The boys junior B footballers faced their biggest challenge of the season so far with a road game at Suffield Academy on October 23rd. On an unusually hot afternoon with an extremely dry field, Deerfield managed to pull out a 3-1 win, despite giving up only their second goal of the season. Led by a brace from Kevin Lu ’28, the team survived a sub-par performance to raise their record to 9-0 on the season.
The first 15 minutes of the game featured lots of back and forth play, with keeper Magnus Selvig ’26 called upon several times to make saves. Only a couple were seriously threatening, but Deerfield haven’t faced many teams capable of even getting the ball out of their own half this season. Deerfield had several chances of their own, but the Suffield keeper, who was their MVP in the first matchup, was up to the task. Finally, in the 16th minute, Lu found the back of the net to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. Instead of the floodgates opening as has often been the case this season, the home team got an equalizer in the 28th minute – the first time this season that the score has been tied (other than 0-0). Fortunately, Jack Keller ’26 put a rebound home just before half-time to restore the one-goal lead.
The second half was similar to the first, with chances for both teams, before Lu scored his second goal of the game in the 48th minute to give Deerfield a 3-1 lead and a bit of breathing room. There was little comfort to be had, however, as Suffield continued to press and have chances. The defense held strong for the final 20 minutes of the game and Deerfield emerged with the win to extend their undefeated streak against Suffield to 10 games.
Quad Squad continues their road swing with a trip to Phillips Academy Andover on October 26th. The match starts at 2:45 pm.