Belmont Boys’, Girls’ Hoops Run Into Hot Hands As Marauders Dropped From Tourney

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Photo: Belmont senior co-captain Andre Chavushian drives by the Chelmsford team in Belmont’s

Belmont Hoops found it a rocky road in the first round of the MIAA Division 1 Boys’ and Girls’ state tourney as the Marauders failed to take down their hosts.

Boys’ Hoops: Andover 65, Belmont 52

After an inspired win in the play-in game vs Chelmsford – a wire-to-wire 51-40 victory – Belmont (13-9) was looking to continue its outstanding end-of-season play as they traveled to Andover for a first-round Division 1 match-up against the second-ranked Golden Warriors (19-2).

The Marauders knew they would be facing a stout Andover defense. What they did not account for was the offensive explosion coming from Andover’s junior guard Josh Roux. The recently named co-MVP of the Merrimack Valley Conference came to play, scoring off fast breaks, from offensive rebounds and three pointers. When the half ended, Roux had buried 21 of Andover’s 41 points.

Belmont did keep the contest close, trailing by 11 at the half. But the Marauders allowed sophomore Charlie Tutwiler to total 11 points while unable to score a bucket until midway through the quarter. While Roux was “held” to seven points in the second half, the damage was done.

Belmont High’s junior center Braiden Dargon (left) challenges Chelmsford’s senior Kevin Burns while Peter McLaughlin looks on.

In the end, while Belmont played over its head in a 2nd vs 31st ranking match up, the quality did rise to the top to Andover’s advantage. The competitiveness Belmont put on the court in their final five games provided a glimpse into what should be coming next season, demonstrated in Belmont’s 51-40 play-in win against Chelmsford on Tuesday, Feb. 24. A strong man-to-man defense, and timely shooting from senior captain Charlie Tingos (13 points) and senior captain Andre Chavushian (10 points) – who scored the first six of Belmont’s points using the Euro step to perfection – while junior big man Braiden Dragon (9 points) was a imposing presence under the basket.

“I can’t tell you what’s its like to come in here every day and be able to go to work with kids that enjoy what they’re doing. They’re very close. They all get along. They’re very unselfish. They’re the boys who looked after each other. I see that continuing next season,” said first year Head Coach Dan Burns.

Belmont are saying farewell to seniors Chavushian, Tingos, Elijah Pierre, Weston Zalewski and Elijah Akins.

Girls Hoops: Needham 54, Belmont 36

The first round match between the 24th-ranked Belmont vs 9th-seed Needham could not have started any better for Belmont with senior captain Sophia McClendon and sophomore Sarah Geller hitting their first shots and with junior Stella Ivkovic coming up with semi-hook to see the Marauders go up 6-3 half way through a sloppy first quarter. And when junior Rebecca Christensen put in an offensive rebound (Christensen would end with double digit rebounds) and McClendon hit a spinning drive in the lane, Belmont would enter the second quarter up by 4 points, 10-6.

Belmont High’s Rebecca Christensen grabbing an offensive rebound against Georgetown

And when senior co-captain Leah Attridge made one-of-two, Belmont had its biggest lead of the night, 11-6. But the Rockets would launch off, outscoring the Marauders, 18-2, with Geller’s runner the sole points for Belmont. Needham’s center Eva Andrews began dominating on both ends of the court, taking McClendon out of her game, and scoring half of her 22 game high points. Belmont did not help its cause going 3 for 15 from the free throw line.

It was fitting that Erin Attridge, one of three co-captains, had the opportunity to score, making one of two with four seconds remaining. Geller and Christensen would end up co-high scorers with 11 each.

Belmont seniors McClendon – who reached the 1,000 point milestone this season – and the Attridge twins played their final game for the Marauders.

Belmont High Teams Start Tournament Run With A Pair At Home

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Photo: Senior captain Sophia McClendon, here celebrating her reaching the 1,000 point milestone, leads the Marauders against Needham in the first round of the MIAA Div. 1 playoffs

The playoffs have begun, and Belmont Hoops and Hockey are in the mix.

Boys’ Basketball: at home vs Chelmsford, Tuesday, Feb. 24

The Marauders (12-8) had spent the entire season below the playoff line in the MIAA Power Rankings – teams have to be ranked 32nd or higher to get the automatic in. 

But Belmont demonstrated a tournament-like toughness in its final regular season game – a blowout of Reading – and winning the two games in the Spartan Classic at St. Mary’s saw them crossing the 32-ranking barrier to close the season 31st.

Belmont, under first-year head coach Dan Burns, will host a play-in game with Chelmsford (11-9, 34th ranked) with the tipoff at 6 p.m. Belmont will rely on being physical under the basket with big man junior center Braiden Dargon, while the offense will be steered through seniors Charles Tingos and Andre Chavushian.

The winners will meet second-ranked Andover.

Girls’ Ice Hockey: at home vs. Shrewsbury, Wednesday, Feb. 25

The Marauders (11-6-3) have been a dependable team this season, taking care of the teams they should be defeating while playing tough against their betters (an exciting 2-2 tie against Hingham). But the season has been one where the team has, at times, struggled to find a go-to scoring option, especially after losing forward Alexcia Fici to an injury. 

