved by Bromfield goalie Luke Maclean, it looked like the Tigers would once again fall just short of a state final appearance.

“It kind of sucked to be honest, I haven’t made a (PK shot) this year,” Gualtieri said. “As a goalie if I miss, I can still make up for it by making a save, so just trying to lock in.”

After allowing the next Bromfield kicker to score, Gualtieri saw his teammates make three straight PKs while he stopped two consecutive shots to make it 3-2 in favor of the Tigers in PKs.

Then, needing to make just one more stop, Gualtieri dug his feet in the ground, dove to his right and stopped the ball with two hands before rushing into the arms of his teammates.

“Thankfully my hand got on the ball, and I knew from that point it was over," Gualtieri said. "A lot of emotions, very exciting.”

"I know I have a good goalie," Ferguson said.

'Soccer is a great outlet in life'

Prior to beating Bromfield on Wednesday, Ferguson had been through an emotional week with the recent loss of his mother. And after riding the emotional roller-coaster of winning a playoff game in penalty kicks, the Douglas coach was just happy to have a few more days with his team.

"Sometimes you need this, and soccer is a great outlet in life, and it's always been that way," Ferguson said. "And through my coaching, I've always given everything to my kids on the field. When you can give to the kids, and they give the same effort back to you, that's just love in the purest form."

And the contingent of Douglas captains shared their love for their coach following their wild postseason victory.

“He’s been through a lot this year," Loehr said. "It’s always nice to do something for him, and we’ve grown up with him, and he’s just always been a big part of us. He just gives us that motivation to keep going.”

Said Hooper: “He’s always in the back of our mind, to be honest. We just want to win everything for him.”

"We’re glad to get this win and keep his spirits up for at least a couple more days," Gualtieri added, "and hopefully we can bring this home.”

—Contact Tommy Cassell at tcassell@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tommycassell44. 

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Douglas outlasts Bromfield in PKs, advances to D5 boys' soccer state final