Idle for four of the last five days because of special schedules and inclement weather, the Deerfield Junior A squad nonetheless came out strong and got back in the win column on a bright and crisp afternoon in Simsbury, Connecticut. Uptempo from the first whistle, Deerfield gave itself many chances in the first half but couldn’t capitalize. Westminster’s offense struggled but managed to put their team up in the 34’ after scoring out of a scrum in the box. In the huddle, our coaches didn’t need to say much, as the team knew just what they had to do to get the W. The second half was all Deerfield. One goal we set in the huddle was to earn corner kicks, and when we got the first opportunity in the fifth minute of the second half, Captain Owen Fleck ’26 tied the game off a textbook kick from forward Henry Markcrow ’28. Two minutes later Fleck gave us the lead with an assist from winger Matias Cushman ’25. Cushman gave Deerfield an insurance goal at 27’ with a powerful shot to the bottom left corner. The most beautiful goal of the season so far came on a cross from middie PJ Pirsch ’28 that Cushman headed in to send us up 4-1. Cushman nearly got a hat trick in the game’s final seconds, but his shot deflected off the keeper. Markcrow was crashing, though, and ensured we got that fifth point. Defenders Teddy Gonzalez ’26 and Ryan Bai ’26 were fast to the ball all game, stifling Westy attacks. Stalwart centerback Rich Zhou ’26 was reunited with Rowan Dias ’27, who made his return after going down with an injury in our first game. With a newfound confidence, Deerfield will make the trip across the 5 & 10 for an “away” game at Eaglebrook this Saturday.