Field Hockey Loses to Strong Deerfield Team

After leading a winning streak against Middlesex School and Cushing Academy, Big Red field hockey fell short during their away game against Deerfield, with a score of 0-4. Though the team may have suffered a tough loss, the score did not reflect their performance on the field.

“Unfortunately, Deerfield came out very strong and forced us to play a mostly defensive game.”

Getting off from their long drive to Deerfield, players found it difficult to play with their full energy while having to compete against one of their best competitors. According to co-captain and upper Hannah Littlewood, Deerfield has always been a strong team. “We played very well in the first half, keeping the score only 1-0,” she said. “I think that our defensive play collapsed a bit in the second half as Deerfield scored 3 more.”

Upper Jane Collins agreed that Deerfield forced them to play a tough game, mainly playing on Exeter’s side of the field. “Unfortunately, Deerfield came out very strong and forced us to play a mostly defensive game,” she said.

Even with the defeat, Collins noted the highlights of the game where Exeter’s players proved great determination and play on the field. “We had some good rushes by the forwards, Ally DeCoste and Lydia, but simply not enough opportunities to score,” she added.

Reflecting on this game, the team hopes to focus on specific areas to show better improvements in their next games. Co-captain and upper Catherine Griffin explained that players should work on better techniques with the ball. “We need to work on moving the ball from defense to offense more quickly and effectively,” she said.

Littlewood agreed, noting that the team would have to make better passes and make sure to move around to get open. “I think that we need to work on our defensive play as well as as doing a better job of getting the ball out of our defensive half,” she said.

Big Red will be playing their next home game against Brewster Academy on Wednesday and players look forward to this game as a chance to work out the skills they’ve been focusing on during practices. “We’re currently working on minimizing turnovers by improving passing options in our defensive zone and we’re looking forward to bringing these skills to our game against Brewster on Wednesday!”