By Bob York
It turned out to be another typical autumn for the Deerfield Academy field hockey squad. And around these parts, that means the Big Green reached double figures in the win column and earned yet another invite to postseason play. In fact, the Deerfield field hockey program marked its 20th birthday this fall, and in two decades of existence, it has missed tournament action just four times.
It didn’t take long to figure out this year’s rendition of Deerfield field hockey would make it to the postseason, as it jumped out to a 9-2-1 record, which included a six-game winning streak. The Big Green, which was hoping to add to its six Western New England Prep School Field Hockey League crowns, saw that quest end in first-round play when it fell to Westminster, 2-1. Jamie Haddad ’12 scored for Deerfield just 29 seconds into the game, but a pair of second-half tallies saw Westminster moving on.
“We really had a great season. Unfortunately, it ended a little sooner than we’d hoped it would,” said Big Green mentor Kristen Veiga. “We had a sound offense, a strong defense, and two very good goaltenders, and a good number of them will be back next year.”
That goal by Haddad marked the final tally of a high-scoring career, as she led the Big Green in scoring for the last four years. This season she paced the team’s scoring charts with 14 points on nine goals and five assists. Mettler Growney ’13 followed with six points on five goals and one assist, while Lucy Lytle ’15 produced three goals and two assists for five points.
Lili Gahagan ’12 headed up the Deerfield defense, while new faces belonging to Kelsey Gallagher ’13 and Julia Hamilton ’14 also played prominent roles. In goal, Hannah Latham ’13 and Ally Benedict ’13 split the chores between the pipes.
Haddad, who earned an All-Tournament Team selection, was the recipient of this year’s Deerfield Cup, while she and Gahagan were both named to the league’s All-Star team.