Rising as high as 13 in the power rankings just a few weeks ago, Belmont’s lack of offense showed up in the final two games, a 3-1 loss to Winchester and a disappointing 3-0 shutout by Waltham. The season’s final power ranking saw the Marauders ‘barely holding on to the 16th seed, the final spot for a first-round home game.

Belmont hosts a good Shrewsbury squad (10-7-3) on Wednesday, Feb. 25, with the faceoff at 7 p.m. The Marauders will rely on their first “O” line made up of the two Mackenzies (senior Clarke and first-year Tierney) and sophomore Mia Smith, while Belmont’s impressive group of defenders – Elsie Lakin-Schultz, Martha Dimas, Kate Townsend, and Ava Keefe – will front rookie goalie Elinor Dorn to keep the Marauders in the game.

Boys’ Ice Hockey: away vs Pope Francis High (Springfield), Wednesday, Feb. 25.

It’s been a season for Belmont Hockey (5-15-2) that can only be considered a rough one, starting with a 6-0 shutout to Catholic Memorial, the top-ranked team this season. After losing nine seniors and three standout players moving to private programs, it’s been an extensive rebuilding season for a team that last season was the top public school team in the state. 

Belmont will travel nearly across the state to take on 7th-seed Pope Francis (14-5-3) in Springfield. There will be a familiar opponent as the Marauders meet the Cardinals twice in February: a 5-2 defeat on the 11th and an 8-1 loss in a postseason tournament. 

Girls’ Basketball: away vs Needham High, Friday, Feb. 27. 

A young team led by three seniors, the 24th-ranked Marauders had a successful season as the players learned first-year head coach Antonia Macklin’s system based on an in-your-face defense and patient offense. 

The Marauders (13-7) travel to Needham to meet the 9th-ranked Rockets (14-6) with tip-off at 5 p.m. on Friday. Senior captain Sophia McClendon (who reached the 1,000-point plateau this season) and sophomore guard Sarah Geller – with a pair of 20-point games – will lead the offense, with rebounding magnet junior Rebecca Christensen and twins, senior captains Leah and Erin Attridge, bolstering the defense.

Getting The Job Done: Belmont Boys’ BBball Reach Tourament And Takes Home Post-Season Silverware

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Photo: Belmont High’s 25-26 seniors (from left) Charles Tingos, Eli Pierre, Andre Chavushian, Eli Akins, Weston Zalewski, and Tyler Raubenheimer

When push came to shove, the Belmont High Boys’ Basketball propped open the door just wide enough to squeeze into the MIAA Division 1 tourney. The Marauders left it late, winning the final game of the regular season, a beat down of Reading, 66-35, to reach the 10-win mark that secured an away play-in game.

“I knew when I took the job, that they had some good players,” said Dan Burns, the Marauders’ first year coach. “I also was aware that it was going to take some time for us to get where need to be. So the goal for us was to get 10 wins, and we got it. It feels great. I’m really happy for the kids.”

Then as if the burden of making the post-season was a weight the team couldn’t wait to remove, Belmont went out and brought home post-season silverware, capturing the Division 2 winner’s trophy from the Spartan Classic at St. Mary’s in Lynn. The Marauders defeated Lowell Catholic, 68-51, on Sunday and then took down 15-4 Lincoln/Sudbury, 57-53, via a late three-point dagger-to-the-heart from senior captain Andre Chavugian (17 points) with a clutch 3-pointer down the stretch.

“It was a great overall team win. Everybody played,” said Burns. “I thought the seniors really came out and carried us right from the start we haven’t had a really good start in a long time.”

Nearly ever game this season has been a struggle for the Marauders as the team learned Burn’s new system throughout the season. Sporting a power ranking of 37, five spaces from an automatic placement, Belmont walked onto the court on Seniors Night needing a victory to move on. As fortune would have it, the Rockets have had an uncharacteristic poor season sporting a 3-16 record.

One issue the team was battling all season was falling behind early in games.

“We haven’t had a really good start in a long time, and we’re usually six or seven down going into the second. Tonight we actually went up seven (9-2) early. That’s a credit to the seniors and their leadership,” said Burns.

Belmont got out in front early and just kept scoring. With a solid defense, the Marauders raced through the first quarter up 18-8, led by senior Charles Tingos with a pair of threes and a run away lay up. Belmont’s second quarter resembled Secretariat at Belmont, throwing down 21 while holding the Rockets to six to blow the doors off of the game to lead 38-14, by the half. Junior co-captain Braiden Dargon scored 12 of his 15 points. in the quarter dominating the post on both ends of the court.

With a good lead on hand, Burns was allowed to look down his bench and give those players time on the floor. Senior guard Eli Akins provided the night’s highlight when after initially blowing a dunk, stole the ball and completed the slam to the delight of the students section. The Maruaders didn’t let up in the fourth scoring 18 to take their 10th of the season.

“It was a great team win. [It] gets us to the tournament that was our goal all year. So great to accomplish that,” said Burns.

For Burns, the last three wins gives a boost to the team’s belief that it can do some damage in the tournament.

