Deerfield Boys' Varsity Lacrosse Beats Brunswick in Close 9-8 Victory

COURTESY OF DEERFIELD COMMUNICATIONS

For years, Deerfield and Brunswick Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse have been widely regarded as one of the most intense rivalries in prep school lacrosse. For the past four years, Brunswick has consistently won. However, on March 28, Deerfield ended Brunswick’s four-game winning streak by triumphing in a nail-biting 9-8 victory. 

The game was packed, as students, faculty, and parents from both Deerfield and Brunswick filled the stands. Since many people were in attendance, the tension and pressure for both teams to perform increased greatly. Lucas Ward ’28, a sophomore new to the program, played in this game as a goalie for the first time in the season. He expressed his feelings going into the game, “It was a little nerve-wracking… but I was confident … because the defense had my back and I know the coaches believed in me so the nerves went away really quick.” He later described the post-game celebration, saying, “After the game, it was chaotic, everyone was on a high after beating Brunswick.”

Throughout the first half, Justin Scalzo ’27 performed well at faceoff, which led to goals from Giacomo Chapman ’26 and Kellar Kelusky ’27. The game started out in Brunswick’s favor, and at one point, Deerfield was down 5-8. Despite the early deficit, they did not give up. 

A spectator of the game, Winnie Underwood ’28, described her experience watching and noted the tension throughout the game. “Because both the Brunswick and Deerfield parents were there, there was a lot of built up tension which made it even more exciting especially because no one knew what the result of the game was going to be,” she said. As the score tightened, the atmosphere around the game became more nervous, and each second made every play more critical. 

By the fourth quarter, Deerfield regained momentum and narrowed the gap when Cooper Brozek ’26 scored three goals in the second half. The intensity on the field was matched by the energy on the sidelines, and by the spectators as well. The Academy came back as they tied the score, with the goal made by Kellusky making it 8-8, with under a minute remaining. The teams’ desire to win was clear as they fought to maintain the tie, and hopefully close out with a win. Dean of Ethical & Spiritual Life PhilRel Teacher and Assistant Coach Jan Flaska commented on this deficit, “If you want a chance, you can’t be behind by much. You may not be winning, but keeping it close gives you a chance.” The team truly desired to possess this chance, as they continued to persist in continuing the tie. 

In the final moments of the game, Brunswick attempted to regain control, but Deerfield’s defense, led by Henry Oliver ’26, Leif Anderson ’27, and Jarron Crosbie ’26 stayed strong. Ward mentioned the power of the defense, saying, “[The defense was] big, they’re able to get the ball out and cover some of Brunswick’s big players.” With 27 seconds remaining on the clock, Griffin Cepiel ’26 scored the game-winning goal, which sealed the victory for the team, with the final score being 9-8. Flaska admired Cepiel for this goal, but also noted, “In lacrosse, there can be unassisted goals, and assisted goals. The last goal was a team goal. It was a goal by many.” Describing the game-winning goal as one “by many” reflects the success and harmony of collaboration that Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse maintains. Ward also described the animated energy of the players after they left the field: “After the game, it was chaos, everyone was on a high after beating Brunswick.”

This victory placed Deerfield above Brunswick in ranking, demonstrating a victory over one of the most decorated teams in the country. Deerfield successfully moved up from 8th to 4th in the country after this victory. 

The team’s bond also increased after the match. Anderson highlighted the team’s chemistry, saying, “I think we have a very well-rounded team and guys play their roles very well to come together and work as a unit, but we are always striving to be better than the last game.” As Anderson described, the team’s success was due to their ability to work together.