Taking to the water soaked fields and woods of New Hampshire, the Deerfield Girls’ XC team brought their A-game to Exeter to match themselves against the heavily favored Lions. Not ones to back down from a muddy challenge, the Deerfield girls took solid positions right from the gun and ran to a highly respectable loss, finishing 37-20. The course was slower due to the heavy rain and puddle-filled fields, but times were generally good for this time of the season. Deerfield’s Victoria Patterson suffered her first defeat of the season, finishing third in 19:27, followed by Erin Hudson in 20:19, Jane Mallach 21:01, Lilly Shuhda 21:06, Sarah Jane O’Connor 21:42, Nora Markey 21:45, Helen Downes 21:50, Carolyn Melvin 21:55, Sofi Sintes 21:57, Erin Howe 22:23, Roopa Venkatraman 22:27, Ely Burke 22:42, Hannah Swinnerton 23:21, Gemma Bishop 24:47, Lily Horwitch 24:51, Penelope Hough 24:53, Mina Liang 24:59, Katie Morse 24:59, Madisen Siegel 25:27, Nafi Sall 26:49, and Niki Pelletier 27:03. Next week the girls head east again to take on defending New England Champions Phillips Andover.