After two games on the road, the Big Green (1-2-3) was back at home on Wednesday, where they hosted Northfield Mount Hermon (5-1-3) on Jamie Kapteyn Field.
In spite of the chilly weather, both teams came out of the gate with steaming attacks. Deerfield winger, Emma Kale, penetrated loose seams on the left side of NMH’s defense, and Katy Gilbert connected well with junior striker Ruby Chase, who pulled-off a decent attempt on goal with a first time shot. After beating her defender on the right flank, Gilbert also found herself with an opportunity, upon going one-on-one with the Hogger goalkeeper, but was blocked by Maria Echezarreta Fernandez’s outstretched arm. On the other end of the field, it was NHM freshman, Emma Wemmer, who nearly opened up the score sheet for the Hoggers. Chasing down a long ball from the right side, Wemmer stuck the ball from the top of the 18-yard box, only to have it ricochet off the crossball. However, Wemmer’s persistent efforts later paid off when she received a long ball over the top of the Big Green backline, going one on one with the Angie Czeremcha. This time, her first touch strike rolled into the back of the next. Deerfield rallied and continued their varied attack down each flank, but because NMH consistently found their way through the midfield, the Hogger strikers proved to be a big nuisance for the Big Green defense. Before the first half was sealed off, Wemmer netted her second goal of the afternoon on another breakaway run.
The second half started off with similar energy as the first, with both sides having early chances on each others’ goals. Five minutes into the half, however, NHM got their third goal off the foot of senior midfielder, Selma Ramirez Sanchez, who ran onto a low driven corner kick, and met it with a one touch finish. Despite facing an uphill battle, the Big Green pressed on. Their resilience was rewarded when Angie Rey rocketed a shot from outside of the 18-yard box, getting the home side on the score sheet. Expectedly, NMH was quick to reply, finding Wemmer on the break again; with another one touch finish, she scored her hat trick, reestablishing the Hogger’s comfortable three-goal lead. However, the Big Green found enough fuel in the tank to again cut the deficit. After having a corner kick cleared out, Deerfield regained possession and connected with a few short passes that concluded with Chase driving a shot from distance over the Hogger keeper’s reach. Although NHM did not let up on its attack, the final score remained 4-2.
The Big Green now turns its sights to Saturday’s contest at Loomis Chaffee (2-4-1), where they will play against Pelicans at 2:30 on Barton Field.