Return To The Elite Eight: Belmont Field Hockey Shuts Out Wachusett, 4-0, In MIAA Sweet 16

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Photo: Belmont High run to celebrate with sophomore goalie Zoe Bruce after shutting out Wachusett Regional, 4-0, in the Sweet 16 of the MIAA Div. 1 Field Hockey tournament.

Belmont High Field Hockey has punched its ticket for a return trip to the Elite Eight as the 6th-ranked Marauders made easy work of 22nd-seed Wachusett Regional, shutting out the Mountaineers, 4-0, to advance to its second MIAA Division 1 state quarterfinal in as many years.

Belmont (17-3-0) will head to Wellesley to meet the one-loss Raiders (19-1-0) which needed two second half goals to defeat No. 14 Westborough, 3-1, to advance.

The quarterfinal match will take place at noon on Saturday, Nov. 8 at Wellesley High School, 50 Rice St. off of Route 16.

“I love Elite Eight!” said Belmont’s long-time Head Coach Jess Smith after the game. “I think our passing has been great and we’re moving the ball really well and that has been the difference maker tonight getting the ball down the field.”

A pair of goals in the games’ first three minutes set the tone for the night as Belmont’s sophomore forward Kendall Regan and senior co-captain Mackenzie Clarke scored in consecutive playoff games to give the Marauders an immediate cushion in its Sweet 16 match played under a near-full moon at Harris Field.

As the Mountaineers pushed hard to reverse the tide, it pressed Belmont’s solid defense – a back line of co-captains senior Niamh Lesnik and junior Elsie Lakin-Schultz with first-year Kate Townsend in the center with senior sweeper Caroline French fronting sophomore keeper Zoe Bruce who earned 10 shut outs coming into the game. As Wachusett pressed the Marauder net, including packing the shooting circle with eight players on penalty corners, Belmont’s defenders continued its steller performance having conceded 17 goals over 20 games this season, blocking attempts before they reached Bruce.

Especially impactful was Lakin-Schultz, the junior commit to Brown, who used her speed and length to shut down attacks down the favorite right side, while also contributing to the offense with rushes and passes deep in the opponant’s zone. Clarke, who next year will play Division 1 college field hockey at UConn, continued leading Belmont’s attack while slipping just infront of the defensive “wall” to disrupt the Mountaineers offense and be an outlet to start the counter attack.

Belmont’s third score came off a penalty corner mid-way through the second quarter when a 10-meter blast from Lakin-Schultz was tipped by junior “12th player” Avery Reinold in front of the goalie.

Sophomore midfielder Mia Smith pocketed the final goal as her shot somehow its way by three defenders and a goalie with four-and-change remaining in the third quarter. By the final quarter, Smith had emptying the bench and the team cruised into the next round.

It was also the final time Belmont seniors – Clarke, Lesnik, French, and Catherine Killeen – would play field hockey on Harris Field. “You’re going to make me cry,” laughed Lesnik when asked about the emotions of the moment. “It’s such a beautiful field. Mackenzie and I have played for three year on field hockey and four years on lacrosse so this is one of our many ‘happy’ places.”

“Finishing off with a win. For the past two years we’ve been undefeated on Harris and that’s major for us,” said Clark.

“Absolutely major,” Lesnik replied.

Smith said there are areas for improvement including not giving up so many penalty corners, which has been a bugaboo since last year’s quarters when Andover scored twice off the corner in a 3-0 victory. “I also think that we have to be a little further apart because we tend to get on top of each other.”

“We need to go into the game [against Wellesley] with an emphasis on our energy against such a good and skilled team,” said Lesnik. “A lot of it will come down to the team that is … hustling the most, going forth the most, bringing that mentality knowing that it could be our last game. So put everything out there.”

While Wellesely is the third-ranked team in the tournament, “that doesn’t mean anything,” said Clarke. “We play a lot of competition” that’s just as strong as who they played, she said.

Wellesley will be a tough opponant, said Smith. “They’re fantastic. They’ve won 19 games in a row and haven’t lost since the first game of the year (to number 1 ranked Walpole). I think they are full of athletes and some kids who are good at field hockey. It will be a challenge. We match up with the athletic ability on the field and we have some really strong players. It’s anyone’s game.”

Belmont Field Hockey Reach State Quarterfinals Shutting Out Natick, 2-0; Next Up Andover On Saturday

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Photo: Sophomore defender Elise Lakin-Schultz after scoring Belmont’s second goal against Natick to secure a 2-0 Sweet 16 win in the MIAA Division 1 Field Hockey tournament in Belmont on Nov. 6, 2024.

Relying on its record-setting defense and a pair of goals from the teams most reliable scorers in junior midfielder Mackenzie Clarke and sophomore defender Elise Lakin-Schultz, 5th-seed Belmont High School Field Hockey reached the Elite Eight of the state’s Division 1 field hockey tournament with a dominating 2-0 victory over Natick High School in a second-round matchup held at Harris Field on Wednesday, Nov. 6.

Belmont (18-2-0) continues its tournament run into the quarterfinals on Saturday, Nov. 9, as they face Andover High at the Warriors home field. The game gets underway at 2:30 p.m. Fourth-ranked Andover (17-2-1) reached the quarterfinal defeating Beverly, 1-0. The upcoming game comes 10 years to the week when Belmont lost to Andover, 1-0, in overtime in the Division 1 North quarterfinals in 2014.

Belmont High junior midfielder and co-captain Mackenzie Clarke vs. Natick. Clarke scored the first goal and assisted on the second in Belmont’s 2-0 Sweet 16 match in the MIAA Division 1 tournament.

The win comes on the heels of Belmont’s playoff opening round game in which the Marauders rode roughshod over Barnstable High, 5-0, last Thursday.

“Natick played us tough … but we dominated the play despite all of what they did,” said Jessica Smith, Belmont’s long-tenured head coach after the game. She also praised the defense from the entire team and especially the three backs – senior Ana Hopkins, junior Niamh Lesnik, and Lakin-Schultz – “who played phenomenal, they worked extra, extra hard.”

Belmont High first year goalie Zoe Bruce makes a first quarter pad save against Natick in Belmont’s 2-0 Sweet 16 victory in the MIAA Division 1 Field Hockey tourament.

“I think that being super aggressive and going to every ball is something that worked well,” said co-captain Hopkins. In the third quarter, the Red Hawks crossed the midfield line just once and had its only penalty corner with three minutes remaining in the game. Final shot totals were seven for Belmont and one for Natick.

Since losing to Reading 2-1 on Sept. 13, Belmont (18-2) has compiled a 16 game undefeated/untied streak with 13 clean sheets. Over the regular and post season, Belmont has scored 93 goals while giving up 15, with first-year goaltender Zoe Bruce in the net who picked up the game in the spring.

In the Elite Eight match against Andover, “scoring on [penalty] corners with teams like in the top five is going to be key because it going to be tough to score on,” said Hopkins.

“The kids don’t remember what its like to loss, so they go out expecting to win every single game. I think with more energy, I’m expecting to win,” said Smith.