Boys' Soccer Fights to Gritty, One Goal Win at Deerfield

EXETER – Boys’ varsity soccer improved their record to 6-6 this Saturday with a victory at Deerfield Academy, making the 2½-hour drive to Deerfield worth every second. This marked the fourth straight year that Big Red has taken down these rivals.Upper Ted Hart gave the squad room to breathe early on with a decisive goal 36 seconds into the game, stunning the Deerfield faithful. Hart also scored the second goal on a through ball from captain Stewart Scott that Hart carried on to smash into the net just before the end of the first half.With the early lead, the confidence from Hart’s early goal and the momentum from the dominating performance days before against Berwick Academy combined to give the team leeway to play more offensively in the first half.“Deerfield was a competitive team that tried to outwork us,” upper Sterling Weatherbie said. “I thought that everyone played at 110% right through to the end.”Weatherbie was one of many standout performers for his energy and on-point passes from midfield. Other notable players include lower Trevor Cosgrove using his size to overpower Deerfield for possession of the ball, even going to the point where he drew a yellow, Ted Hart’s dominating two-goal performance, and senior Noah Wright’s all-around strong second-half performance.“Deerfield was a good defensive team and their record doesn’t show how good their team really is,” postgraduate Henry Hart said.“Deerfield is always a very big game and we wanted to get the win,” lower Matt Asante said. “We all worked really hard to get it, but we were all very positive entering the game.”“We are a strong team that has struggled to play for 90 minutes against quality opponents,” coach AJ Cosgrove said. “The early part of the season was disappointing, but we appear to be on track.”This was the second game with the same starting lineup, a lineup that will continue into the game against Tilton. This signifies a more defined identity on the varsity team, something that should help the players start to get comfortable in their set positions and play with some added chemistry.This lineup not only boasts an explosive offense, but a stout defense to match it. The boys have outscored opponents 5-1 in the past few games, and the only goal allowed was with 18 seconds left in a game that was essentially over. While Cosgrove’s concerns of being able to last a full outing may still carry some merit, the endurance of the team seems to have risen exponentially over the course of the season.The next two games for Exeter are away, but after that, they finish the season with four consecutive home games, including E/a. “We’re looking to finish up the road trip with two wins, gaining some momentum going into our final four game home stand,” Weatherbie said.The boys hope to continue their streak with a victory at Tilton Academy on Wednesday at 3:00.Tilton is coming into the game 3-6-1, and they recently barely squeaked by New Hampton School 1-0, a team the Exeter beat 6-0 early in the season. Tilton also lost to Holderness Academy, a team that Exeter beat 3-0.“Our team seems to finally be clicking together as we have been able to string a few wins together,” Hart said. “We are very optimistic about the remaining schedule and are looking to end the season strongly.”