Boys' Soccer - JV
vs.
Deerfield Academy
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Away
Deerfield Academy
Tie 0-0
After a long drive, Taft took on Deerfield on a gloriously sunny late afternoon. The game started off cautiously from both sides, though Taft had the better of the early encounters. A corner in the third minute led to a goalmouth scramble. The ball reached Camillo Pinto-Gonzalez on the edge of the box who lobbed back inside, a move that was nearly capitalized on by Jack Dodd who produced a sensational behind the back flick that, ultimately, just bounced wide of the post. Just minutes later, a great through ball from Miller Masterson was cleared by the defense just before it reached its intended recipient. A 15th minute Noah Cinel shot then missed the target before Jack Dodd was nearly in again in the 25th only for the Deerfield keeper to make a brave rush-out and snuff out the danger. Another Cinel long distance shot in the 28th minute could only find the keeper, and a minute later Patrick Yan’s powerful header from a throw-in did the same. The Deerfield attack late in the half came on strong and resulted in a cross-field through ball to an open Deerfield attacker, but keeper Will Droppo was alert to the danger and judged his angle to perfection to parry the resulting shot. That proved to be the last attacking play of the half, with neither team finding the back of the net. It was a similar story in the second half, with Taft trying diligently to maintain possession and get some rhythm into their play, only for things to break down time and again in the final third of the field. There were ultimately few genuine chances to speak of in the half, barring a Cinel saved shot in the 55th minute. Wingers Liam Dhumale-Smyth and Jonathan So both applied serious intensity and speed late on in the game, but there was no way through the stubborn Deerfield defense. Thomson Knight in the center of Taft’s backline continued to be a constant thorn in Deerfield’s side, and Michael Werblow tended to cause problems for the opponents when he dropped deep in midfield, held the ball up, and distributed effectively. The final ten minutes saw both teams trying to catch the other on the break, and though there was a flurry of long, direct play, very little transpired in the way of goalmouth action. There would be no breakthrough before the final whistle, and the game ended 0-0.