After a disappointing loss to a strong Governor’s Academy team early in the season, the Belmont Hill Varsity lacrosse team’s goal of an ISL title seemed out of reach. However, the team remained strong against some tough opponents. With a string of victories over opponents such as St. Paul’s, Milton, St. Sebastian’s, St. Mark’s, Lawrence Academy, and St. George’s, the team was on a roll. Then, to the surprise of many players and fans alike, the team went down 6-1 in the third quarter against Nobles, but rallied and came back to win 8-6. Going into the River’s game, the team received news that earlier in the day our rivals at St. Sebastian’s had pulled one out for Belmont Hill, defeating Governor’s, which flung the lacrosse team into a tie for first place in the ISL. Though it had seemed as if the team had found themselves in a great position, a talented River’s team came out fighting, proving that every team in the league poses a challenge, beating us in overtime 9-8. After our championship hopes had been extinguished once again, the players remained focused on winning out the rest of the season. An easy Groton win motivated the team to face their next opponent, a strong Middlesex team. The team took on Middlesex before a huge crowd during Reunion Weekend, and was able to shut them down for a win 11-4. Word quickly spread that during the third quarter of our game, that Governor’s had lost to Thayer in another upset, which bumped us back into a tie for the lead. Though Brooks didn’t statistically seem a challenge, the team was all too aware of last year’s surprising upset loss to Brooks that stole our ISL championship. The team cruised to a 12-3 victory. In the final game of the season, Belmont Hill coasted to a 16-0 win over BB&N, winning the ISL championship.
With the second championship in three years, Belmont Hill has secured the best record in one of the best conferences in the Northeast. Senior Captain Charlie Durbin summed up the season, “we had a great group of guys on the team, we all got along very well, and I think it showed on the field as we played well together. On offense, we shared the ball really well, and we were able to play solid team defense.” In fact, this year, the Belmont Hill defense averaged the lowest goals against per game of all private schools in the Northeast, with an average of 5.12, whilst having one of the hardest strength of schedules. As for the team dynamic, Senior Captain Alex Santangelo reflected, “this team was the best lacrosse team I’ve been on, not in terms of talent, but because of its work ethic, selflessness, and incredible togetherness.”
