Despite the cloudy, semi-cool day, DA stepped onto the turf on Saturday ready to play some hockey! What followed was 50 minutes of a full team effort to clinch their 4-1 win against St. Paul’s. The first half started slowly, but the girls began to pick up the pace as they got comfortable passing, dodging and switching fields as a unit. Anne Brown ’21 looked like a natural in defense, stopping St. Paul’s before they got to the scoring circle and carrying the ball down the right side; she was aided by her center back Ellie Shilling ’21 and right back Kate Kelly ‘22, both executing block tackles and flick shots that were critical in getting the ball back to the DA offense. By the end of the first half, despite a 0-0 score, Deerfield was dominating and having a blast. The energy was buzzing at half-time, as the girls strategized about why they hadn’t been able to score a goal yet, despite almost 25 shots on goal (to St. Paul’s 4!). Within just a few minutes of stepping back on the turf, DA’s attackers were working seamlessly together. Down the left-hand side of the field, Ainsley Hatch ’22, Daly Baker ’22, and Jada Howard ’19, worked in unison, anticipating passes and weaving down the field, ultimately leading Ainsley Hatch to the first goal of the game. Daly followed quickly with two more consecutive goals, one a beautiful shot off an offensive corner. On the right-hand side of the field, forward Renee Ballou ’20 and midfielder captain Dom Whitney ’19 used flat and through passing to repeatedly penetrate St. Paul’s scoring circle, ultimately resulting in the fourth goal of the game by Caroline Mahoney ’21, with a mean drive from the top of the circle. After this game it was clear to coaches, teammates, and onlookers that Deerfield JV field hockey is a force to be reckoned with!