I think we have a lot of size, and we’re pretty physical, and, we tend to beat up teams inside with our rebounding and just our physicality is a problem for most teams.”

“We’ve had a couple heartbreaking losses, and we’ve had some great wins, too. And part of that is just learning how to win,” said Burns.

Belmont High Boys’, Girls’ Hockey Enters Final Week Coming Off Big Wins At Woburn

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Photo: Belmont’s Mackenzie Tierney vs Reading

When push came to shove on Saturday, Feb. 7, it was the Belmont High hockey program that shouldered past host Woburn in a pair of late season matches giving a boost to the Marauders’ playoff hopes as the state Division 1 tournament looms only a fortnight away.

Belmont High’s Girls’ continued its best stretch of the season with five wins and a tie in its last six games with a convincing 3-1 away victory over 10th-ranked Woburn in the midst of Saturday’s snowfall.

It was Belmont’s Mackenzie Bookends – first year Mackenzie Tierney and senior Mackenzie Clarke – who tallied Saturday with the youngster collecting the first goal in the first period from the point while the veteran put home an empty netter with 30 seconds remaining in the third to go along with her first period backhander to seal the deal.

Along with sophomore Mia Smith – whose second goal scored in the final minute salvaged a 2-2 against Reading the previous Saturday – the “Macs” have stepped up in February after Belmont’s top scoring threat, sophomore Alexcia Fici, was lost to a season-ending injury.

Belmont High’s Mia Smith scoring her second goal in 2-2 tie with Reading.

The Marauders defensive lineup – led by junior Elsie Larkin-Schlutz, first years Amelia Long and Kate Townsend and senior Martha Dimas – has been stellar in front of goalie Elinor Dorn who has replaced consenus All-Star Jil Costa. The sophomore put up 43 minutes of shut out goaltending against Woburn which was on a seven-game winning streak.

With the weekend win, Belmont (10-4-3) sweeps the season series over the Tanners with its second 3-1 victory, the first coming at home in early January. The Marauders inflicted the only league losses to Woburn which came into the game 10th in the MIAA Division 1 Power Rankings. Belmont was 15th in the all important rankings, the penultimate place that secures a home game in the first round of the playoffs.

Belmont’s final three games of the season includes its final regular season home game at 5 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 11 vs. Lexington, a Valentine’s Day love match against Winchester in Woburn at 2 p.m., and a season ending romp with Waltham at Bentley University on Tuesday, Feb. 17, at 1:45 p.m.

It’s been a trying season for Belmont High Boys’ Hockey. Last year’s squad was one of the state’s elite, sixth in the final MIAA power rankings, with 15 wins (15-6-1), shutting out the state’s top-ranked team (Pope Francis) while winning the Ed Burns Coffee Pot tournament. A three overtime loss to league rivals Winchester in the Sweet 16 of the MIAA tournament was a shocker but the team appeared ready to reload for the 2025-6 campaign.

But the loss of nine seniors and the transfer of the team’s three lynchpin players raised a large question mark for the season. The answer to that quiry was that it would be a tough rebuilding year for the Marauders. Playing in one of the state’s most competitive leagues – three teams in the top ten of their power rankings – with a very difficult non-league schedule, the Marauders have been in games where they could not match up in talent or bulk.

“Do you a weight room we could use?” joked Belmont Head Coach Tim Foley between periods of one of the matches where his players were pushed around.

The result has been a 3-12-2 record with the team sitting in 28th in the Power Rankings, percariously close to the 32nd ranking that marks the final automatic playoff place. What Belmont needed in the final stretch of the season would be a big time win.

And that is exactly what the team did, swamping 6th-ranked (in Division 2) Woburn, 6-3, at the O’Brien rink, as junior defender John Connolly racked up the hat trick and forward Michael Rowan took home three points with his own brace while adding an assist in the team’s performance of the year.

The three-goal margin gave the Marauders the maximum points avaliable as they seek to secure a playoff spot. Belmont – which is coming off a 2-0 win on Sunday against Braintree in the consolation game of the Ed Burns Coffee Pot tournament – will meet 8th-ranked Pope Francis in the final home game on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 7:15 p.m. and Winchester on Valentines Day in Woburn with a noon start. The team finishes its season playing in West Springfield in the Cardinal Classic on Tuesday, Feb. 17 and Wednesday, Feb. 18.

Hoops: 1,000! Belmont Girls McClendon Hits Milestone; Boys Just Short In Big Comeback Try

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Photo: Belmont HIgh Senior Sophia McClendon reached the 1,000 point milestone

Belmont HIgh Senior Sophia McClendon came to the charity stripe with the game tied against visiting Winchester at 42 with a chance to put Belmont into the lead in the closing half-minute of Friday’s game.

McClendon’s free throw – awarded after being fouled on a breakaway to the basket with 32.5 seconds remaining – would not only put Belmont in a winning position, but it was also a career milestone: the 1,000th point in her four-year varsity tenure.

Three bounces of the ball, a look at the hoop, a bend of the knees, a flip of the wrists: Nothing but net.

