Belmont Shuts Door On Girls Soccer

November 13, 2025

• The #1 ranked Rockets hoped to advance to their first State Semifinal in a decade, but fell short as the Marauders pulled off the upset. 

The last time Needham Girls Varsity Soccer made it to the MIAA Division 1 State Semifinal Round was ten years ago, when they won it all in 2015. On Thursday, Todd White’s team had a chance to return to the semis, with a victory at Memorial Field against Belmont, but were upset 4-2.

The Rockets, ranked #1 in the bracket, came into the matchup with the #8 Marauders on a thirteen game win streak and the only two goals allowed, one in the Round of 16 on Monday against Newton South, and the other an own goal to Wellesley back on October 7th. Needham had scored 58 goals in their previous twenty games, only allowing seven goals, but Belmont put up nearly half of that total against the Rockets, adding four more goals to reach 73 in just nineteen games.

Needham got things started early, just 24 seconds into the game, when Sophomore Sydney Kalaw scored. Just five minutes later, however, the Marauders tied it up on a goal by Cassie Greiner, then later took the lead on a goal by Danica Zicha, their Senior scorer, who has tallied over thirty this season.

Down 2-1 in the second half, Needham once again scored early, not five minutes into the second, when Sam Levine fed Michelle Faynstein for the equalizer. But Belmont answered a few minutes later, as Greiner scored again, then they’d add an insurance goal with just under six minutes to go, courtesy of Mackenzie Tierney.

Belmont now advances to the State Semifinals against #4 Natick, one of Needham’s Bay State Conference rivals. The Redhawks knocked off another BSC team, #5 Braintree, in their Quarterfinal game, also on Thursday.

The Rockets close out the season at 17-3-1, with several key Seniors playing their final games, including Faynstein, Captains Hannah Levine and Maeve Newman, as well as Jesse Brayer and Chelsea Heeger.