On a cloudy Saturday afternoon, Deerfield endured a tough loss on Wilbraham and Monson’s turf field. In the first 30 minutes, Wilbraham took advantage of gaps in our defense and groggy passes to score 3 goals. Then, 30 minutes in, Jack Wagner ’26 scored a free kick that swerved around Wilbraham’s wall. Riding the momentum of that goal, the team played with more aggression and speed, keeping the ball squarely on Wilbraham’s half. 7 minutes later, Wagner shot a carefully angled corner kick that Jeremy Tadesse ’26 finished with a skillful bump. Deerfield went into the second half playing more assertively, eager to close up the gap. However, a slew of injuries on the field took out several players, demanding creative positioning and hard minutes from each and every player. Wilbraham’s powerful offense scored two more goals in the second half. Though the tough score chipped away at Deerfield’s spirits, Sammy Sullivan ’25 focused up when it came time for a penalty kick and brought the score up to 3-5. Both teams played hard until the second the buzzer went off. Some highlights from the game include consistent and critical defense from Michael Hioe ’27 and smart midfield plays by Jack Webb ’27; a referee came up to the coaches and said about Webb, “He’s not afraid of nothing.” The coaches are in total agreement about that. Though the score was challenging for the team to swallow, the loss was a bittersweet one, as a DA alum, Lawrence Biondo ’86, coached the Wilbraham team to their victory. The team is going into next week with a busy agenda for practice. Deerfield looks forward to applying these tough lessons to our next game at home on Wednesday against Suffield.