But after making the shot, nothing happened. No jumping up and down, or embraces, and the other celebrations associated with a momentous event. McClendon and the players were preparing for the second free throw when the Belmont bench called a timeout.

As the team huddled during a timeout, the stats were rechecked, and sure enough, McClendon had reached the thousand point plateau. Cheers and applause erupted inside Wenner Field House, with screams, hugs, smiles, congratulations, and many happy tears greeting the senior captain. For the record, McClendon missed the second freebie but Belmont would grab the rebound and run out the clock for the one-point victory over the 10-3 Red and Black.

“That was really emotional, having played for all these years in the Fieldhouse to do it at home,” said McClendon, holding flowers and a poster featuring a photo of her with ‘1,000’ points. 

McClendon recognized her teammates and coaches over the past four years “because they really made it all happen.” 

A stalwart on both ends of the court, McClendon has led the Marauders into the MIAA Div. 1 playoff during her three years – securing two home tournament games – while earning Middlesex League All-Star status in the past two years. 

The game tape of Friday’s encounter isn’t likely to be studied as the apex of high school hoops, as both teams took some time to heat up, evident by the 9-2 score – Belmont in front – at the end of the first. Belmont retained the lead into the half, 20-14, but a seven-point third by Belmont saw Winchester cut the Marauders’ advantage to two, 27-25, entering the final eight minutes. A three-point shot by senior Erin Attridge – the first of two in the fourth quarter by Attridge – saw Belmont’s lead grow to six, 36-30, with five minutes remaining. But a run of four threes by the Red and Black would tie the game at 38-38 with two to go. The second three by Attridge and a pair by guard Sarah Geller would see the contest knotted at 42 when McClendon, who finished with a game high 13 points, came to the line to make history.

Belmont (7-4) is on a midseason hot streak, having not lost in 2026, winning five in a row, which includes a win over Stoneham on Tuesday, Jan. 20. Belmont stands 23rd in the MIAA Div. 1 Power Rankings, with the top 32 receiving automatic tournament bids.

Boys’ Hoops

Coming out of the locker room at the end of halftime, Belmont High Boys Basketball was starring up from a deep hole, trailing Middlesex Liberty leaders and undefeated Winchester by 15 points, 37-22. 

But with a packed Wenner Fieldhouse encouraging the home team on Belmont Basketball Night, the Marauders stepped up both sides of their game, limiting the high-scoring Red and Black to a pair of free throws and throwing down 17 points of their own in the third to enter the fourth quarter tied up at 39. It was a team effort on both ends for the floor with senior co-captain Charles Tingos leading a balanced scoring effort with five points while a tight, suffocating defense allowed Belmont to cut into the lead for the entire eight minutes. 

Entering the final quarter with a single point, senior co-captain Andre Chavushian would spark the Marauders’ effort with 10. In one sequence, Chavushian hit a three to cut a Winchester lead to one, 46-45, made a steal, and with 2:40 remaining, hit a pretty jumper to give Belmont a 49-48 lead. When junior Peter McLaughlin completed the 2+1 nine seconds later, the Marauders had its largest lead, 52-48. 

A Chavushian free throw kept the lead at four, 54-50, and when junior center Braiden Dargon took down the missed second freebie and passed it back to Chavushian who was fouled with 53.9 seconds left, Belmont was looking good at taking down a Top-20 program. But the only thing that came from the two free throws was a miss and an offensive foul that allowed Winchester to pull within three on the front end of the 1 and 1. The second free throw was missed, but the rebound ended up in the hands of Winchester’s senior Harrison Burbine who sank a three-ball with 44.6 seconds remaining to knot up the game at 54, sending the game into OT.

In the four-minute overtime, Winchester’s senior wing Dawson English would not be stopped, scoring six of his game-high 26 points, leaving Belmont feeling a bit deflated as Chavushian could not hit a potential game-tying drive at the death. Three Marauders reached double digits, led by Dargon with 15, followed by Tingos (12) and Chavushian (11).

Belmont currently stands at 6-5 with an MIAA Power Ranking of 38.

Belmont High Hoops: Boys Enters New Year With A New ‘Fun’ Look; A Young Girls Squad Rebuilding Thru Senior Leadership

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Photo: Belmont senior All-Star guard Sophia McClendon driving against Arlington.

With both teams introducing new head coaches this season, Belmont High boys and girls basketball have started off the new season attempting to find an identity that will move the

Boys bring fun back to Wenner Field House

After a number of years in which it was looking up from a deep end of the standings, Belmont High Boys’ have entered the 2025-26 season having rediscovered a vibe it hasn’t had for quite a while.

“It’s a team that’s having fun,” said Dan Burns who played and coached at Woburn High before taking his first head coaching post in Belmont. A lot of that fun comes from the style of play Burns has installed with this youngish team.

“Belmont has always had a tradition of playing fast, and getting the ball out of the net. We have the bodies and the skill set to be able to wear teams down, which cause turnovers, which led to easy baskets as we are being able to get out on the break,” said Burns.

“I think we have the ability to really pressure and bother teams, especially on the defensive side,” he noted. “We have all the pieces to make a strong run in the league and that leads to success later in the season.”

