Sports: Trio Of Belmont Teams Shut Out Red Devils In Season Openers

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Photo: Carey Allard on the ball

Three Belmont High School fall sports team opened their 2017 seasons on Thursday, Sept. 7 with impressive shut out victories on the opening day of their campaigns.

Girls Soccer: Belmont 6, Burlington 0

This is a warning for teams in the Middlesex League; don’t get Belmont’s Carey Allard angry. She’ll just score more goals.

That’s what an undermanned Burlington High squad discovered when they attempted to cover and mark the All-Star left forward a bit too aggressively. After being her ankles clipped and body pushed off the ball during the early moments of the first half, the Marauders’ Division 1-commit (she’s heading to UNC-Wilmington next fall) was determined to answer the physical play by punishing the defense.

With Belmont already dominating the game leading 2-0, Allard put her distinctive stamp on the game by scoring a true hat-trick within a 16-minute span, to put the match out of reach by the half.

“[Allard’s] going to score,” said Paul Graham, who has coached the team for the past quarter century.

“When she shoots from the outside like that, there’s no goalie is going to stop her.”

Allard wasn’t finished, scoring her best for last, driving by three defenders and sidestepping a fourth before placing a sharp shot deftly just inside the right post to give Belmont a 6-0 opening day win over Burlington.

“I thought all 23 players played well,” said Graham, using everyone on the bench in the home opener. 

He pointed to midfield co-captain Emma Sass’ mastery of the middle of the pitch leading to Belmont controlling the game. “She’s just so strong, controls the ball well and sees the field so well,” said Graham.

Belmont wasted no time showing its dominance scoring at the one minute mark with senior co-captain Courtney Gray spinning and dropping a shot over the head of the Burlington goaltender and into the net. Ten minutes later, Morgan Krauss doubled the lead with a shot from the right side of the goal. 

Graham also praised his back three of juniors Meagan Tan and Emily Dexter and senior Natalie Marcus-Bauer. “They played superior. They dominated when they got the ball and passed it around,” said Graham.

The true test of Belmont’s potential will come when it goes toe-to-toe with the power teams in the Middlesex League. One of those is Wilmington which the Marauders will battle away from home on Saturday, Sept. 9 at 6 p.m.

Field Hockey: Belmont 9, Burlington 0

Six Marauders scored as Coach Jessica Smith’s field hockey squad opened the flood gates against host Burlington as Belmont seeks its third consecutive Middlesex Liberty Division title.  

“It was a great team effort,” said Smtih, who used each of the 21 players on her roster.

Leading Belmont offensively was sophomore Katie Guden and junior Morgan Chase who ended the night with three points with two goals and an assist, joining Hana Powers who also pocketed a pair. Co-capt. Senior Bridget Gardiner also had three points with a goal and two assists while her fellow captain senior Alexa Sabatino had a goal and an assist. Jordan Lettiere completed the scoring with her first strike of the campaign.

“It was really fun to watch this young team in action. The passing and shots on net were fabulous,” said Smith.

“[Katie] Guden was fantastic. She is a force when moving the ball and her passes were outstanding. Gardiner also played a fabulous game.  The midfield, in general, was very involved both defensively and offensively. They including Lillie Devitt were key in all transitions,” said Smith.

While Belmont lost two Division 1 College players – midfield/sweeper AnnMarie Habelow (Louisville) and defender Julia Chase (UNH) – and a three-year starter on defense (Molly Goldberg) to graduation, it appears Smith has found a solid back row with Meri Hana and Johanna Crowley as fullbacks and sweeper Emma Donahue (niece of Watertown legionary head coach Eileen Donahue) playing in front of veteran goaltender Chrissy MacLeod. 

Boys Soccer: Belmont 3, Burlington 0

Marauder senior goalkeeper Nate Espelin stopped a penalty and earned the 3-0 shutout as Belmont High’s Boys Soccer started the 2017 season beating host Burlington on Thursday afternoon, Sept. 7.

