Martlets Battle Deerfield

Playing on the turf at Deerfield, the Martlets earned a 1-1 draw against a young, but athletic side.  The surface made it difficult to control the ball, resulting in a game characterized by lots of challenges for the ball and a direct style from both teams.  The hosts had the better of the action in the first half as their fast strikers put the Martlet backs under pressure, earning half a dozen corners in the process.  Fortunately the back line of Lorin Tobey '15, Sean Han '14, Greg Pietroforte '12 and Amory Beldock '12 held firm and the teams went into the intermission scoreless.  The Black and Gold came out ready to play, and the action was more balanced in the second frame.  However, the Big Green struck first in the 63rd minute after a long ball sent deep resulted in a foot race and a misplayed ball under pressure.  Goalkeeper Jake Crow '12 came out to stuff the scoring chance that ensued, but his save deflected right to a Deerfield player who just had to tap the ball home.  Undaunted, the equalizer came just six minutes later as Greg Jarvis '13 picked up a loose ball and drove home a 30 yard blast.  Both sides had good chances in the last 20 minutes, with several Deerfield crosses finding heads in the box, while several Westminster shots by Stan Sandoval '13 and Alex Wrona '14 were threatening, but none found the back of the net.  This game represented another improvement for this side that has taken some time to gel.  The boys will look to take its next step forward when they host Salisbury at home.