Reading Defense Unable To Withstand Belmont Offense

Belmont, Ma. — The Middlesex League season is winding down and fifth place Reading field hockey looks to make up ground on third place Belmont in the standings. First year coach Taylor Hedges has her squad in the State Tournament, so this game, coupled with Friday’s against second place Lexington figure to be a solid run up to the tournament for the Rockets.

The first half was marked by firm defending and missed opportunities for Reading. Just a minute into the game the Rockets had a chance as the ball rolled wide of the Marauder net. Later in the half Senior Marielle Verrier hit the post with a shot on a set play coming off a Reading corner. The play of Sophomore goalie Sofia Avellino was phenomenal all night, as she finished with 9 saves. None more impressive than her diving stop of a Belmont shot on an open net, as the stick of a sprawling Avellino knocked the ball out of bounds. With the clock winding down on the first half Belmont struck when Senior Morgan Chase showed some flash as she spun around a Rocket defender to blast a shot past Avellino with :52 left. 1-0 Belmont.

The 2nd half continued on in the same vein as the Rockets defense held off a few Marauder corners. The Reading defense played very poised when Belmont had possession in the circle, with calm ball movement and active stick work they were able to clear their zone. The Marauder’s have the 2nd best offense in the league and with 11 Seniors on the roster plenty of experience. That mattered when Belmont struck twice in 2:40. Senior Jordan Lettiere scored one and assisted on the other. Trailing 3-0 Reading came alive for the final 20 minutes. A few solid corner set plays put pressure on Belmont keeper Morgan Moroney. One shot got past her but Junior Emma Donahue was on the line to knock the chance away. It would be Verrier who would finally put Reading on the board when she scored off a tic tac toe corner play. She’d been denied shortly beforehand as she raced in alone on Moroney, who stuffed the shot with her legs.

Coach Hedges said after the game that Reading “has come a long way this season.” She was happy that the team had improved since the last game vs Belmont a month ago, a 3-0 home defeat. She singled out the play of Verrier saying “she worked her butt off” to keep Reading in the game. Hedges also credited Junior Caroline Stanton as having “a solid game defensively.” The Rockets host Lexington tomorrow at 4pm to close out the regular season.