Belmont enters 2026 with a 4-3 record as it heads into the heart of the Middlesex League rotation of games beginning in the new year. With the exception of a final of the Adams Holiday Tourney, Belmont has been competitve in each of its five games. The Marauders’ one-point loss, 45-44, to Arlington was a result of Belmont making one of three shots from the charity stripe with a second left in the game. [Belmont fell to Burlington, 78 – 59, on Tuesday, Jan. 6]

Burn’s sends out a young starting five with three juniors and a sophomore joining senior co-captain Andre Chavushian. But Burns notes that he’s ready and willing to empty most of his bench, using 9 to 10 players to play significant roles on the floor.

Leading the offense early in the season has been Chavushian, junior guard William Murphy and sophomore forward Liam Phillips. Add the presence of the team’s big man junior center Braiden Dargon who is adept at blocking out for rebounds on both ends and has rocked the court with some hard blocks. Starter junior guard Theo Sorblom and senior co-captain Charles Tingos have seen their share of minutes so far.

Three Marauders hit double digits in the season opener win vs Watertown. Dargon led the scoring with 17, Murphy (with two threes) coming home with 12, and Chavushian 11, as Tingos and Sorblom came home with nine each. In the opening game of the Adams Holiday Tournament at Concord-Carlisle on Dec. 27, Murphy finished with 21 points and Dargon put up 17 points in the Maruaders’ 69-51 win over Weymouth.

Belmont will visit Lexington on Friday, Jan. 9, before heading home on Tuesday, Jan. 13, against Wilmington.

Girls toughing it out its rebuilding

“That was ugly,” said newly-installed Belmont Girls’ Basketball Head Coach Antonia Macklin after the Marauders had just won its first game of the 2025-6 season, a 43-23 home walk over of a very young Wakefield High squad on Dec. 16.

And it appears the Marauders will have to endure more slugfests as the team finds itself in a rebuilding season under its first year head coach. Macklin – who was a star at Boston’s Jeremiah E. Burke High School before heading off to the University of Iowa where she as a member of the 1993 Hawkeye team that played in the semifinals of the NCAA Final Four – comes to Belmont from Boston’s Holland High School of Technology to take on a challenge of developing a winning program

“We’re a young team. We lost a lot of seniors from last year, so we’re looking to rebuild. But this is a good group as we are returning six varsity players and we have eight new additions who I am excited about.”

“Defense is key. I love playing defense. I played for one of the top coaches in the country and the defense was our thing. I want to see how we look playing man to man and how we look in the zone,” she said.

While praising her team’s overall effort early in the season, Macklin said the players have been wanting to do so much instead of just letting their game flow. “We don’t necessarily have to keep shooting so we can penetrate as well. So those are things that we can work on and practice.”

“But overall, I thought they did a good job,” she noted.

The Marauders’ is led by senior All-Star guard Sophia McClendon. The four-year starter is the team’s “go to player” on the offense end of the court and is a dominate force on defense, with her rebounding and shot blocking ability, swatting away four attempts in Belmont’s loss to Arlington.

Joining McClendon as a veteran varsity presence is junior Becca Christensen, who has been a magnet under the boards, coming down with 13 rebounds against Watertown and 11 vs. Wakefield.

The remaining starters are youngsters playing their first season on varsity, with sophomores Sarah Geller and Reece Bundy in the backcourt and first-year Eleanor Siegert joining Christensen up front. Macklin uses her bench judiciously, able to bring in senior twins (and co-captains) Erin and Leah Attridge, along with forwards junior Stella Ivkovic and first year Gwen Cornett.

“I’m expecting a lot from [our seniors] being on the floor, but also looking for their leadership as well. So they play a major part of us putting this young group together,” said Macklin.

After struggling in the first two weeks of the season winning one of four, the Marauders has taken two of its last three including an opening victory against host Cambridge in the Cambridge Legends Classic on Dec. 29 and a 10 point win against Burlington.

Belmont will be on the road taking on Lexington on Friday, Jan. 9 before returning home on Jan. 13 against Wilmington. Tip off is at 6 p.m.

Belmont Takes Thanksgiving Game Tumble, Falling To Watertown, 21-12

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Photo: Up for grabs: The failed two-point conversion after Belmont’s second TD.

On a glorious weather day for football – sunny, breezy, and cool – Belmont and Watertown took to the field for the 103rd edition of the annual Thanksgiving day football rivalry held this year at Watertown’s Victory Field.

The last time the Marauders were on their neighbor’s pitch in 2023, Belmont came away with a historic blowout, a decisive 47-0 victory over Watertown capping the team’s first Middlesex League championship in 60 years. But this year would be the last opportunity to secure a much needed “W” as the Marauders had experienced a winless 2025 campaign.

And while the team would equal its high score of the year and kept the Raiders to three TDs, it still wasn’t enough for the Marauders to produce an upset as Watertown took home the winner’s trophy, 21-12.

After a stagnate first quarter in which neither team could produce much offense, Belmont would put together one of its best series of the season: a 13 play, 80 yard drive – all on the ground – that took nearly 10 minutes off the clock. Belmont’s MVP and all-star candidate Casey Regan would bull his way from two yards out into the endzone with seven minutes remaining in the half. The two point conversion attempt – a run up the middle – was a lost cause.

