We tied Exeter 4-4 in a back-and-forth affair that had Deerfield up 4-1 with 15 minutes to go. Exeter kept playing hard and scored in the final minute to tie it up. The first 20 minutes of the game belonged to Exeter, who worked the ball through our midfield several times, but came up empty. Tai Feng (26) put us ahead on a strong effort at striker to gather a through ball, break through traffic, and score the opening goal. With momentum now on our side, we competed harder for 50-50s and won a throw deep in their end, which Michael Hioe (27) sent into their box. The ball leaked out to the top of the box where Oscar Sanford (26) drove a strong lefty into the far panel. We went into halftime 2-0. Henry Markcrow (28) made it 3-0 on a solo effort to follow a long ball over the top. He pick-pocketed the Exeter defender who was protecting the ball for a goal kick, and then danced his way into the 6, which he has done many times in practice, and drove home a lefty. Exeter scored on a deflected shot to make it 3-1 and we countered with another score from a long throw by Michael Hioe (27) which John Rousou (28) poked home to make it 4-1. At this point in the game, we were confident and working hard, but we were tired. We had to muster 15 minutes of energy while Exeter pushed the pace. We struggled to win 50-50s and maintain possession. Exeter scored on a another deflected shot and then again when a quick restart from midfield caught us off guard. They ran free onto a ball and made it 4-3. With 5 minutes left, Exeter had the momentum and was pushing for the equalizer which they found after a nice string of passes, reminding us of their play early in the game. Remarkably, keeper Jerry Du (27) got a hand on the shot bound for the upper left corner, but it had too much pace and slid in. While it was a strange and disappointing end to a game we felt we deserved to win, Exeter deserves credit for their persistence. They were good sports and the game was a great display of competitiveness and camaraderie on Parents’ Weekend. With three tough results behind us and a long weekend ahead, we will come together after the break and push for our best soccer of the season.