Leading 2-0 ten minutes into the second half, a tripping foul by Belmont’s Kostas Tingos within the penalty area gave the Red Devils the opportunity to half the lead with plenty of time still to play. But like a good poker player, Espelin saw a big time “tell” from the Burlington player as he approached the ball sitting at the 11-meter mark.

“He pointed to the left side of the net like he was going to kick it there. But I guessed that’s where he wanted me to go, so I moved to the right,” said Espelin, who preserved the two goal margin.

During the match, it held the majority of possession and momentum,  Belmont ­– ranked 15th in the Boston Globe pre-season Top 20 poll – jumped into the lead when junior midfielder Seamus Dullaghan tucked in a rebound of a Jake Carson shot with eight minutes left in the first half.

The Marauders doubled its advantage when Andrew Karalis converted a penalty kick four minutes into the second half.

Belmont final score belongs to the highlight reel as Carson scored from beyond 30 meters on a direct free kick midway through the final frame.

Belmont will play its home opener on Friday, Sept. 8 at 3:45 p.m. against Wilmington.

Soccer Night in Belmont Kicks Off Under the Lights Saturday, Oct. 1

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Photo: Belmont High Girls’ Soccer getting the word out on the first “Soccer Night in Belmont.” 

The Belmont High School Boys’ and Girls’ Varsity Soccer teams will headline the inaugural “Soccer Night in Belmont” on Saturday, October 1, joined at the event by hundreds of younger players from Belmont 2nd Soccer and the Belmont Soccer Association, coaches, and other members of the Belmont soccer community.

Soccer Night in Belmont will feature a doubleheader under the lights at Harris Field with the Boys’  taking on Wayland High at 5:30 p.m. followed the BHS Girls’ vs. Middlesex League rival Reading High at 7:30 p.m. 

Preceding each game, 2nd Soccer and BSA players will parading out with players during the pre-game ceremonies, acting as ball boys and girls, and competing in mini-games on Harris Field during halftime of the games.

“This event will not only showcase our successful varsity teams, but will recognize the role of Belmont 2nd Soccer and BSA in nurturing the talent that makes up these teams year in and year out,” said event organizer John Carson.

“We hope to have a big crowd, and it will be a really fun night that builds bonds between our ‘little kid’ players and ‘big kid’ high school players, virtually all of whom came up through the Belmont youth program.”

Admission to Soccer Night in Belmont is free, and the first 100 elementary grade kids wearing their team uniform will receive a commemorative soccer ball donated by Belmont Savings Bank.  Concessions, organized by Parents of Music Students (POMS) including pizza, hot dogs, snacks and drinks will be available so families can come for the games and feed the kids at the same time.  

Soccer Night in Belmont is sponsored by Belmont 2nd Soccer, Belmont Soccer Association, Belmont Savings Bank, The Rising, Phoenix Landing, with special thanks to Friends of Belmont Soccer (FOBS), and Belmont High School Athletic Director Jim Davis.

Further information for soccer players who wish to participate on the field will be distributed through their 2nd Soccer and BSA coaches in the coming weeks.  Those wishing to volunteer at the event should contact johncarson@yahoo.com 

Sports: Boys’ Soccer Resilient In Fight To Tie Stoneham ‘At The Death’

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Photo: Belmont’s Simon Sivers’ shot alludes Stoneham’s goalie Caio Barbosa for the tying goal.

The term “at the death” is the very British way of meaning the dying moment of an event, popularly used in sports matches.

On Saturday, Sept. 10, Belmont High Boys’ Soccer was attempting to breath a little life into the final minute of its match with Stoneham High at Harris Field. Despite having the best chances throughout the game – including a penalty kick (missed) and hitting the wood work in both halves – Belmont was preparing to leave the field with a loss, down 2-1 with less than a minute remaining.