Soon afterwards, Watertown would take the lead within three minutes as senior running back Gabe Oliveira De Mattos swept around Belmont’s right end for a 22-yard touchdown run. The Raider’s extra point kick was true giving Watertown a 7-6 advantage going into the half.

After going three and out after the half time kickoff, luck appeared to go Belmont’s was the punt was “muffed’ by the Raider returner giving the Marauders a second chance to start the second half with an inkling of momentum. But Belmont once again couldn’t do much and Watertown would take its first drive in the second half methodically into Belmont’s end of the field with Patrick McHugh walking it into the endzone from four-yards out. 14-6 Watertown.

Yet give the Marauders credit as Belmont would find its way into the Watertown endzone, with a rare successful pass to midfield. Three plays later, Regan would bounce to the outside to outrace the defensive back 35-yards to the pylon with seven minutes remaining in the game to cut the lead to 14-12. The two point conversion attempt to potentially tie the game was a jump ball that no one could control.

Despite what could have been a major shift in momentum to Belmont never materialized as Watertown grind the ballgame away with a constant barrage of running plays culminating with Oliveira De Mattos’ second running TD of the morning.

Belmont Girls’ Soccer Falls Victim To Natick’s Clinical Attack, Losing State Semifinal 5-0

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Photo: Belmont’s Danica Zicha (No. 10 on right) taking down the pitch against Natick.

Belmont High Girls’ Soccer has played against every type of team this season: fast, physical, defensive-minded, and go-for-broke attack football. And for the vast majority of those games, the Marauders were able to come away with the victory.

At the semi-finals of the MIAA Division 1 state championships on Tuesday, Nov. 18 in Woburn, Belmont met a completely different sort of opponant in Natick High’s Redhawks: one that was deadly clinical.

In a match settled in the first half, the Redhawks took advantage of their chances to bury three goals past junior Belmont keeper Martha Dimas in the first 40 minutes to ultimately take a 5-0 victory over Belmont. Natick won the state championships on Saturday, defeating Franklin, 4-2, as it took its third title in four years.

“All credit goes to Natick. They have a great team,” said Belmont Head Coach Jemmy Cange, whose team ends the season with 17 victories (17-3-2). “I’m proud of the girls. They did a hell of a job all year long. And today, we got beat by a better team, which is fair,” he said.

Not that Belmont was completely overwhelmed in the game, with twice as many corners while keeping about half of the possession thorough out the contest. Belmont senior center forward Danica Zucha, with 36 goals this season before she heads to Connecticut College in the fall, continued her on-field leadership despite being tightly covered throughout the game. Juniot midfielders Madhavi Ramadas and Zoe Merion were the equals of the physical Natick players. The difference was Natick’s play in the Marauders’ final third which decided the game.

Natick’s first tally resulted on a quick start of a free kick to the left of Belmont’s goal. Senior Lydia Proia found her twin sister, Nicole, who sprinted towards Dimas. As Belmont’s defense collapsed on her, they left sophomore Kerry Sheriff alone at the 10 meter penalty spot where Nicole found her with an on target pass. It was 1-0 Natick with 21 minutes remaining in the half.

Belmont came closest to knoting up the match a few minutes later when Zicha found first year wing Clara Sciandra open 15 yards in front of the net. Her grass cutter shot forced Redhawk senior goalkeepr Katie McMahon to make a falling-away save that kept Natick lead secure.

Natick’s second eight minutes later was a thing of beauty: picking up the ball 15 yards from goal, Sheriff sidestepped a pair of Marauders then one-timed a shot over a stranded Dimas that dipped gently into the net.

Belmont attemped a way back – its best opportunity a header off a corner from Ramadas – but with two minutes remaining in the half, a spot-on pass from Nicole Proia found senior Abby McCauley in acres of space on the right side. The shot snuck just inside the right post, giving Natick at three goal lead and effectively ending the match.

To its credit, Belmont continued to battle through the half, coming close to ending the shutout via senior Farrah Harris who rocketed a shot inside 10 yards that McMahon deflected out with her body. Harris was also involved in a melee in the Redhawks’ box with a dozen players seeking to head the ball everywhich way with Harris having the best chance that required a goal line stop.

But a pair of goals at the death was just the exclamation mark of a good team finishing off an opponant.

Belmont witnessed the final game for senior forwards Zicha and Nora Goulding, a quintet of defenders – Ashley Waters, Harris, Maya Bernback, Sarah Le Tonqueze, and Grace MacDonald – a trio from the midfield including Madison Dubois, Erin Estrada Donahue, and Neil Taylor.

“And I’m very happy for the seniors. We have a lot of great seniors, a great leader [Zicha] on that team. I’m so happy with the season, aside the way this game ended,” said Cange. “We’re gonna build on this season. There’s only one way to go with these players,” he said pointing skyward.

Final Four! Belmont Girls Upend #1 Needham, 4-2, To Meet Natick In State Div. 1 Semifinals, Tuesday, Nov. 18

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Photo: Belmont HIgh School advance to its first MIAA Final Four since 2010 by defeating number one ranked Needham, 4-2. They await a semifinals vs. Natick on Tuesday, Nov. 18 in Woburn.

