This fall’s Belmont High School girls’ soccer team won’t look like the team that lost just one regular-season match last fall, but there’s plenty of potential to be excited about in the overhauled lineup. Standout senior striker Danica Zicha’s “revenge tour,” as coach Jemmy Cange called it, combined with the leadership of classmate and defender Ashley Waters, the steadying presence of junior midfielder Madhavi Ramadas, and a promising freshman class, puts the Marauders in position to win now—and in the future.
“This team is going to be really interesting because we have a lot of up-and-coming players that have so much confidence,” Cange said. “It’s very competitive. I have 23 players on the varsity team, and I feel like there might be a different lineup every week.”
Ramadas takes pride in the team’s inclusive, cohesive atmosphere.
“We’re all kind, on and off the field, so it’s not a judgmental space if someone makes a mistake,” Ramadas said. “That really uplifts people and gives them the confidence to get better.”
Zicha, who recently committed to play at Connecticut College, will be a scoring staple. She looks forward to playing her first season since her freshman year at full health, when she led the Marauders in scoring. Zicha tore her ACL in the fifth game of her sophomore year and missed the first couple of weeks of her junior season.
It took Zicha 10 months of rehabilitation to return to competitive play, and she said she only began feeling 100% during the club season this past spring when she finally shed a protective brace.
“I saw a big difference, and that kind of builds up my confidence again, too,” Zicha said. “I’m really excited. We have a lot of potential.”
Cange described Zicha as “the team.”
“Everything that we do goes through her, and she has the talent and confidence,” Cange said.
Waters and Ramadas, a reigning Middlesex League All-Star, lead their position groups. Senior goalkeeper Martha Dimas will miss the first part of the season following an ACL tear. Look for freshman Ruth Christensen to step in as the starter.
Last year, the Marauders posted a 10-1-7 record and fell to higher-seeded Braintree in the first round of the Division 1 tournament. They have qualified for the postseason each year of the current players’ careers.
According to Ramadas, the seven ties last year represent growth opportunities. Cange singled out “aggressiveness” as the team’s biggest key. Finishing in their attacking third puts the team in position for more wins.
Slated for Sept. 20, the 10th annual Soccer Night in Belmont pits both varsity teams in a doubleheader against Reading Memorial High School. Additional important matches include Middlesex League bouts with Winchester (away Sept. 27, home Oct. 27), Lexington (home Sept. 24, away Oct. 22), Woburn (home Sept. 17, away Oct. 6) and Arlington (away Sept. 13, home Oct. 20).
“Obviously, it’s a very new team, but I’m very excited for the season because a new team brings new skills and people in new positions,” Waters said. “In the preseason, we’ve been connecting on passes well. I just think we need to work on jelling together and we’ll be good.”
