READING — Coming away with a road win over the Reading field hockey team is a major challenge for fellow Middlesex League elites.
But red-hot No. 8 Belmont (12-1) snapped a drought of at least three years Tuesday night with a 4-0 shutout of the No. 15 Rockets (8-4-2).
Senior UConn-commit Mackenzie Clarke scored the first and last goals, and set up one of Kendall Regan’s two goals off rebounds in between. Defense flourished for the Marauders as well, limiting Reading to just two shots on net despite facing regular pressure in a matchup with back-and-forth possession.
Belmont – ranked No. 5 in the latest MIAA Div. 1 power rankings – extends its win streak to 10 games and is 28-2 over its last 30, dating back to last year.
“This is a hard field to play at,” said Belmont head coach Jess Smith. “I thought we covered the (Reading) hanging player really well. The defense pretty much made no mistakes; they were outstanding today. … I feel really proud of them. Reading’s a great team.”
“We knew this was a big game,” added junior defender Elsie Lakin-Schultz, a Brown commit. “We came prepared. Just mentally, physically, we knew what we had to do. … We did everything we were meant to.”
Clarke made her mark right away for the Marauders, setting the tone.
Mia Smith and Gigi Mastrangelo (assist) sealed the right sideline in the first minute, maintaining early pressure. A takeaway was passed to Clarke around the attacking 25, and she weaved through defenders to gain the circle and get around the right edge. Her drive soared through a tight window for a 1-0 lead 1:07 into action.
Reading’s midfield and defense did well to diffuse many of the promising transitions Belmont produced after that, as Kendall Graves, Leah Jackvony, Ella Connelly, Morgen Quirbach and Liza O’Brien provided signature takeaways while limiting corners. But the Marauders produced just too many to completely hold off.
In the first three minutes of the second quarter, Reading goalie Sarah Hamilton (10 saves) made a quality stop on another Clarke bid – this time a reverse chip – that jumped off her pads. Regan crashed the rebound by the far post to double the lead, and followed another rebound midway through the frame for her second goal and a 3-0 lead.
Reading shut Belmont out in the third quarter as the Rockets controlled play, but a Belmont corner midway through the fourth quarter set up Clarke up top for a bullet and a 4-0 advantage.
The Marauders have at least four goals in all but one of their last 10 games.
“I think we just have the right players in the right places on the field, and they’re just making it happen,” Jess Smith said. “We come to the field expecting to play well, and expecting to score goals and win games.”
The defense also flourished.
Dani Bowers played a major role on the attack for Reading as it transitioned regularly into the attacking half, but the Marauders rarely allowed it to break through the last layer. Both of Reading’s shots on net came on corners. Lakin-Schultz, Niamh Lesnik, freshman Kate Townsend and sweeper Caroline French locked down the defensive 25, and goalie Zoe Bruce had two nice saves.
“The whole team is super close, we have such great chemistry,” Lakin-Schultz said. “I know exactly where my teammates are going to be. We communicate really well. We’ve been working on that a lot in practice.”
“They just looked so solid today,” Jess Smith added. “It was awesome.”
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