Belmont High Girls’ Rugby Back For Sixth State Title Game Vs Tough Weymouth Squad

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Photo: Belmont Girls’ Rugby in the title game again

Belmont High Girls’ Rugby will seek its six consecutive MIAA Division 1 state championship this Saturday after the Marauders made quick work of Lincoln Sudbury Regional, 71-5, in the state semi-finals match held at Harris Field, June 5.

The undefeated and top-ranked Marauders (7-0) will meet a scrappy third-seed Weymouth squad (5-2) in the title game taking place at 2 p.m., on Saturday, June 15 at Curry College in Milton. The Wildcats sprinted away late from Algonquin Regional in its 60-29 semifinal victory.

Tickets can be purchased at GoFan.com

After an early scare in which Belmont thwarted a Lincoln-Sudbury push deep inside Marauder territory, it was all Belmont as the team pilled up 35 points in the first 20 minutes as it shut out the Warriors in the first half. Junior Robyn Tonomura-MacDonald totaled four of Belmont’s 11 tries while playing stellar defense.

Saturday’s game will be a rematch of the first match of the season which Belmont waited late before pulling away. After scoring two tries quickly, Weymouth came within two – 14-12 – at the half. Weymouth held the advantage for most of the second half before two outstanding long run tries by Mia Taylor gave the Marauders the 27-12 victory.

Boys’ Tennis Sweep Aside Xaverian To Open State Tournament; Next Up #1 St. John’s Prep

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Photo: Belmont High’s Julian Wong finishing off a point against Xaverian in the MIAA D1 opener

In its opening match of the MIAA Division 1 state championship, the 16th-ranked Belmont High Boys’ Tennis squad swept aside 17th seed Xaverian Brother, 5-0, on Wednesday, May 29, and now awaits a likely trip to Danvers to face top ranked and undefeated St. John’s Prep (17-0).

Belmont’s (11-6) top two singles, senior Charlie Osborn and junior Julian Wong, made quick work of their Hawks’ opponents, with Osborn winning 6-0, 6-1 in 35 minutes and Wong 6-4, 6-0.

“I wasn’t down ever in the match, I had a pretty good start,” said Wong, who was sporting a nifty new haircut for the playoffs. “I was up 5-2 in the first when I had a bit of a mental gap and he came back to 5-4. So I just had to really focus that and game and play it through. Of course, a ton of my friends came out today and it was really great.”

Yet after going down 2-0, the Hawks kept a narrow path to sneak out of The Town of Homes with a minor upset.

“Xaverian (9-8) was staying in the mix while putting pressure on our third singles and doubles teams,” said Dave Benson, now in his third year as the Marauders’ head coach.

But as they have done throughout the season, Belmont’s doubles came through with victories. First pairs of senior Ben Miller and junior Henry Moriarty were extended in both sets (7-5, 7-5) while seconds sophomore Brady Chan and first year Kalya Radojovic won it in a second set tie breaker (6-1, 7-6 (7-2)).

“The benefit of tight matches is they allow us to grow and be more accustomed to handling pressure situations. The boys responded exceptionally well, pulling out tight sets and tiebreakers in each match,” said Benson, who has managed the squad out of the first round for the past three seasons.

Belmont’s Soyam Pokharel battled fellow junior Nick Napoli as well as his body in a marathon match that went deep into the third set. With the match in a third set tiebreaker, Pokharel cramped up with him leading 8-5. After a five minute medical time out, Napoli came storming back to tie the match at 8-8. Each player fought off numerous match points with Pokharel finally eking out a 12-10 victory.

Belmont is now in a wait and see position as St. John’s has yet to play Chelmsford so that a day can be scheduled.

“I know most of their players and they have a deep squad,” said Olson. “They have pretty consistently good players, top to bottom. I can’t predict how my match is gonna go but I do know they will be one of the toughest teams we will play. Definitely one of the hardest games.”

