Girls soccer: Dynamic Deerfield claims 3-0 victory in 2A third-place game against Fenwick
It's the game no team wants to play. But for Deerfield, after a tepid first half of soccer in its 2A third place match with Fenwick, the Warriors looked, and played, like the powerhouse they have been all season in the final 40 minutes of a sensational 2022 spring season.
The Warriors (23-3-2) exploded for three, second-half goals, two of which came off the foot of freshman Ryane Emory en route to a 3-0 victory to claim its second state trophy in program history.
"This has been an unbelievable four years of soccer here at Deerfield," said University of Florida commit Holly Deutsch, one of five seniors who have been a part of Warriors soccer since 2019.
"We've all seen the rise of Deerfield soccer in our four years, culminating in this season where we came close to reaching the final but still came away with a third-place trophy - and plenty of memories as well," added Deutsch who, with her 31st assist on the season, totaled 54 over the past two seasons.
Deutsch's teammate and fellow four-year veteran, Abby Linn, who is off to Penn next year, also is thankful for her time in the program and its head coach, Rich Grady, who helped prepare his club for this weekend with a nonconference schedule that included 15 3A opponents and an overall record of 12-2-1 against said big school opponents.
"Grady has been great to play for - he's tough, but he's fair - and I am grateful for the opportunity he's given me and for all of the success we've enjoyed, especially this season," Linn said.
As for Rich Grady, he's just as grateful for his players.
"This is a very special group we've had this season, and the seniors have been great leaders and key to our success," he said.
He was able to get a couple of minutes of play for senior Riley Schimanski, who tore an ACL two weeks ago in a game against Waukegan but was able to enjoy the moment on the floor of Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium at North Central College in her final Warriors appearance.
"The goal was to get everyone on our roster playing time today, and we accomplished that, and coming away with one final victory," said a proud Grady, who returns with a solid core, including brilliant sophomore Emily Fox, who finished with 27 goals, and 15 assists.