On paper, an eight-seed beating a number-one ranked team in the state would be considered an upset.

But in Needham Thursday night in the Elite Eight round of the MIAA Div. 1 Girls Soccer state championships, make no mistake: the better team wore “Belmont” on its shirt.

In a thrilling late afternoon match under the lights between two top rated squads in the state, Belmont High captialized on its chances with two goals in each half to down host Needham High Rockets to launch its trajectory into the tournament’s Final Four with a convincing 4-2 victory on a field Needham had been undefeated this season.

“You shocked the world,” said Belmont High Head Coach Jemmy Cange sitting on the pitch with his team and coaches after the game. “They didn’t give us a chance against a number one team,” Cange said later. “But we are a team with a big heart and that means a lot in the playoffs.”

Belmont (17-2-2) will meet four seed Natick High (14-3-3) on Tuesday, Nov 18, at 4:45 p.m. at Woburn High School Stadium, 88 Montvale Ave. The game marks 15 years since the last time the Marauders played in a state semifinal when it faced Medfield in 2010.

Belmont’s youngsters came to the fore as sophomore midfielder Cassie Griener recorded a brace – including the game winner – 9th grader Mackenzie Teirney put the icing on the cake with a late goal, and first year Ruth Christensen was steady between the posts, coming in for Belmont’s injured starting keeper Martha Dimas.

But it was Belmont’s talisman, scoring ace Danica Zicha, whose presence on the grounds was the X Factor, that unique talent who tilted the game to Belmont’s advantage. Despite Needham providing a dance partner for her throughout the game, Belmont’s number 10 still garnered an upmost attention from the Rockets allowing Danica’s teammates with opportunities in the Rockets half of the field. Her speed and strength on the ball saw her directly involved in Belmont first three goals.

After an auspicious start for the hosts, a goal in the first 30 seconds – through sophomore Sydney Kalaw – of the opening whistle, Belmont steadied themselves. With Needham playing with numbers in the front seeking a second tally, Belmont would find wide tracts of space to exploit the Rockets lack of defenders with quick breaks into the Rockets end.

Belmont would take advantage of Needham’s lapse for its first goal: on the break, Zicha took a picture perfect 30 yard pass from midfielder Madhavi Ramadas on the run, rounded her defender and, on her favorite right foot, blasted at Rockets’ outstanding first-year keeper Maggie Peterson who parryed the ball onto a rushing Griener. Her one-timer snuck under Peterson to even the score at the 34 minute mark.

Belmont came close twice more – a great close-in save by Peterson off Griener and a weak strike with an open net – as the Marauders began taking the measure of Needham.

Every team on the road to a championship benefits from at least one moment of good fortune. As a Needham defender was clearing the ball from the goal area with 13 minutes remaining in the first half, the kick hit an on-rushing Zicha and slingshot straight into the net, reminisant to a goal in the Women Euros four years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO5nNne4UII (start video at 1:14)

“I’d be lying that I had planned it,” said Zicha of her 36th goal this season. “But a goal’s a goal, right?” she quired matter-of-factly.

But to write off the Rockets after 40 minutes would be total folly, as Needham require only four minutes into the second half to square the contest at two when Sam Levine’s cross found Michelle Faynstein who cut in front of Christensen to head the ball into the net.

But the tie wouldn’t last long. A long pass by Tierney found Zicha who spun away from her marker and it was off to the races. Alluding four defenders, Zicha’s bullet from 15 yards out was barely deflected by Peterson before hitting the crossbar. The ball rebounded to the waiting Griener who bundled the ball in from five yards out to put Belmont back into the lead at 30:37.

For the last 30 minutes, it was up to the Marauders quartet of defensive stalwarts – seniors Farah Harris and Ashley Waters, junior Elizabeth Schreiner and sophomore Vianne Capitani – fronting Christensen, who was starting her first game of the season. Needham was at its most opportunistic on set plays and corner kicks which they held a 10-1 advantage, coming close twice after Belmont took the lead.

In the midfield, a pair of juniors stood out with their ability disrupt Needham’s attack and transitioning to the offense. While Madhavi Ramadas is known for her polished ball skills – especially her deft passing – Zoe Merion gave the Marauders an edge with that willingness to conduct an all-out battle for possession. Both effectively used their quickness to get to the ball first while winning the majority of 50/50 challenges. As time ground down on the scoreboard, neither team held the upper hand with shots coming from distance or being blocked.

But Belmont would have the final word as with six minutes remaining, two first years contributed. From the throw in, first year midfielder Clara Sciandra headed for the baseline and sent a pin-point pass to an open Tierney who one-timed the ball that Peterson blocked back to the first year starter. Tierney didn’t waste her second chance, burying the ball into the net with 6 minutes left.

When the final whistle blew, unqualifed joy and excitment erupted as players engulfed a somewhat stunned Christensen. When an MIAA official attempted to give the winners their final four trouphy and banner, no one was sure what to do with them. But that was sorted away when everyone took photos of them with the silverware.