As Belmont continued pressing, a last glimmer of light came to the Marauders in the form of a penalty at the left edge of the box. The resulting free kick “at the death” was directed to the feet of senior midfielder Simon Sivers who roped the ball beyond the hands of Stoneham keeper Caio Barbosa high into the back of the net to insure a 2-2 tie, keeping Belmont undefeated after two games of the season.

For Belmont Head Coach Brian Bisceglia-Kane, “the biggest positive from this game is the resilientcy the team showed” especially after the Spartans’ Giovanni DeVargas scored his second goal midway through the final half on Stoneham’s only scoring chance in the second 40 minutes.

“They let themselves be disappointed for like 30 seconds before becoming composed again … and continued to work to salvage something which is something we can build off for the rest of the season,” he said. 

After going down 1-0 midway in the first, Belmont used some pretty combination passing to control the game and tempo. The Marauders finally broke through 17 minutes into the second half when senior captain Daron Hamparian pounced on the rebound of a shot from fellow senior Luckson Danbo to power a shot by Barbosa from six meters out.

Marauders take opener vs. Melrose

The weekend tie came after Belmont won its opener, 1-0, over Melrose on Thursday, Sept. 8, at Harris Field on what is an early candidate for goal of the year. With less than two minutes left to play in the first half, sophomore midfield John Campbell took a high pass in traffic about 15 meters out of goal, turned in one movement and struck ball in the air where it cleared the Red Raider’s goalkeeper before curling in. 

“I got the ball and wanted to go for the corner but it went straight at the [keeper]. But it was high enough to clear him before dipping into [the net],” said Campbell scoring his first varsity goal in his first varsity game.

Bisceglia-Kane said he was proud of the team as they worked on holding each other accountable throughout the game , pointing to Danbo as being the best player on the field.

“He’s really composed. There’s no sense of being anxious on the ball. He’s alway composed, calm and collected and makes the right decision,” said Bisceglia-Kane.

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Sports: Lazenby’s Last-Second Goal Sends Belmont Boys’ Soccer to D2 North Semis

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Senior midfielder Ben Lazenby‘s second goal of the game, coming “at the death” of regular time, gave Belmont High School Boys’ Soccer a dramatic 2-1 victory over hosts Chelsea High Saturday night, Nov. 8.

With less than 15 seconds remaining in the second half, senior forward Luke Gallagher delivered the free kick – senior midfielder Sami Belkadi was fouled 25 meters out – to the onrushing Lazenby who headed the ball behind the reach of Chelsea’s goalie Angel Figueroa.

“I knew that time was running out and that we would have only a couple more chances. I told [senior midfielder] Danny [Rizzo] this is my ball and go back post and maybe I’ll head it to you,” Lazenby told the Belmontonian and Belmont Marauders Media.

“I just made the run like I did the whole game and [senior forward] Luke [Gallagher] played a great ball. I was open and I finished,” said the co-captain who started the scoring in the first half with another header off a free kick.

See Lazenby’s post game interview and his two goals here, courtesy of the BMM.

The rousing win against a tenacious and skilled Red Devils propels the Marauders (15-3-2) into the Div. 2 North sectional semifinals against the number-one seed Concord- Carlisle Regional High School in Chelmsford on Thursday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m.

The undefeated Patriots (17-0-1) is currently ranked second in the Boston Globe Top 20 Boys’ Soccer teams, having held the number one spot for most of the season. The team, led by Head Coach Ray Pavik, won the 2010 Div. 2 state championships and were state finalists the next year.

The last time the two teams met was in a first-round encounter in the 2012 sectionals where Concord-Carlisle came back from a two-goal, second half deficit to defeat the Marauders, 3-2, in overtime.

“We can only prepare our own team, we have no control how Concord-Carisle will play,” said Belmont Head Coach Brian Bisceglia-Kane. 

