Deerfield had the honor of heading across the road to play in front of Eaglebrook’s visiting families on a surprisingly warm autumn afternoon. Deerfield came away with the win, defeating a talented young team of Eagles and staying focused as hundreds of Halloween lady beetles swarmed the field in search of overwintering sites. A shorthanded DA squad with just two subs came out a little disorganized on defense, letting Eaglebrook break through and go up 1-0 in the second minute. But soon Deerfield found its rhythm, getting on the board with a goal from left wing Matias Cushman ’25 in the 12th minute. Six minutes later the offense had another successful attack, with Henry Markcrow ’28 scoring after a great pass from striker Howard Jin ’27. Early in the second half Deerfield made it 3-1 thanks to a beautiful cross from right wing PJ Pirsch ’28 on which Jin made a fake before Cushman powered it into the upper-left corner. Eaglebrook put some threatening shots on keeper Jerry Du ’27, who had perhaps his best game of the season. Another defensive breakdown allowed them to get a second goal at 25’, but Deerfield regained its three-goal lead on a no-doubt PK from Markcrow at 38’. Despite the offensive highlights, steadfast defense helped deliver this win, especially from holding midfielders Teddy Gonzalez ’26 and Max Yau ’28, centerback Rich Zhou ’26, and fullback Ryan Bai ’26. Deerfield looks forward to hosting Williston’s JV B squad on Wednesday afternoon.