By David Klimasmith, Belmont Voice correspondent
Coach Jessica Smith’s optimistic outlook for her sixth-ranked Marauders proved prescient as the girls’ field hockey team routed 27th-ranked Newton North, 5-1, on Oct. 31 to open their postseason run.
Smith had stressed the keys to victory: a high level of involvement across the roster, quick and accurate passing, and precise shooting. The team delivered, controlling the pace and possession for nearly the entire game.
The starting lineup featured Zoe Bruce in goal behind a defense anchored by captain Elsie Lakin-Schultz, Kate Townsend and Caroline French. Captains Mackenzie Clarke and Niamh Lesnik, along with Mia Smith and Nina Sheth-Voss, started in midfield. Amelia Long, Giuliana Mastrangelo, and Kendall Regan started up front in the attack.
Belmont asserted its dominance immediately, effectively trapping Newton North in its own half and not allowing the Tigers to cross half field until the 11th minute. The relentless pressure paid off when Regan scored the opener 13 minutes into the contest, tapping home a clean pass from Clarke. Mastrangelo doubled Belmont’s lead three minutes later. Regan then notched her second goal, sending the Marauders into halftime with a commanding 3-0 advantage.
The second half began just as the first ended. Clarke quickly added a goal, capitalizing on a penalty corner for her fourth point of the day. Newton finally broke the shutout as Alexis Blanchfield converted a corner hit, but Mastrangelo answered Blanchfield’s goal almost immediately, scoring her second to seal the win.
“We really started to work as a team today, and we were very positive toward each other,” Mia Smith said postgame.
She noted the team had responded to one of its roughest offensive stretches of the season, where it scored just three goals in the last three games, by playing with greater intensity, latching onto loose balls, and making crucial tip-ins. Freshman defender Kate Townsend echoed the sentiment, saying that the team’s “talking and communication had really improved.”
The Marauders advance to the round of 16 in the MIAA Division 1 tournament. The girls will return to action at home against 22nd-ranked Wachusett Regional High School, which upset 11th-ranked Natick, 1-0, in its opening-round matchup. The day and time have not been set.