With a Concord-Carlisle assistant coach watching from the stands, Belmont – despite being without leading scorer senior midfielder Charlie Frigo – used its quickness and physical advantages to close down on the slow-starting Red Devils who attempted to catch the Marauders on the counter attack. In the few ventures into the Marauder area, Belmont’s back line, anchored by senior defender Amar Fernald, swept aside the challenge.

Lazenby’s first goal came from sophomore defender Edward Stafford‘s long ball off a free kick with 16 minutes remaining in the half. The team’s midfield quarterback out-jumped the scrum 10 meters from goal and looped a perfect header over the retreating Figueroa.

The second half saw Chelsea come out with a confident resolve in their game, stringing short passing with quick dribbling through the middle of the field showing a great deal of flair and creativity with the ball. Led by midfielder Wilbert Tejada – one of the most best players Belmont met this season – and Derilson DePina, Chelsea used its momentum to keep the majority of the action in the Marauders end of the field.

“They kind of dominated us in the second half,” said Lazenby.

“It’s always a challenge to meet a team that plays a style that we don’t see during the regular season so they took it to us in the second half,” said Bisceglia-Kane.

The Red Devils knotted up the score at one when Tejada placed a pass onto the feet of a streaking Carlos Cartagena who beat Belmont goalkeeper Peter Berens with 24 minutes left in the second half . 

With Belmont relying for long stretches on players such as senior forward Norman Kilavatitu due to injuries, “it got ragged out there,” said Bisceglia-Kane, who called a timeout 90 seconds after the Chelsea goal to speak to his on-field captains before talking to the team. 

Belmont was able to keep Chelsea from taking the lead by asserting “more pressure and working together as a team,” said Lazenby.

As the game entered the late stages, Belmont was able to exploit space down the right side – Belmont nearly scored with eight minutes remaining but a one-timer by Gallagher skipped over sophomore Daron Hamparian‘s left foot at the left post – where some tenacious work by Belkadi resulted in the foul that set up Lazenby’s heroics.

For Bisceglia-Kane, the game showed the players there is always a way back from adversity on the pitch.

“Their goal only tied it up so it wasn’t as if we went behind. But it showed that we have the ability to meet the challenge of being scored on and play our game.”

 

Sports: Football’s Be-Witches-ing Friday Night, Boys’ Soccer Saturday in Chelsea

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One week removed from Halloween, Belmont High School football welcomes a coven of witches as Salem High School swoops to Harris Field tonight, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m.

Salem will be seeking to break into the win column having started the season 0-8, including being shutout in their last three games.

Belmont (1-7) is coming off its first victory in two seasons with its victory over Medford, 35-20, on Halloween.

On Saturday, Nov. 8, Belmont’s Boys’ Soccer team will be traveling down Route 16 for a quarterfinal match with hosts Chelsea High School in playoff action in the MIAA Div. 2 North Sectionals. The fifth-seed Marauders (14-3-2) got by North Andover, 1-0, while the fourth-seed Red Devils (15-3-1) defeated Lynn Classical, 1-0, in overtime.

The game kicks off at 4 p.m.

Sports: Boys’ Soccer Wins Playoff Opener, Heads Off to Chelsea Saturday

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Winning ugly, as the saying goes, is still winning.

And Belmont High School Boys’ Soccer learned that lesson Monday, Nov. 3 after the Marauders defeated North Andover High Scarlett Knights, 1-0, in the first round of the Div. 2 North Sectional finals.

“We got away from a lot of things we were doing well at the end of the season,” said Belmont Head Coach Brian Bisceglia-Kane.

“It was not the best we’ve played because we were nervous because they know this is a game they should have,” said Bisceglia-Kane, saying the team performs better as an underdog than when it is expected to win easily.

“It was ugly, but a really entertaining game to watch,” he said.

The victory sends the Marauders on a trip to 4th-seed Chelsea High School (15-3-1) on Saturday, Nov. 8 to meet the Commonwealth League Upper Division Champions at 4 p.m.