“We are going to celebrate tonight and at school [Friday],” said Cange. “But we are going back to work on Saturday. We have unfinished business to take care of.”

Belmont’s Zicha Rains Goals Down On Central Catholic, Leading Girls’ Soccer To Elite Eight Test Vs #1 Needham

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Photo: Belmont High’s senior forward Danica Zicha celebrates her first of two goals vs. Central Catholic in the Marauder’s 2-0 Sweet 16 victory in the MIAA Div. 1 tournament.

Belmont High’s senior forward Danica Zicha had dreamed of a night like she had against Central Catholic High in the Sweet 16 round of the MIAA Div. 1 Girls’ state tournament: Scoring the winning goal to win the biggest playoff game in her high school career.

For a good part of two years, it appeared pocketing a playoff goal would have only been a dream after Zicha missed her sophomore and most of her junior seasons after suffering a devastating Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury in 2023.

“Everything went great with my knee rehabilitation, but in the back of my head I kept thinking, ‘Can I come back like I was? Will my knee give out again?” she said at the end of the contest.

And then the rains came.

Zicha not only saw her dream come true, the speedy forward pocketed both goals in the 8th-ranked Marauders 2-0 victory over the nine-seed Raiders, played in a steady rain which at times fell with a monsoon’s intensity on Monday, Oct. 10, at Harris Field.

“I think this team is absolutely amazing,” said Belmont Head Coach Jemme Cange. “We worked so hard this season. We have the biggest heart when we play. We just put everything into our effort, and it’s been working.”

Zicha’s senior season has been exceptional, as she has compiled a gaudy 35 goals after Monday’s game. But the post season has a whole new importance for the Connecticut College-commit.

“In tournament games, I’m just thinking, ‘This could be my last game. I’m a senior. It’s the tournament. It’s one and done. So it’s like, I’m gonna put it all out there,” said Zicha. “I just have to stay confident and try to win for the seniors.”

Cange had high praise for his all-star.

Belmont High’s Danica Zicha scores her second vs. Central Catholic

“We know what type of player Danica is. She can change a game by herself, and that’s what she did today. She’s the team. At the end of the day, everything goes through her, and she just keeps fighting from the first minute to the last.”

The victory advances Belmont (16-2-2) to the Elite Eight where it will meet the number-one ranked Needham (17-2-1) at Needham High School on Thursday, Oct. 13, with kickoff at 5 p.m. The Rockets are on a 13 game winning streak and are 11-0-1 at home this season, while the Marauders play well away from Harris Field with eight wins against a single loss.

Unlike the slow motion start in its opening round match against Framingham, it took Belmont 99 seconds to take the lead when Zicha seized advantage of confusion between goalie and defender on whom would control a high ball by Belmont’s junior defender Elisabeth Schreiner. Zicha jumped at the chance and slotted it into the back of the net by the diving goalie.

“The girl was hesitating. I was like, ‘No, that’s mine. I’m going for it’,” she said.

Zicha’s second came a few minutes after co-captain and starting goalkeeper Martha Dimas came out of the game in the second half, to be replaced by first-year reserve Ruth Christensen. Central Catholic’s attempt to take advantage of the change left added space in the midfield. A measured pass from first year winger Mackenzie Tierney found the loosely marked Zicha in stride who beat the goalie along the pitch just inside the right post with 18 minutes remaining in the game.

“In tournament games, we’re playing amazing teams, and they can just score pretty easily. And I was like, ‘We need another goal to make sure they’re not tying the score, because I’m not taking this game to [penalty kicks, which determines a winner if the game remain tied after two overtime periods]. I don’t want to take them,” said Zicha.

But to say the victory was Zicha’s alone would downplay the exceptional performance from the entire team as the defense stiffled both of Central Catholic Division 1-commits while playing a tight, ball control style that prevented the Raiders from taking over the game’s momentum by stepping to the ball and then clearing it out and regaining possession.

And when Central Catholic utilized its effective multiple pass offense to send the attack into Belmont’s goal area, Dimas and the back line proved time and time again able to make the final stop.

“Just the way we connect with everyone in the field, they couldn’t stop our offense line at all,” said Zicha. “They were good defenders, but we just tore them down.”

“We’ve been so close as a team, especially our back line,” said Belmont senior defender Ashley Waters. “I’ve really gotten to connect with all three players – Schreiner, senior Farah Harris and sophomore Vianne Capitani – that I play with, and I think that really helps. We can kind of read each other’s minds, in a way, and we know when to drop, when to fill in, how to cover and really work.”

“I’m so proud of the defense, because they come in and love defending, and they don’t get the credit that they deserve sometimes, because the offense always get the credit,” said Cange. “They fight from the first minute to the last minute, and all credit goes to the back four,” said Cange.

Belmont will face its greatest test on Thursday facing the top of the class on the road.

“Needham is a great team, but we’re not worry about them. We have a game plan and we always stick to it, and that’s why where we are right now,” said Cange. “We’re not taking taking it easy before the game. They’re number one in the state for a reason. I know some of the players as I coached some of them. It’s gonna be a good fight. I’m excited for the matchup.”