Twin Winners: Belmont High Boys’, Girls’ Tennis Drain SpyPonders, 4-1, To Reach Double Digit Wins; Next A Triple Play Vs Top 10 Teams

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Photo: Belmont High’s first doubles Henry Moriarty executing the perfect stab volley vs. Reading

With victories over Arlington on Friday, Belmont High’s Girls’ and Boys’ tennis teams have secured double-digit victories this season. This week, both teams will prepare for the state tournaments with a stern challenge as they will take on three Boston Globe top-10 teams, including the number-one squads from Lexington.

Belmont High Girls’ Tennis

After the team beat the visitors, 4-1, at Winn Brook Elementary School on Friday, May 10, Belmont High Girls’ Tennis Head Coach Eileen White thought back to the last time the Marauders had taken the measure of the SpyPonders, not just once but home and away.

“I can’t tell you when we last beat [Arlington] once,” said White. “It’s been, like, years.” 

The 2024 edition of Girls’ Tennis is officially on a roll. Currently, it is on a seven-match winning streak—having last lost on April 25 to Winchester—and is entering the Boston Globe Top 20 at 14th. Belmont is 11th in the Division 1 MIAA power rankings posted earlier this week.

The record is all the more impressive because the team has yet to have an uninterrupted week of practice and games due to rain, sleet, and an eclipse. 

“Knowing we’ll play in the tournament, we’ll have pretty focused practices. That’ll be good for us actually to be able to practice,” said White.

Sophomore Armela Mahadi, who transferred to Belmont High from Singapore last year, is stepping into the main singles role this season. Playing second singles, Mahadi faced Arlington’s Kate Wolfson, who took their first match in April to three sets. “So I came into this game really stressed ‘cuz the game could have gone either way.”

Mahadi came out with an aggressive style, thinking of “playing to win as that’s the only approach to take as [Wolfson] is such a strong opponent,” and she took the first set 6-1. In the second set, Mahadi said her “game plan shifted a bit, and I was playing not to lose,” resulting in a close set where each player held their service.

“Tennis is a mindset kind of sport, so today it just came down to who would outplay who,” she said, with the Marauder pulling out the second, 6-4. “It was a really fun match and a great experience, as the tournament is coming.”

Sophomore Giselle Fond (second singles) and junior Holly Kong (third) rounded out the singles, with Kong taking the “W” in a slow, steady baseline match. It was the doubles securing Wednesday’s victory as both pairs – juniors Sophie Merrow and Ingrid Hellsvik (6-1, 6-2) and junior Amy Chen and sophomore Avery Cai (6-0, 0-6, 6-1) – prevailed.

“It was very exciting. I’m very proud of them,” said White of the players.

In the coming week, the Marauders will face the three teams they lost to this year. They will play away on Monday, May 13, at number 4 Westford Academy—which escaped with a 3-2 victory at Belmont in April—before heading the next day to Lexington to meet the number one-ranked and undefeated Minutemen. The squad will return to Winn Brook on Thursday for an encounter against sixth-ranked Winchester.

“I think being matched up with the top teams is always good for us because we play really well against them even though usually those girls are a little bit more talented. But that’s good for us because [our [players] need to be playing against elevated opposition. That’s how you get better at tennis; you are always playing people better than you,” said White.

Belmont High Boys’ Tennis

A seven-match winning roll is pretty impressive. How about an eight-game winning streak? Belmont High Boys’ Tennis – coming off consecutive deep runs in the post-season – are setting themselves for a third straight tournament run this year in Division 1 after spending years in D2. And that’s where Marauders Head Coach Dave Benson expected them to be at this time of the season, with a record of 11-3 and battling for second in the Middlesex League’s Liberty Division.

We’ve had high expectations coming in,” said Benson, who helped bring Belmont to the state semi-finals two years ago. While there have been “some adversities” with injuries, including to all-star senior captain Charlie Osburn, “we’re back on track, and I think the guys are feeling good and looking good.”

