WATERTOWN – Belmont provided a giant scare, but tally another mark in the history books for the Watertown field hockey program.
By staving off six Marauders offensive corners in the second half – including a potential game-tying opportunity on expired time at the end of regulation – the Raiders (3-0) narrowly clung to a 2-1 Middlesex League crossover win Tuesday night for the legendary program’s 100th straight victory.
It wasn’t the prettiest of wins for the four-time defending Div. 3 state champs, but it was just enough to overcome standout opposing performances from stars Mackenzie Clarke and Elsie Lakin-Schultz as Belmont (2-1) rallied.
Aisling Brennock and Kaylee Master scored the goals in the first half for Watertown, while Natalia Keuchikarian notched six saves in the win.
No other program in MIAA field hockey history has ever won 100 straight games. After also winning 124 straight in their national-record 184-game unbeaten streak, the Raiders have now done it twice.
“It’s not about me, clearly it’s about all those players that got to that,” said longtime head coach Eileen Donahue, who emphasized a couple of times that reaching 100 straight wasn’t her focus. “I’m going to give it to all my players, not just this group. They found a way (today), but we were very fortunate (to win). Everybody’s got to work hard for it, and all the players that have gone through my program know that. (The streak) is just a number, I just want to win the game, I’m not focused on anything else.”
That fortune came early for Watertown midway through the first quarter, as a strike from around the offensive 25 rolled through open space toward the net without a touch inside the circle. Belmont goalie Zoe Bruce stepped aside to let the ball roll past the goal line for what would be ruled a non-goal, but instead, it hit off the post. Brennock crashed on the rebound to bury a 1-0 lead.
The Raiders battled to keep Belmont off the board into the second quarter, and controlled play for much of that second frame to limit the Marauders’ attack. After Watertown drew its first offensive corner midway through the second, Master cashed in with a hard drive through traffic for a 2-0 advantage.
Belmont showed no quit, though, and flipped the field in the final two minutes of the half to set up a corner opportunity. Lakin-Schultz ripped her shot into the back board to cut the deficit to 2-1 with 13.8 seconds left.
That new life fueled a vicious rally attempt after the break – starting with a corner opportunity in the first two minutes. Clarke’s missile of a reverse chip was saved by Keuchikarian, which was the first of four big saves she’d need in the quarter.
Lakin-Schultz, Mia Smith and Clarke anchored a well-rounded effort to keep applying the offensive pressure for the Marauders. Watertown, though, kept scrapping enough together inside the circle to prevent a game-tying goal, while speedy senior captain Sophia Setouhi and Master led a couple promising charges into offensive territory.
Neither group was able to capitalize, though Belmont came close with a ball sent into the circle that it felt it got a tip on before it rolled into the goal with about three minutes left – but it was waved off for no tip. The Marauders rushed to draw one more corner opportunity as regulation expired, but couldn’t get the shot on target.
“Things didn’t always fall the right way for us today, but we didn’t stop trying the whole time,” said Belmont head coach Jess Smith. “We played hard, we were in it the whole time, and I really felt like it could’ve gone either way. … But good for (Donahue). She deserves it. If there’s ever a coach who coaches well and has amazing strategy, it’s her.”
Donahue echoed the sentiment of how well Belmont played, saying several times in postgame conversations that it very well could have won instead.
“Let’s just say we were very fortunate,” she said. “Especially in that second half, (Belmont) out-played us. … We’ve got to step it up.”
This is the only matchup of the year between the teams, which means it’s the final time Donahue will have to coach against her niece – the UConn-bound Clarke. She got emotional when talking about what it’s been like to face her nieces over the years.
“I’m very happy I don’t have to play against (another) niece for many, many, many years,” Donahue said. “I’ve had to play against – two of them played for Winchester, another one from Belmont as well, and Mackenzie. So, no more of that, that’s a lot to deal with because I support every single one of them. And she played her heart out out there, and she played so well.”
