READING — Coming away with a street win over the Studying discipline hockey staff is a serious problem for fellow Middlesex League elites.
However red-hot No. 8 Belmont (12-1) snapped a drought of no less than three years Tuesday night time with a 4-0 shutout of the No. 15 Rockets (8-4-2).
Senior UConn-commit Mackenzie Clarke scored the primary and final targets, and arrange one among Kendall Regan’s two targets off rebounds in between. Protection flourished for the Marauders as nicely, limiting Studying to only two photographs on web regardless of dealing with common stress in a matchup with back-and-forth possession.
Belmont – ranked No. 5 within the newest MIAA Div. 1 energy rankings – extends its win streak to 10 video games and is 28-2 over its final 30, courting again to final 12 months.
“This can be a onerous discipline to play at,” mentioned Belmont head coach Jess Smith. “I believed we lined the (Studying) hanging participant very well. The protection just about made no errors; they had been excellent as we speak. … I really feel actually happy with them. Studying’s a terrific staff.”
“We knew this was a giant recreation,” added junior defender Elsie Lakin-Schultz, a Brown commit. “We got here ready. Simply mentally, bodily, we knew what we needed to do. … We did all the pieces we had been meant to.”
Clarke made her mark straight away for the Marauders, setting the tone.
Mia Smith and Gigi Mastrangelo (help) sealed the fitting sideline within the first minute, sustaining early stress. A takeaway was handed to Clarke across the attacking 25, and she or he weaved via defenders to achieve the circle and get round the fitting edge. Her drive soared via a good window for a 1-0 lead 1:07 into motion.
Studying’s midfield and protection did nicely to diffuse most of the promising transitions Belmont produced after that, as Kendall Graves, Leah Jackvony, Ella Connelly, Morgen Quirbach and Liza O’Brien offered signature takeaways whereas limiting corners. However the Marauders produced simply too many to utterly maintain off.
Within the first three minutes of the second quarter, Studying goalie Sarah Hamilton (10 saves) made a high quality cease on one other Clarke bid – this time a reverse chip – that jumped off her pads. Regan crashed the rebound by the far submit to double the lead, and adopted one other rebound halfway via the body for her second aim and a 3-0 lead.
Studying shut Belmont out within the third quarter because the Rockets managed play, however a Belmont nook halfway via the fourth quarter arrange Clarke up prime for a bullet and a 4-0 benefit.
The Marauders have no less than 4 targets in all however one among their final 10 video games.
“I believe we simply have the fitting gamers in the fitting locations on the sphere, they usually’re simply making it occur,” Jess Smith mentioned. “We come to the sphere anticipating to play nicely, and anticipating to attain targets and win video games.”
The protection additionally flourished.
Dani Bowers performed a serious position on the assault for Studying because it transitioned often into the attacking half, however the Marauders not often allowed it to interrupt via the final layer. Each of Studying’s photographs on web got here on corners. Lakin-Schultz, Niamh Lesnik, freshman Kate Townsend and sweeper Caroline French locked down the defensive 25, and goalie Zoe Bruce had two good saves.
“The entire staff is tremendous shut, we’ve such nice chemistry,” Lakin-Schultz mentioned. “I do know precisely the place my teammates are going to be. We talk very well. We’ve been engaged on that quite a bit in follow.”
“They simply seemed so strong as we speak,” Jess Smith added. “It was superior.”