In its rematch against the SpyPonders (10-4) held in Arlington Friday, May 10, Belmont Julian Wong – who took over first singles – returned from losing the first set and falling behind in the second to pull off a big three-set victory. Osborn, who played second singles, swept his opponent in two sets while junior co-captain Soyam Pokharel dropped his first singles match of the season.

Belmont would secure the win with the first doubles of Ben Miller and Henry Moriarty, who used a high-energy game with their trademark fist pumping and racket tapping to take a three-set grind win. Belmont polished off its 4-1 victory with a straight set win by newly put together second doubles of Brady Chan and Kolya Radojevic.

Like the girls, the next to last week will see the Marauders host number 8 Westford on Monday and number 1 Lexington on Tuesday with a day trip to number 5 Winchester on Thursday.

“We can stay with all those teams as we prepare of the tournament,” said Osburn.

Belmont Softball Is Back! Marauders Down Wilmington, 3-2, To Up Record To 6-4

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Photo: Belmont High School senior pitcher Ellie Espelin in action against Wilmington

During a recent softball game, an opponent asked Josie Kim a question as Belmont’s outstanding junior catcher stood on second base during a Marauders rally.

“When did you guys get so good?” quire the player.

Many people have been asking that same question this season since Belmont has been wandering in the wilderness for the past 15 years, bereft of a winning record and coming off a lonely two-win season last year.

But with the team playing at its brand-new ballpark and with the right mix of veterans and newcomers, this season’s Marauder team is no longer an automatic “W” on other teams’ schedules as it has been in the past decade.

“We have no star players, but we work as a team. We are underrated because we were so bad for such a long time,” said Kim,

On Friday, April 26, all the elements of the new era came together as the Marauders produced a program-defining victory, holding off perennial Middlesex Freedom leaders Wilmington, 3-2, at Clay Pit Pond Park (the “Pond”). The victory over the Wildcats moves the Marauders to 6-4 midway through the season.

The last time Belmont processed a winning record and earned a playoff spot was in 2008 when the 11-9 Marauders was anchored by strikeout artist Kayla Hoyer (’09), who led all eastern Mass pitchers with 232 Ks.

Belmont High’s second base Eva Grant at bat vs Wilmington.

The program’s sudden turn of fortune comes from players who participate in club softball and a group of outstanding athletes with some past experience in the sport. While the Marauders have taken a huge step towards becoming a competitive squad, growing pains remain, especially against the established teams in the Middlesex League. Case in point: a recent three-game stretch, including against Lexington (18-4) and Arlington (10-0), in which Belmont was over and out-matched.

But Friday – played before dozens of parents and fans filling the backstop stands and some created their own bleachers in left field – showed the potential for finishing the season with a record above .500, and an automatic invite to the state tournament is very real. In Friday’s game, as many balls ended up in the Pond as there were total hits; the team won with its brand of timely hitting – 11 hits, including four doubles – and outstanding defense, highlighted by a pair of double plays, each ending with Kim tagging out a Wildcat at the plate.

“It was pretty much just the throw. I just sat there and caught it. And then all I had to do was go backward with the tags,” said Kim.

Kim’s battery mate, senior ace Ellie Espelin, put her stamp on the game against the Wildcats’ first-year pitcher Izzy Maiella. Belmont’s most experienced hurler picked up seven strikeouts (on nine hits and four walks), many of which got her out of jams. On Friday, the heat worked best for Espelin.

Belmont’s battery: Catcher Josie Kim and Pitcher Ellie Espelin

“I was doing fastball [and curve] and then the change-up, but the fastball was the best pitch today,” said Espelin, with Kim nodding in approval. Taking the measure of Wilmington runs in the family, as Espelin is the sister of Belmont High baseball all-star Nate Espelin, who struck out a school record 19 batters in a 1-0 complete-game shutout over the Wildcats in 2018.

“It was a long week, and I was happy that I hit my spots most of the time,” said Espelin.

