With one of the NEPSAC's most potent offenses, Deerfield reached the Elite 8 last season, where they fell to Phillips Andover in the quarterfinals, finishing a 17-6-3 season.
It was the Big Green's best finish in a season and their first trip to the Elite 8.
Coach Brooke Fernandez knows getting back won't be easy.
"I think being aware that no game is guaranteed, and I think last year, the focus was always winning the winnable games," Fernandez said. "I think we're just going to double down on that. Ultimately, what I always say to start the season is, 'It's a new year. Everything good and everything bad is gone, so you got to prove yourselves each and every day.'
"Now that we've been on the Elite Eight side of things, we're going to have a target on our back in that way, having more to prove, not resting on the success of last year and earning every win."
What certainly helps is the core that Deerfield brings back. Eight of their top 10 scorers return after graduating five seniors.
"A lot of our offensive production came out of the underclassmen. Now that many of them have jumped into their final two years at Deerfield, there's just a level of confidence and know-how of just kind of having lived within it," Deerfield coach Brooke Fernandez said. "So, it's always fun to see the kids really step into their own as upperclassmen."
