Unbeaten Belmont Field Hockey Eeks By Wilmington

A pair of Erin O'Donovan goals in the first seven minutes of game were just enough for  field hockey to retain its unblemished record (7-0-0) as they survived a final 20 minutes of sustained pressure from new Middlesex League rivals Wilmington High School to defeat the Wildcats, 2-1, on Monday evening, at Harris Field.

Both of O'Donovan's tallies – at three and six minutes – came from scrums in front of the Wildcat net after Juliet Barker made long runs down the left sideline and centered passes into the middle.

The Wildcats nearly scored in between O'Donovan's scores but Belmont Goalkeeper Shannon Reynolds made a pad save on standout sophomore center Amanda Richards.

Belmont held the majority of play in the second half (the Marauders finished with 21 shots on goal) and nearly scored when a ball hit high off the post with 20 minutes remaining.

Yet that 'clang' of the Marauders' near miss was like a clarion call for the Wildcats who scored a little over a minute later as Senior Jen Stewart raced forward to steal a clearing pass and center it to junior Emily Colosimo who knocked the ball past Reynolds with 18 minutes left to play.

For the remainder of the game, the Wildcats pressured Belmont, during one stretch winning three corner penalties in 90 seconds and peppering the Marauders goal with several missed opportunities to tie the score.