Given a second opportunity, Antioch forward Ella Roberts had no hesitation about her course of action.
Roberts alertly controlled a pass from Rachel Moore and scored from about seven yards out in the 79th minute as the Sequoits earned a 1-1 draw with host Deerfield on Tuesday.
The game was suspended because of lightning March 21 with 10:10 remaining in the first half and Deerfield up 1-0 on defender Riley Halpern’s header in the 20th minute.
Antioch (2-1-1) had to confront the deficit and the restricted time.
“It was definitely nerve-wracking knowing that we only had 10 minutes of the first half and the second half,” Roberts said. “Already being down, we had to push ourselves to at least try and get a tie.”
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Antioch had an ideal scoring opportunity in the closing minutes with Roberts awarded a free kick from the left edge about 22 yards out. Her shot was tentative and cleared by a Deerfield defender.
“I was planning on shooting that one, but it did not go as planned,” she said. “I was just hoping that somebody would get a touch on it.”
The Warriors (1-0-3) experienced their third consecutive draw. Deerfield’s defense, completely reconstructed from last year’s 22-7-1 team that finished state runner-up in Class 2A, has allowed just three goals in four games.
The Warriors’ offense has been evolving. Senior forward Erin Rosenzweig, just one of four returning starters, created some sharp play in collaboration with freshman midfielder Malori Killoren.
“Even though she is just a freshman, I could not ask for a better person to work off,” Rosenzweig said. “We are really good when we work in the middle. This is a different dynamic because we have a lot of new juniors, but we all know how each other plays. We just need more time together.”
Killoren had a shot from about 12 yards out from the right wing clip the top of the bar. Antioch keeper Monica Wilhelm also made a superb diving stop of a shot by Deerfield forward Lauren Goodsnyder in the 70th minute that led to Roberts’ equalizer.
“We were all frustrated how the first game was called,” Halpern said. “Then we had our spring break, and it took some time for us to get back into the swing of things. It was great to get back out there. We just have to do a better job of finishing our opportunities.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance writer for the News-Sun.