Belmont got on the scoreboard first after a one-out double by first-year first base Elsie Lakin-Shultz (2 hits), who advanced to third on an Espelin single (who helped her own cause with three hits, including a double) and scored on a fielder’s choice RBI via left fielder Mia Ferrari. Wilmington rallied in the fourth to tie the game on a walk, a single, a sacrifice, and a groundout. But the Wildcat on third was stranded as Espelin struck out the next batter looking.

Belmont would jump back into the lead in the fifth, with centerfielder Amelia Ormond scoring all the way from first on a Tessa Burroso single to center. The shortstop would cross home on the next pitch when Kim (2 hits) drilled a double to the fence in left to increase the lead to 3-1. The Wildcats would push home a run in the sixth on three infield singles.

The Wildcats would not go quietly as Wilmington’s Ali McElligott launched her second triple of the game with two outs. But Espelin would shut the door by getting Eva Boudreau to swing at a 3-0 count and ground weakly for the easy 1 to 3.

While this is Espelin’s final season, Belmont has a young pitcher waiting in the wings in Olivia Ormond, who threw a four-hit shutout in her first varsity start and helped her own cause by slugging an in-the-park home run to lead the Marauders to a 16-0 victory over Cambridge Rindge and Latin on April 23.

Belmont’s Head Coach Joe Tuzzolo said, “I am impressed with the girls today. They battled the entire way. It was a tight game, and we haven’t been in that many tight games. They showed a lot of composure. We jumped to a lead and saw it disappear because Wilmington is a really good team. But our kids made the plays when it counted.”

“Since the middle of March, when we started, the kids have made great strides, and it showed today,” said Tuzzolo, who also appealed to the Belmont community.

“With the warmer weather, we’d love to see even more fans come to see us play.”

In the bleachers

Belmont Girls’ Lacrosse ‘Bright’ Star Reaches Century Mark

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Photo: Belmont High Girls Lacrosse’s Niamh Lesnik with her teammates celebrating the sophomore reaching 100 goals.

The game played Monday afternoon didn’t go Belmont’s way, a 9-8 overtime loss to Wayland. But in the fading twilight of Harris Field the team had something to celebrate: midfield Niamh Lesnik reached 100 career goals in the first half.

Niamh accomplished the milestone as a sophomore, a feat realized against top-rated Middlesex League competition while performing in the dual role of a two-way midfielder.

JLesnik joins her team mates from last year, Belmont’s “Nickel and Dime” attack pair of senior Mary Mullan and junior Tess Desantis, who reached the century mark in 2023.

(Just so you know, this is how to pronounce Niamh – which is Old Irish for “bright” – from America’s favorite Irish actress.)

Belmont’s Shea Places 15th In Under20 World XC Championships; Top American For Consecutive Years [Video]

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Photo: Belmont’s Ellie Shea finishing 15th at the Under20 World Cross Country Championships held in Belgrade on March 30, the first American to finish the race. (Photo credit: CITIUS MAG)

After a quiet seven months since winning races in the Under20s at the US National and Pan American Games, Belmont’s Ellie Shea put her stamp on the international cross country scene for the second time, finishing 15th at the World Athletics Cross Country Under 20 Championships held March 30 in Belgrade, Serbia.

The 18-year-old Belmont Middle and High School senior was the first American athlete across the finish line held under bright, sunny skies in Belgrade’s Friendship Park, repeating as the top American at the world championships. Last year in Australia, Shea finished 10th to lead the US to its first ever podium finish in the championships, earning a team bronze medal.

”I just wanted to make the most of it and just really be competitive,” said Shea after the race during an interview with LetsRun.com

Wearing her trademark white framed cobalt sunglasses – which has its own on Google search page – Shea settled into the back of the large pack of front runners in the first of three laps, running the 2.1 kilometers in 6 minutes, 49 seconds. Notably, Shea was one of the few participants who hurdled the hay bale barriers to shave a few seconds on each loop.