Belmont (14-3-2) got the only goal it needed with 12 minutes remaining in the first half when substitute junior forward/midfielder Trevor Kelly made an outside run and sliced a shot 15 meters from the left of the box that curved into the back of the right side the goal.

For many Marauders on the field, the match with the 12-seed Scarlet Knights was a rematch of last year’s quarterfinals when North Andover scored in the first 30 seconds and kept the lead for the entire match to win 1-0.

While North Andover was able to move the ball into the Marauders end with short passes through the middle, Belmont’s midfielders, led by center midfielder and senior co-captain Ben Lazenby, stepped into passing lanes and use their physical approach to win the 50/50 challenges.

“I was just trying to play hard and communicate and work together as a team,” said Lazenby, who assisted on the goal.

“I was trying to get headers but really it was just playing non-stop,” he said.

Belmont’s goalkeeper Peter Berens took home another clean sheet with big senior defender Matt Lawson stepping up to win headers and break-up at least two semi-breakaways in the second half.

It got hairy for Belmont 28 minutes into the final half when a goal-bound shot off a Berens save was cleared twice from the goal mouth by Lawson and senior Amar Fernald to secure the shutout.

Belmont now has a lengthy wait until its quarterfinal with the Red Devils.

Senior captain Wilbert Tejada leads Chelsea as its playmaker who sets up the team’s two leading scorers, Carlos Cartagena and Derilson DePina.

While Belmont knows little or nothing of Chelsea’s game, Lazenby said the team will not dwell on that issue.

“When you play a new team, you don’t know what to expect, you don’t know what team they’re going to be,” said Lazenby.

“That’s why we have to focus on our game. We can’t control our opponent, we can only control our own game and I think where we are strong in a lot of areas,” he said.

Sports: Playoff Schedule with Boys’ Soccer Monday; Volleyball, Girls’ Soccer Tuesday

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Teams and individuals from Belmont High School will be competing in the next few weeks in post season and the playoffs.

• Belmont High School Boys’ Soccer gets their postseason underway with a home Div. 2 North sectional playoff game against North Andover High on Monday, Nov. 3 at 6:30 p.m. at Harris Field. The fifth-seeded Marauders (13-3-2) takes a stingy defense, led by senior goalkeeper Peter Berens, having given up just 10 goals in 18 games vs the 12-seed Scarlet Knights (11-7-0) from the Merrimack Valley Conference Large Division.

• Coming off a nail-biting win over a young Dracut High team Friday night, seventh-seed Belmont Volleyball (16-5) travels next door to take on the second-seed Arlington Catholic High (18-3) in the quarterfinals of the Div. 2 North sectionals on Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. The Cougars are ranked 17th in the Boston Globe top 20.

• There is a score to be settled as Belmont Girls’ Soccer travels to Wilmington High for a Middlesex League clash in the first round of the Div. 2 North sectionals on Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. This will be a chance for Belmont (8-5-5) to revenge a highly-controversial game played last month when, with the game 1-0 in Belmont’s advantage late in the match, a seemingly obvious offsides against Wilmington was not called leading to a goal that allowed Wilmington to stay undefeated in the regular season. There will be little motivation needed by long time Head Coach Paul Graham – who is looking for win 299 – who said after the game the girls “would love to have another go” at the Wildcats.

• With the first win in the books, Belmont High School Football will play their final three games at Harris Field, beginning this Friday, Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. against Salem High of Massachusetts.

• After winning the Middlesex League meet, Belmont Girls’ Swimming prepares for the North Sectionals and then a return to the Div. 2 championships where they will be one of the favorites. And Leah Brams will carry the colors at the EMass Sectional meet on Saturday, Nov. 8 in Wrentham and the All-State meet on Saturday, Nov. 15 in famous Franklin Park in Boston.

