Joe Pohoryles
It took nearly nine minutes for the Belmont High School Girls’ Rugby team to get on the scoreboard against Weymouth in the MIAA Division 1 State Championship on Saturday, but when senior Mia Taylor surged through to score the first try with classmate Lucy Kabrhel kicking the conversion to take a 7-0 lead, the Marauders didn’t look back.
When the dust settled, the top-seeded Marauders (8-0) capped their undefeated season with an 80-0 victory over third-ranked Weymouth (5-3). It marked a continuation of the dominance Belmont displayed all season.
“I’m just so excited,” said Taylor, who led with four tries. “I’m a senior, so I’m graduating, and I love all these girls so much. … The whole program, it all means so much, and I have so much love for everybody.”
Between their six regular-season contests and two playoff games, the Marauders outscored opponents 367-24. They saved their best performances for last, scoring 151 points between the semifinals and championship, which comprised 41 percent of their season total.
But Belmont’s dominance in MIAA Girls’ Rugby stretches back even further. The Marauders went undefeated in 2023 as well, and in the six state tournaments since the MIAA sanctioned girls’ rugby as an official sport in 2017, Belmont won every time.
“I think it’s a privilege,” Belmont coach Kate McCabe said. “A privilege that [the players] built. …. That’s not about me. Nobody’s showing up because I’m so much fun to hang out with. They’ve really made a family and a system that people feel empowered to be a part of and included in.”
McCabe pointed out the players who spent years learning the system – some of them entering without even knowing how to play rugby – and came out the other side to carry on the program’s tradition of success.
Even in an undefeated season, Belmont wasn’t free from adversity. Due to the Nor’easter in early April, their matchup against Algonquin was postponed, forcing them to open the season against Weymouth instead on April 10.
Despite entering the game without the level of preparation they were accustomed to and Weymouth’s strike lines and overall athleticism catching McCabe’s group “off guard,” the Marauders won 26-12.
“We have this motto in our club, and it’s called ‘next job,’” said Kabrhel, who scored one try and kicked 10 conversions in Saturday’s championship at Curry College. “And it’s kind of saying exactly that: It’s saying that whatever happens – good or bad, however the season’s going – there’s always a next job. So, not dwelling on how well we did this season or if the other team is coming out really strong, just moving forward and focusing on what’s ahead of us.”
That motto was in full effect in Saturday’s championship. After turning over possession a couple of times deep in Weymouth territory, the Marauders made the necessary adjustments to work back down the field and consistently accumulate points, eventually running away with the victory.
“We just spent 10 days really anticipating the launch and the hit to shut down that offense,” McCabe said. “And then we also built in plays to our offense that really were meant to exploit [Weymouth].”
The Future Looks Bright
After six state championships, two consecutive undefeated seasons, and an 80-0 romping in their latest title win, how much more can Belmont Girls’ Rugby possibly improve? While the Marauders will continue training to maintain their dominant form, serving as a model program to promote the growth of the game across the state is another priority.
In the first MIAA girls’ rugby season in 2017, three teams participated; this year, there were seven. The rugby community in Belmont continues to grow, but McCabe and her players hope more teams follow.
“I think our program’s biggest contribution that we can make right now is just strengthening girls’ rugby altogether,” Kabrhel said. “I don’t know if I played Weymouth my freshman year, but here they are. Just having a good community and a good team at Belmont expands girls’ rugby as a whole all throughout the state. And it honestly provides us [with] more teams to play against and makes everyone better.”
