Deerfield took on a formidable Suffield squad in their 3rd game of the season. The Big Green stepped onto the field with what has become their hallmark intensity. From the opening whistle, they ran hard and chased down every ball. Suffield was a strong team who passed the ball well. Action was seen at both ends throughout the entire game.
Early on, Deerfield has a flurry of shots, but could not find the back of the net. Just when it seemed like Suffield had gained momentum by earning a series of penalty corners, Deerfield dug deep. Strong defensive play by Kailen Coelho ’20, Lisa Ito-Bagshaw ’21, Lily Zeng ’22, Elsa Marrian ’21 and goal keeper Gabby Hu ‘21 held Suffield scoreless on their corners. At the 16:55 mark, Deerfield finally found the back of the net. Suffield was taking a penalty corner when defensive fly Lisa Ito-Bagshaw ’21 intercepted the pass out to the top of the circle and adeptly dodged an on-coming attacker before sending a hard pass up field to her sister Sara ’22. Sara then turned on the jets and carried the ball 50 yards up field. When nearing the attacking circle, Sara passed the ball to Camille Glatt ’21 who returned the give-and-go beautifully to Sara who immediately found the back of the net. The entire play from one end of the field to the other took less than 10 seconds. It was truly spectacular to watch!
The second half saw more end-to-end action with both teams creating scoring opportunities. Late in the game, Deerfield was awarded a penalty corner. Lisa Ito-Bagshaw sent the pass to Kailen Coelho ’20 at the top of the circle and then got into position on the left side of goal when Coelho sent the ball passed the defense. With a swift move, Ito-Bagshaw tipped it passed the goal keeper into the back of the net to make it 2-0 with 9:20 left in the game. Though Suffield came back with intensity, The Big Green were able to hold them off for the win.
Up next for The Big Green is cross-town rival Bement on Wednesday October 3rd.