Sports: Boys’, Girls’ Soccer Await Playoff Fate

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It’s now all about waiting for the Belmont High Boys’ and Girls’ teams as they prepare for their first round matches in the Div. 2 North sectional playoffs that begin this weekend.

Coming off emotional wins over Lexington High School last Tuesday, Oct. 21 – the boys’ defeating the ranked Minutemen, 3-2, while the girls’ defeated their hosts 1-0 – the teams took points in their final two games.

Girls’ missing scoring punch in final two draws

On a rare Saturday evening romp on Oct. 25, the Girls’ team celebrated Seniors Night at Harris Field with a hard-earned 1-1 draw with arch-rival Winchester. A wonderful shot 15 meters out from forward Kristen Gay screamed by the outstretched arms of Winchester goalkeeper Sofia Herron with three minutes remaining in the first half.

“The goals I’ve had this season have all come from the great work down the wings. All of them are team goals,” said Gay who has become Belmont’s scoring threat in the past two weeks with her aggressive nature and ball striking skills.

Paul Graham, who is currently at 298 wins in his career, said he placed freshman Emma Sass on Winchester’s star player, Alix Curtin, “and she came up huge. [Sass] shut her down.”

Graham continues to sing the praises of another freshman Natalie Marcus-Bauer who is taking up the important task of keeping speedy forwards from moving into the penalty box.

Belmont also received stellar work from senior goalkeeper Linda Herlihy who made solid saves throughout the night, including a reaching glove save off a shot that was heading into the far right corner.

“[Herlihy] is starting to play her best right before the playoffs,” said Graham.

Twice in the second half it appeared Belmont would score the critical second goal; sophomore forward Julia Cella‘s breakaway shot from eight meters out was parried away by Winchester substitute goalkeeper freshman Silvia Dowdel.

A rebound off Dowdel from a corner that freshman Carey Allard put into the net was ruled a no goal due to a Belmont player being in an offsides position.

It appeared that Belmont would walk away with both available points, but Winchester was fortunate that a quick counter pass into the Marauders penalty box came just as the Belmont back line began moving forward. Winchester’s Emily Price stayed on side and slipped the ball past a defenseless Herlihy.

Graham said he would like to see more scoring punch from his forwards but all-in-all, “we are in good shape heading into the playoffs.”

On Monday, Belmont traveled to Medford but could not get the same result as when the Mustangs came to Belmont, a Marauder win. The match ended in a scoreless draw. The girls’ record is 9-5-4.

Boys’ scoring and winning

The boys’ wrapping up the regular season with a 3-1 victory away at Winchester on Saturday, Oct. 25 and a 2-1 squeaker against Div. 3 Pentucket Regional at Harris Field on Monday, Oct. 28.

Rediscovering its scoring touch, the Marauders put a pair past the Winchester goalkeeper with forward Daron Hamporian driving the first one home 12 minutes into the game with Luke Gallagher netting the second at the half hour mark taking a pass from midfielder Norman Kilovutitu. Tokio Kobyashi finished the scoring with a breakaway blast with a dozen minutes to play.

On a glorious fall afternoon, Belmont hosted the emerald-clad Pentucket Regional High School squad to Harris Field. Monday became the breakout performance for sophomore Marvyn Dorchin to scored a brace in the first half.

Belmont’s back-up goalkeeper to senior standout Peter Berens, fan-favorite Dorchin – who spent his early years in France – has proven to be a skilled defender and recently a dangerous attacking midfielder. Monday, Dorchin became a Gallic goal scoring machine with his two within five minutes of each other late in the first.

Berens would not get his 12th shutout of the season as Pentucket’s Ian Sands punched one passed the ‘keep with 11 minutes remaining.

 

Sports: Boys’ Soccer Edge Ranked Lexington, 2-1; Girls’ Soccer Secures Playoff with Win

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For Belmont High School Head Coach Brian Bisceglia-Kane, Tuesday’s home game against Lexington High was an exciting one, but “it’s just a regular-season game.” 

