Deerfield looks for 2nd half turnaround
By Rusty Silber
Trying to turn the corner -- it's something Deerfield would like to do to get its season moving in the right direction -- and the sooner the better.
The Warriors dropped games to Central Suburban League North Division foes Glenbrook North 4-0 on Tuesday and district rival Highland Park 1-0 on Thursday. The losses put a damper on the team's hope to repeat as division champions.
"We are frustrated because we are not playing poorly overall," Deerfield coach Rich Grady said. "But we're having a few lapses in concentration or execution that are costing us."
The Warriors (3-5-3, 0-2-0) have played good soccer in stretches but have not consitantly performed to their highest potential. It has hampered the team in the win column.
"We need to pay attention to details," Grady added. "The small things are hurting us and nullifying long stretches of good play."
Deerfield played one of its best games of the season when it defeated Stagg 5-1 on April 15. The Warriors scored goals early and often.
"In the game against Stagg, we made it a point of emphasis to hit our targets when shooting rather than just blasting the ball at the net." Grady said. "We put our first 10 shots on frame and scored three times in the first four minutes."
But the result was costly. Deerfield lost starting centerback Sydney Fleishman to a torn ACL in the win that ended a two-game losing streak.
The team will continue to adjust to the loss when it travels to take on Grant of the Northern Lake County Conference at noon Saturday in Fox Lake. The hosts are in search of their first victory of the season and sit at 0-3-2.
Deerfield will try to get back to the basics. That's one thing that helped the program earn state runner-up honors in Class 2A last year.
"We need to put quality shots on target, move better without the ball, find our playmakers, and defend better versus restarts," Grady said.
This could be a spot for the Warriors to begin to right their ship. Next week they meet league foe Maine East on Tuesday before opening the Glenbrook Cup against Taft on Friday.
Central Suburban League North Division standings
By Rusty Silber
Trying to turn the corner -- it's something Deerfield would like to do to get its season moving in the right direction -- and the sooner the better.
The Warriors dropped games to Central Suburban League North Division foes Glenbrook North 4-0 on Tuesday and district rival Highland Park 1-0 on Thursday. The losses put a damper on the team's hope to repeat as division champions.
"We are frustrated because we are not playing poorly overall," Deerfield coach Rich Grady said. "But we're having a few lapses in concentration or execution that are costing us."
The Warriors (3-5-3, 0-2-0) have played good soccer in stretches but have not consitantly performed to their highest potential. It has hampered the team in the win column.
"We need to pay attention to details," Grady added. "The small things are hurting us and nullifying long stretches of good play."
Deerfield played one of its best games of the season when it defeated Stagg 5-1 on April 15. The Warriors scored goals early and often.
"In the game against Stagg, we made it a point of emphasis to hit our targets when shooting rather than just blasting the ball at the net." Grady said. "We put our first 10 shots on frame and scored three times in the first four minutes."
But the result was costly. Deerfield lost starting centerback Sydney Fleishman to a torn ACL in the win that ended a two-game losing streak.
The team will continue to adjust to the loss when it travels to take on Grant of the Northern Lake County Conference at noon Saturday in Fox Lake. The hosts are in search of their first victory of the season and sit at 0-3-2.
Deerfield will try to get back to the basics. That's one thing that helped the program earn state runner-up honors in Class 2A last year.
"We need to put quality shots on target, move better without the ball, find our playmakers, and defend better versus restarts," Grady said.
This could be a spot for the Warriors to begin to right their ship. Next week they meet league foe Maine East on Tuesday before opening the Glenbrook Cup against Taft on Friday.
Central Suburban League North Division standings