The lead group, comprised of Ethiopians, Kenyans, and Ugandans, showed their quality in distance races as they pulled away during the second lap with Shea and fellow American Allie Zealand – teammates on last year’s U20 team – running in 16th and 17th, behind the UK’s Innes Fitzgerald who pulled away by seven seconds over the Americans with one lap remaining.

In the final loop, Shea returned to the top class runner she was last year, as she sped away from Zealand, catching and dispatching Fitzgerald before nearly nipping a pair of Ugandans and a Kenyan who were fading fast down the home stretch.

Shea finished in 20:50, completing the final lap and the home stretch (2.2K) in 7:29, finishing outside the top 12 by seven seconds. The race was won by 15-year-old Marta Alemiayo crossing the line in 19:29, leading a dominate Ethiopian team performance to sweep the first three places.

Zealand would overtake Fitzgerald to finish 16th in 21.08. The US team of Shea, Zealand, Mary Dalton (28th), Zariel Macchiato (29th), Jolena Quarzo (41st), and Maddie Gardiner (49th) would take 4th place in the team event with 88 points, edging out the UK (90) and Japan (98).

Opinion: To Save Belmont High School Sports, Vote Yes on April 2

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Photo: Belmont High School wins its third consecutive MIAA Div. 1 Girls’ Rugby state championship in June, 2023

By Kara Banosian, Matt Garver, David Lind, Katherine Oates, Sara Townsend, and Lucinda Zuniga

Can you imagine Belmont High School without sports teams?

Seriously, try to picture that. There would be no Thanksgiving Day football game against Watertown. No more boys and girls rugby dynasties. There would not be baseball, basketball, ice hockey, soccer, lacrosse, or field hockey teams — or a marching band playing at Harris Field on Friday nights. For that matter, “Soccer Night in Belmont” would vanish, along with its 2,500 spectators.

That’s the prospect Belmont faces if the override on the April 2 ballot does not pass. Without a Yes vote, all sports teams are slated to disappear from the high school within two years, a victim of the drastic budget cuts the town will face. While all other towns play on, Belmont would be sidelined. When it comes to sports, this would be Belmont’s biggest loss ever.

This possibility has become increasingly clear in recent months, and has been made explicit at numerous public meetings of the town government. At the town’s February 8 budget summit, Dr. Jill Geiser, Belmont’s Superintendent of Schools, presented a plan to deal with the massive looming cuts to the schools. If the override fails, then among many other things, all 9th grade sports, plus the ski team, would be cut for the 2024-25 school year. Then all sports teams would be cut for the 2025-26 school year.

Sports is not being singled out in this scenario. Many AP classes and electives would get slashed from the Belmont High School curriculum, along with a huge portion of other extracurricular activities. Burbank Elementary, currently ranked sixth in the state by U.S. News & World Report, would close after the 2024-25 school year. Teachers would be let go across the district. It is a grim picture, and there are still $1.2 million in school cuts left unassigned.

There are many reasons dropping sports from BHS would be painful. Sports have been shown to be great for the physical and mental well-being of participants. Even one year on a 9th grade team can spark friendships that last through high school and beyond. Indeed, we contend that dropping 9th-grade teams alone would significantly hurt BHS students. As Belmont residents in the ice hockey community, we hope kids will always have the opportunity to play for their high school, at any level.

Then there’s the sheer excitement that BHS sports builds in our community. Remember the 2020 run to the (shared) state title for the boys hockey team? How about the 2019 basketball team playing a state semifinal at the TD Garden? The BHS games and teams are part of what makes Belmont a close-knit place, and losing the BHS sports teams would tear at the fabric of the community.

Belmont High School has a proud sports history. Just look at all the banners in the fieldhouse. Some of this history involves famous athletes: Wilbur Wood, a 20-game winner as a big-league pitcher in the 1970s, was a Belmont High star in the early 1960s. But every Belmont team that competes well is a source of pride to its players and coaches. We need to keep that tradition intact.

