The Deerfield squad boarded the bus on a crisp New England morning and while the sun was shining, the mercury foreshadowed the chilly temps to come this season. The team has worked hard throughout the summer months and pushed themselves through the pre-season practices and opening week of school. The Berkshire team always presents a strong opening test for the Green and the girls were ready for the test. Deerfield played solid defense and controlled play throughout the first half of play but were unable to connect in the offensive end, especially in the face of a strong Berkshire “D”. The Bears of Berkshire came out of the gate firing in the second half and scored on their first corner of the game after an aggressive attack on the DA defense. The girls bounced back and pushed relentlessly on the Berkshire defense and were able to tie the game late in the affair on a beautiful goal by Lucy Lytle ’15 (first goal of the season by a first year student!). Despite a late flurry of attacks by DA, the whistle blew regulation to an end with the score tied 1-1. The overtime period saw attacks on both ends and DA saw it’s best scoring attempt thwarted by the goal post on a beautiful shot by newcomer Kelsey Gallagher ’13. Ultimately the game ended in a 1-1 draw and both teams should be commended on their tenacity and strong play this afternoon. The Deerfield girls learned a great deal from the contest and should be well prepped for Wednesday’s matchup with Pomfret (away@4pm). Hats off to a strong Berkshire squad, good luck on the season! To the DA faithful, we look forward to a great season of field hockey!
The photos illustrate a beautiful goal by Lucy Lytle with an assist by Maggie Shilling(thanks Penny Ashford for the great photos!):
Categories: Field Hockey (Girls)