But the match, played on Seniors Night at Harris Field, Oct. 21, should be placed in the “signature win” column as the Marauders struck twice early and once late to defeat the one-loss Minutemen – ranked 12th for the past two weeks in the Boston Globe poll – by a 3-2 scoreline.

The win ups the Marauders record to 11-3-2 with two games left in the season; away at Winchester on Saturday, Oct. 25 and a home game on Monday, Oct. 27 vs. non-league Pentucket.

“Under the lights, both teams wanted this and I was proud of their effort tonight. I really like how they came out with a lot of effort and athleticism against Lexington,” said Bisceglia-Kane.

“This was a good measuring stick for the playoffs. Lexington’s a [Division] 1 team and ranked and we weren’t so hopefully this helps their confidence,” he said.

After a celebration honoring the team’s seniors and before parents, family and a loud cheering section, Belmont came out like a whirlwind, out-muscled and outplayed the Minuteman which resulted in the best possible start. At the kickoff, Belmont drove the ball down the right side where leading scorer, Charlie Frigo, picked up the ball 18 meters out, pivoted that left a defenders looking and fired the ball past Minuteman’s Carter Hochman after a mere 36 seconds.

Before the rowdy fans could find their seats, Frigo netted his brace knocking in a cross from Sami Beluadi to give Belmont a 2-0 lead after only three-and-a-half minutes.

But you don’t get to 12 wins out of 14 games without being somewhat good playing the game and Lexington got its mojo going by winning the battle in the midfield by out running the Marauders to the ball and connecting on some sharp combination passing. Some slick passing in the box allowed Henry Troop to one-time the ball by Belmont goalkeeper Peter Berens with seven minutes to go in the first to leave the Minutemen trailing by one at the half.

Lexington would tie the game eight minutes into the second half as defender Alfred Joseph came up from the back to take a short pass from Lewis Mustoe and slipped the ball just under a diving Berens.

With blood in the water, the Minutemen continued its assault only to be thawed by Berens twice including a sliding block at the penalty spot.

At the 30 minute mark with a tie on the board, the game became a grind-it-out affair with much of the action taking place between the goal areas with few solid chances for either side.

Then, against the run of play, Belmont took the lead in the simplest of ways.

Senior forward Luke Gallagher outpaced the Lexington midfielder to take a long clearing pass down the right wing. He quickly passed the ball to the top of the box where a fast-closing Daron Hamparian controlled the ball and shot between the center and right backs and passing a flat-footed Hochman with 13 minutes remaining.

“Sometimes the team is so technically sound that they don’t play a little messier. That [goal] was just a vertical pass [Gallagher] won and passed to [Hamparian], a quick pass and a shot,” said Bisceglia-Kane. “Hopefully we can do this a little more because we tend to be a little too cute with the ball.”

With the exception of a pair of corner kicks which did not reach Berens, Belmont eased to the win.

“The proudest moment for me was when we were let up the lead but then responded,” said Bisceglia-Kane. 

“That’s what you will have to do. There will be moments in the regular season and, hopefully not, but most likely in the playoffs when you need to come back in a game,” he said.

“I always tell the guys they need to play for one another. If you are playing for yourself, you’re never going to be playing your hardest. But when you’re playing for each other that’s when you feel like you’re playing as a team,” said Bisceglia-Kane.

Girls’ soccer returns to playoffs with shutout over Minutemen

The members of the Belmont High Girls’ Soccer team were screaming their collective heads off as their bus passed by Harris Field as the boys’ soccer team was about to kick off with their match with Lexington.

The yelling fest – an ongoing tradition for Belmont’s girls’ squads – meant only one thing: the team had won their away match vs Lexington; and with it, a return to the post-season for the Marauders (9-5-2).