A few times in recent weeks, we’ve heard people ask if Belmont High School could continue to play sports as long as the teams were privately funded. That’s very unlikely.

For starters, school districts must register for sports with the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) in the spring prior to the next academic year, guaranteeing it has funding for the full range of sports teams it submits to the MIAA.

Therefore, any private funds would have to be raised many months in advance of the following season — but even that raises more questions. Who would get to be on a team? The children of those who can donate? How would a school hire and retain good coaches with such year-to-year uncertainty? Even if a few dedicated parents raised large sums in advance for a few sports over a few years, what happens when that cohort of parents loses interest? One of the best things a high school sports program offers is stability and continuity. Any alternative would lead to chaos.

To be clear, school cuts are hardly the only thing on the ballot on April 2. A failed override would lead to deep cuts in the fire department, senior services, library access, and could lead the town to charge for trash pickup starting in 2025.

Still, even if BHS sports are just one part of this picture, they are an important part to many Belmontians. Please vote Yes on Question 1 on April 2, to avoid a profound loss for our community.

Sweet 16 Shocker: Belmont Girls’ Hockey Upset Three-Seed Lincoln/Sudbury In Quarters, 4-1, As Costa Stops 44 Shots

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Photo: Belmont/Watertown goalie Jil Costa readies to pounce on a loose puck during her team’s game vs. Lincoln/Sudbury

It was a nightmare start for Belmont/Watertown Girls’ hockey goalie Jil Costa against heavy favorites Lincoln/Sudbury Regional High in the MIAA Division 1 state championship quarterfinals.

In its first rush up the ice, Lincoln/Sudbury’s junior Ally Quinn split the defenders and sent a wrist shot to Costa’s glove side, handcuffing the sophomore netminder. The puck sneaked by and rolled on its side into the back of the net.

1-0, Warriors, after 50 seconds.

After this goal, Belmont’s Jil Costa stopped the next 44 in the 4-1 upset of Lincoln/Sudbury

“Once it went in I was a little confused, to be honest,” said Costa, one of the standout goaltenders in the state allowing less than a goal a game – 16 goals in 20 games – this season.

But rather than replay the goal in her mind, “I immediately just got it out of my head. I ignored it as if it didn’t happen and I just had to focus on the next shot,” she said.

And from that point onward, it was lights out as Costa would stop all 44 shots she faced while her teammates scored three goals in the final four minutes of the first period propelling 14th-ranked Belmont to a thrilling upset over third-seed Lincoln/Sudbury, 4-1, in the Sweet 16 contest on a rainy Saturday night, March 2, in West Concord.

Belmont Senior Mia Taylor scored the game winning goal in the first period

“We played our game, relying on [Costa] to keep it close and help her out by scoring just enough to win,” said first-year head coach Brendan Kelleher.

Belmont (15-2-3) will next meet fellow upstarts Archbishop Williams (11-10-2) from Braintree in an Elite Eight matchup on Thursday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m., 53 miles from Belmont in far-flung Kingston (which is basically west Duxbury). The 11th-seed “Archies” sent sixth-ranked Methuen packing, 2-1, on a late goal Saturday.

Saturday’s game was decided in the initial 15 minutes as Belmont withstood a continuous onslaught from the quick Warrior forwards. But it was Belmont’s approach to Lincoln/Sudbury’s overtly-aggressive game plan that proved to be the Warriors’ undoing.

Belmont’s first goal came courtesy of senior co-Capt. Lola Rocci on the power play as she slotted a Gigi Mastrangelo pass by L/S eighth grade goalie Lauren Kennedy to level the score at one.

Belmont’s Lola Rocci circling the L/S net during the team’s 4-1 upset victory

With less than 90 seconds remaining in the period, Belmont struck for a pair. Despite defending a Belmont power play, the Warriors kept pushing players into the Belmont end. But when the Warriors lost the puck in the neutral zone, second line seniors Mia Taylor and Ruby Jones jumped to create a two-on-one counter with Taylor capping the break with the game winner.

