Boys’ junior B soccer is the paragon of a Deerfield sub-varsity sports team. The fourth and lowest soccer team in terms of level of competition, frequently nicknamed “Quad Squad,” brings to Deerfield Athletics a fun yet success-driven attitude like no other.
The team is composed of twenty four underclassmen, most of whom returned from last fall. This group has improved over the past year, and so has its record. One of only two undefeated teams remaining this season, Quad Squad has six wins and two ties.
This recent success, especially considering its .500 record last fall, points towards the program’s success in fostering its players’ basic soccer skills. The team’s success extends beyond the field: its players feel a strong sense of brotherhood and have even welcomed girls’ thirds players to join in on a co-ed game.
Returning for his fifth year, Architecture Teacher David Payne is leading the team alongside first year coach Classics Teacher Geoffrey Moseley. Rather than instilling a victory-centric mindset, Mr. Payne has told his team from the beginning to have fun and be good sports above all else.
The two coaches have seen their fair share of bad sportsmanship from opposing teams which have tarnished their school’s reputation.
Stressing the importance of being gentlemen on the field, Mr. Payne said, “Whether we win four-nothing or lose four-nothing, we want to make sure we represent Deerfield well.”
“You really get an impression of another school from the way their teams act,” Mr. Moseley said.
The members of Quad Squad are proud to be a part of the team behind the label. Casey Smith ’22, a first-time player this fall, said Quad Squad is “the truest representation of what it means to ‘buy in’ as a Deerfield student… even at the lowest level, everybody’s all in.”
Although a team’s genuine competitiveness is not necessarily a given at the fourth level, this team certainly possesses it. For a team where the focus is not intensively on soccer, brotherhood is crucial.
“Quad Squad’s a family. We might not be a team of the highest caliber, but we are a close-knit group of guys,” returning player Hugo Nutting ’22 said.
Boys have not been the only ones representing Quad Squad this season. Five members of the Girls’ Thirds team, Jazz Baker ’22, Annalisa Fang ’22, Lila Nottage ’22, Jenelvis Rodriguez ’22, and Ismay Anderson ’22, joined the boys for a game against the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Public Charter School’s co-ed team on October 4th. While the game ended in a 0-0 tie, it was the first time in recent years that a Deerfield soccer team had played a co-ed game.
Rodriguez, while reflecting on the unfamiliar but rewarding experience, said, “When you’re challenged and working outside your comfort zone, you’re forced to play better, and I did. It was really fun.”
Quad Squad has made history on more than one front this season, from its almost-perfect record to its gender barrier-breaking game against PVPA. They close out their season off with a home game against Cushing Academy. Support the squad as they hope to round out a near perfect season!