The thirds team saw their undefeated record slip away against Bement on Wednesday afternoon. The small but mighty “Bementors” combined a strong passing game, quick movement off the ball, and effective defense to pull off a 4-0 victory.
Deerfield held strong throughout the beginning of the first half and matched Bement’s talent, held together by Izzy Ortiz ’18’s strong ball skills in the midfield and excellent defense as usual from Taylor Coan ’21, Annabelle Mauri ’18, Trish Boonpongmanee ’20, and Catalina Llorente ’19. Maddie Clough ’20 helped out in the back as well and made some strong passes to the wing to stymie the Bement offensive, which was particularly strong down the middle. Unfortunately, Deerfield began to lose focus as the Bement group tightened their game, nabbing two quick goals to end the half.
Though Bement would score twice more in the second half, this was not for lack of trying on the part of fearless goalkeeper Sydney Bluestein ’21. In fact, the other team’s bench could be heard loudly complimenting Deerfield’s 9th-grade phenom goalie, who possesses the athletic gift of a short memory — no matter what has happened in the minutes leading up to a shot on goal, Bluestein remains focused on the matter at hand and has allowed remarkably few points throughout the season in the face of offensive assaults.
Deerfield’s offense tried their best throughout the game as well. Highlights included the ball skills, speed, and determination of midfielder Grace Knight ’20, who connected throughout the match with forward and fellow sophomore Whitney Vogt ’20 for near-misses of the goal. Vogt in particular set up excellent opportunities for crosses throughout the day, but Deerfield could not execute for a point. Griffin Dewey ’20, Kikka Giudici ’20, Hope Smith ’20, Sabrina Ticer-Wurr ’21, and Mia Burch ’19 all worked hard at the top and in the middle of the field, but Bement ultimately proved the more skilled team.
Deerfield will contest the cross-town championship once again on Monday the 30th, and hopes for a better outcome with more knowledge of the opposing team’s strategy and skills.