Deerfield’s fall season started in earnest on a wet Saturday afternoon as it played its first 80-minute match, a match-up against a perennially tough Taft team. The DA boys put on a rousing display of smart passing, difference-making speed, and coordinated defense. With constant communication and heads-up ball handling, they bested the Rhinos in possessions and managed a whopping 24 shots on goal. Unfortunately, they were battling an excellent keeper, who kept his team in the game throughout. Deerfield’s powerful midfielder Jack Zhunio ’27 got the scoring started when he dribbled through Taft’s backline in the 15’ and drilled a shot into the bottom left corner. Taft would come back to tie the game five minutes into the second half with a surprise shot from deep. But Deerfield took the lead right back three minutes later when Isaac Shobola ’27 combined his eye-popping quickness with his skillful footwork to beat the defenders and give him a shot opportunity he didn’t miss. At 73’ Taft would tie the game again with another successful deep shot. With the clock ticking down, Shobola would send the crowd into a frenzy as finished a cross from Victor Kibuuka ’26 to give Deerfield the lead back. The jubilation was muted after Taft was awarded a free kick and ended up scoring when the rain-soaked ball slipped from the grasp of DA keeper Jerry Du ’27, who battled the conditions admirably all match. With that, what felt like a solid win became a draw. “Just need to put more Stick-Um on the goalie gloves,” quipped the referee as he headed to his car. Though record books won’t show it, this game raised expectations considerably for the season ahead of this small group of young players, especially with the leadership captains Sammy Sullivan ’25, Luka Kokosadze ’25, and Henry Shearer ’26 showed on the field and in the huddle. On Wednesday, the hungry DA squad heads down to Windsor, Connecticut, for its first of two contests against Loomis.