MILTON – Once again, Belmont has proven to be top of the class in girls rugby.
The top-seeded Belmont Marauders (8-0) defeated No. 3 Weymouth (5-3), 80-0, to win the Div. 1 state championship. The title is Belmont’s sixth in a row, dating back to 2017, and accounting for the canceled girls state championships in 2020 and 2021.
Belmont’s victory was a stark contrast to the two sides’ earlier matchup this season, which Belmont won 26-12.
“Weymouth has had a fantastic season, they have phenomenal athletes and run some beautiful strike lines” said Belmont coach Kate McCabe “The first time we played them it caught us off guard in some of those tackles We really worked hard to figure out how we could better attack in a variety of ways.”
McCabe’s preparation proved to be successful as Belmont showcased a balanced attack, with multiple players finding the endzone, including senior Mia Taylor who led the scoring with three tries. Lucy Kabrhel also added a try and hit 10 of 12 conversion kicks.
The Marauders opened the scoring nine minutes into the match with a try before doubling up to take an early 19-0 lead just 20 minutes into the contest.
Later in the half, Allison Caputo broke through the defense from mid-field for a sensational try. The senior darted through the heart of the Weymouth defense, blowing past everyone, to increase the lead to 26-0. Minutes later, Kabrhel added a try of her own juking a Weymouth defender through the middle, to close the half at 33-0 Belmont.
Belmont opened the second half with an early try, followed by a rollicking Taylor run down the sideline to tally her first try of the day. Taylor followed up with another try minutes later to push the Belmont lead to 54-0. The Marauders offense continued to roll with another four tries to put a bow on an 80-0 victory and another state title for Belmont girls rugby.
The win caps off an undefeated season for Belmont who will see 11 seniors graduate as champions, with another 11 juniors looking to carry the team to another title next year.
“It’s a privilege that we have that (the team) built,” said McCabe on her program’s continued success. “Almost every player out there was a senior and a junior and they’ve worked the system every year with us. They really feel the history of it when they are working towards a playoff run.”