Girls’ reserve soccer narrowly lost to Miss Porter’s on a clear but hot Wednesday afternoon. The team traveled to Farmington, CT with 12 players and faced off against a significantly more numerous squad of Fighting Daisies. Porter’s brought the heat during the first half, quickly notching two goals despite the best efforts of Big Green’s defense. But Deerfield narrowed the gap, thanks to the combined efforts of Katie Parker and Dominique Whitney: Whitney managed to get clear of the Porter’s defense and slid the ball to Parker, who fired a scorecher past the goalie to bring the score to 2-1. Porter’s scored again to close out the half.
After a quick water break and a rousing “aga-chi,” the team was ready to rock. Deerfield dominated the second half of the game, as backs Sarah Wright, Annabel Mauri, Anna Harvey, Maggie Tydings, and Hope Smith defended Deerfield’s territory and keeper FJ Marsh tended goal to the tune of a shutout. Mia Burch, Jordan Manning, Grace Knight, and Whitney were all over the field as middies, aggressively following the ball. The Big Green worked together to continue attacking goal, setting Whitney Vogt up for a few fast and furious breakaways. However, Miss Porter’s keeper stayed alert and the Fighting Daisies defense beat back Deerfield’s attempts at a goal…
Until the last minute of the second half. Burch set Manning up with a beautiful cross, and Manning closed out the game with a clean finish, sending the ball speeding past Porter’s goalie and right into the net. With just one substitute as the team awaits final cuts from the junior varsity squad, the girls’ reserve team (or the “TRIumphs,” as they call themselves) held their own against a tough opponent and seems poised as a force to be reckoned with this season. The team’s next game is a home match against Taft at 4 p.m. this Saturday.