“it was just keeping that intensity up no matter who’s on the ice … and always go for it and that created the goal” said Taylor.

And it wouldn’t be a Belmont game without an outstanding solo rush and goal by Marauders’ leading scorer, senior center Maddie Driscoll, who hit the back of the net while shorthanded in the dying seconds of the opening frame to leave the ice leading 3-1.

Up by two with a half hour to play, Lincoln/Sudbury kept the pressured on Belmont’s back line and Costa yet the Marauder defensive pairs – with a great deal of assistance from the forwards – withstood each Warrior rush without surrendering ice in front of the Belmont goal and pushing Warrior forwards outside the slot so shots were taken from a safe distance.

“We were told ahead of time they had an aggressive forecheck,” said senior co-Capt. Aislin Devaney. “Our defense did a really good job blocking shots, getting the puck out, and keeping bodies on them which made it easy for [Costa] to make saves.”

Through it all, Costa was as cold as the ice surface making save after save, leaving Lincoln Sudbury players slamming their sticks onto the ice in frustration or looking to the heavens for Divine Intervention that never came.

“A lot of practice just [having a] laser focus on the puck and … just make the save,” said Costa.

Belmont’s Evie Long (second from right) scoring the fourth goal of the game late in the third

It was left up to sophomore Evie Long to put a ribbon on the upset. After receiving a pinpoint drop pass from Driscoll, the winger scooped up her own rebound and backhanded Belmont’s fourth tally high into the net with four minutes left in the game.

“We’re keeping the rink open,” said assistant coach Josh Gilonna, borrowing a phrase used by Belmont Boys’ Hockey during a recent deep run in the tournament. “We’re going to play again.”

Driscoll’s Winner In 2OT The Difference In Belmont/Watertown’s 1-0 Victory Over Billerica In Div. 1 Playoff Opener

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Photo: Belmont/Watertown’s Molly Driscoll in action against Billerica/Chelmsford

A wrist shot from Watertown High Senior center Molly Driscoll that sent the puck slowly dribbling into the net 30 seconds into a second overtime period gave Belmont/Watertown a 1-0 shutout victory over Billerica/Chelmsford in the first round of the MIAA Division 1 Girls’ Hockey tournament held on Thursday, Feb. 29.

Playing on her home ice at the John A Ryan Rink in Watertown, Driscoll received a pass from her fellow co-captain, winger Lola Rocci, as both teams were playing three-a-side. The Boston University-commit in field hockey redirected the puck through Billerica/Chelmsford goalie Giovanna Gulinello’s pads which then took its time to cross the goal line for the only score of the night.

Belmont’s Jil Costa in net vs Billerica

“It was Molly Driscoll doing what Molly Driscoll does,” said Belmont Head Coach Brendan Kelleher about the senior center’s heroics. He praised Rocci on Belmont’s rush up the rink “carrying the puck up ice with a [player] draped all over. She has nothing in the tank but she kept her feet moving the whole time. She got free and fed it to Molly.”

“It was a great high school hockey game,” said Kelleher in his inaugural season leading the team. “Give Billerica a lot of credit. When you get to those sudden victory games, someone’s got to win, and someone’s got to lose. The paying spectators got their money’s worth.”

Fourteenth-ranked Belmont/Watertown (14-2-3) now advances to the Division 1 “Sweet 16” where it takes on 3rd-seed Lincoln/Sudbury Regional (17-2-1) in an afternoon matinee on Saturday, March 2. The puck drops at 5:30 p.m. at the Valley Rink in West Concord.

No place for the faint hearted in the crease

On the other end of the ice sophomore goalie Jil Costa earned her 10th shutout of the season, keeping a clean sheet for 51 minutes and 30 seconds as she spearheaded another defensive masterclass from a team that has given up a measly 15 goals in 19 games. The best of her clutch saves was with five seconds remaining in the first overtime when Costa swatted away with her stick blade a high puck heading towards goal, a reaction “that’s got to be on [ESPN’s] SportsCenter Top 10 plays,” said Kelleher.