With a first-half goal by senior Sophia Eschenbach-Smith – her second important goal in three games – and the stellar work by the three back line defenders that helped goalkeeper Linda Herlihy to her seventh shutout in the 1-0 victory.

“It was a really good team win and we worked really hard,” said Eschenbach-Smith. “I hope we can keep up the momentum as we are now in the playoffs.”

Eschenbach-Smith scored Belmont’s lone goal in the Marauders’ 1-1 home tie against 15th ranked and league leader Arlington High a week earlier.

The win was payback for a 5-0 home loss to the Minutemen on Sept. 24.

“Today we came out with a real purpose. We needed the one point to get into the tournament. We talked a lot about that and the kids really worked hard and came out fired up,” said Paul Graham, the team’s long-time head coach, who missed last season’s playoffs after a two decade run.

“We played playoff soccer tonight,” said Graham, whose victory total now stands at 298.

Eschenbach Smith scored from a pass from Julia Cella after getting past a defender and burying a left foot shot 15 minutes into the game.

Then Graham allowed Herlihy and his back line to dictate the pace of the game.

“Our defense was tremendous,” said Graham, saying that freshman Natalie Marcus-Bauer, who now starts in the Marauders’ defense with senior leader center back Lucia Guzikowski and Elizabeth Ferrante, “who had her best game” and naming her the Player of the Match. 

With his two outside midfielders – Katrina Rokosz and Elizabeth Ferrante – coming back to cover the wide spaces, “we had five players taking on their two forwards.” When the Minutemen did have opportunities to score, Herlihy was there to crush those chances.

“I have to thank my defenders. They do a great job every game. If I get a shutout, it’s a team shutout,” said Herlihy.

Sports: Barn Doors Safe as Belmont Soccer Teams Lost Scoring Touch

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Barn doors, fish in barrels and messengers were all safe this past week as Belmont High School soccer teams suddenly lost their ability to put shots into the back of the net.

On Thursday evening , Oct. 9, Belmont Boys’ soccer dominated stretches of their game against Wakefield High under the lights at Harris Field but couldn’t find the right combination of passes to break the Red Raider defense and were forced to split the difference with a nil-nil draw.

But despite the current goal-scoring drought – the Marauders put the ball between the posts only three times in the past five games posting a record of 2-2-1 during that time – Belmont Boys’ first-year head coach gave an upbeat observation after the tie.

“Sometimes you have to taper your expectations because we’re playing well,” said Brian Bisceglia-Kane, noting that the team has outplayed their two latest opponents by wide margins.

“They’re feeling down because they dominated the game but honestly, they created enough scoring opportunities and that’s our game plan. I wouldn’t do much different then what we just did,” he said.

Bisceglia-Kane said the solution to the team’s lack of scoring punch is “being more intuitive to where you should be.”

While the team has had plenty of scoring opportunities in the past five games, “we didn’t play the ball necessarily the way we practice. Then there is a lack of composure, feeling that urgency to score and then there is just having some luck.”

At the beginning of the season, the Marauders was winning games scoring three to four goals, “and we aren’t playing any differently now,” Bisceglia-Kane said. 

“The goals will come,” he said.

Earlier in the afternoon, Belmont Girls’ soccer also found trouble scoring, but unlike the boys’, Head Coach Paul Graham’s squad fell to hosts Wakefield, 4-1, in what Graham called “our poorest performance of the season.”

Like the Boys’, the Belmont Girls’ have scored three goals in the past five games, going 1-3-1 over the stretch.

“We didn’t win or go to the ball; we didn’t have the effort that we need to do win,” said Graham. Down 1-0, junior Kristin Gay took a pretty pass from sophomore forward Julia Cella and belt an 18 meter shot by the Red Raider goalkeeper, who Graham praised for making “three or four great saves that could have gotten us closer.”

Graham took time to point out the play of Alex Dionne and Lucia Guzikowski and the contribution of senior Maggie Shea in the nets for the final moments of the game.