Fronting Costa was Belmont’s defensive pairings – its core made up of Thea Monovich, Aislin Delaney, Martha Dimas and Elsie Larkin-Schultz – which continued their solid coverage they have provided the entire season, preventing clean breaks and keeping the majority of shots coming from the outside.

“I can’t say enough about pairs; they just play a great game again and again. We’ve got senior leadership back there along with freshmen that don’t playing like freshmen. It’s a confident group,” said Kelleher.

Belmont First Year Defender Elsie Larkin-Schultz

Belmont’s Player of the Match was first year defender Larkin-Schultz who provided coverage along the blue line while making a spark on offense, weaving her tall frame into the Warrior’s defensive zone.

While Billerica – a young team with just a pair of seniors while putting three 8th graders and seven first years on the varsity team – had their moments attacking Costa, Belmont had nearly double the shots taken by the Warriors. In the end, it would be left up to Driscoll, Belmont’s leading scorer and the most skilled player on the night, to end the contest.

Kelleher said while he would like to see a balanced scoring attack with all three lines – and a few defenders – getting on the scoring sheet.

“Nothing gets easier this time of year. It’s the old survive and advance. We came with the mindset that we will be back for another game.”

On The Road, Again: Just A Single Home Match For Belmont High’s Winter Teams In MIAA Tourneys

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Photo: Belmont High Sophomore Jil Costa making the skate save vs. Woburn

Marauder fans will be on the road to see their favorites play as three of the four Belmont High’s Girls and Boys Hoops and Hockey teams will be visitors through out the 2024 MIAA high school state playoffs.

Belmont High Girls hockey (13-2-3) is the sole local entry to host a first-round Division 1 playoff game and it will take place in neighboring Watertown’s JA Ryan rink against Billerica Memorial (6-9-5) on the Leap Day (Thursday, Feb. 29) at 7 p.m. Despite losing a single game in regular time (the best in the Division 1 tourney) and giving up less than a goal a game – 0.833 to be exact – the Marauders just hung on to a home game as the 14th-seed due in no small part to a less than a robust scoring offense, Watch for goalie Jil Costa and first line center Molly Driscoll to stand out. The likely Sweet 16 opponent for the winner will be three-seed Lincoln-Sudbury (17-2-1) up on Route 2 in West Concord.

In a rebuilding season in which the team had a hard time creating an on-ice identity, Belmont Boys’ Hockey (8-11-3) was the first team to miss out on a home game as the 17th seed and will be journeying along Route 128 to meet Wellesley High (14-4-2) on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 7 p.m. at the Boston Sports Institute in Wellesley. The “lucky” winner will head to Danvers to take on the one-seed St. John’s Prep.

The one Belmont team that had high hopes on obtaining not just one but two home games was Girls Basketball. On Jan. 26, the team suffocated a good Winchester squad to secure a playoff spot with a 10-4 record, sitting just outside the top 10 in the power ranking calculations and having entered the Top 20 in some polls. But in the past month, the squad could not buy a win, losing its final seven regular season games and falling to 10-11. As the 21 seed. the Marauders will be taking its own Leap Day bus ride to the Rhode Island border to meet 12-seed Bridgewater-Raynham – losers of three of its final four games – on Thursday, Feb. 29 at 6:30 p.m.

It’s not how you earned a playoff spot, just that you did it. Just ask a talented but at times uninspiring Belmont High Boys Hoops squad. With a gaudy 37th ranking in the MIAA power rankings, the Marauders needed in the past fortnight a two-point upset of a 14-6 Arlington team and a rally to defeat Billerica at home to remain above the required .500 mark (11-9) to earn a preliminary “play-in” match against Peabody. It’ll be a journey along scenic Route 128 in afternoon rush hour traffic on Tuesday, Feb. 27 with the game starting at 6 p.m. against the Tanners which made the tournament with an impressive 18-2 mark.