WMass girls soccer: Belchertown blanks Hampshire, 3-0, reclaims Class B crown

CHICOPEE — Belchertown girls soccer head coach Kyle Thibeault challenged his team ahead of its matchup against Hampshire Regional for the Western Mass. Class B championship on Sunday.

To get his team locked in from the opening whistle, he told his team he wanted two goals in the first 15 minutes of the game.

The Orioles needed only four to hit the mark.

The top-seeded Orioles (13-5-1) grabbed the early lead and beat the Raiders (14-4-1) 3-0 for the title at Chicopee Comprehensive High School. It is Belchertown’s second title in three years.

“It didn’t matter who was on the other side of the field,” Thibeault said. “We needed to come and play our game. If the intensity is there, then we’ll be fine.”

Senior captain Morghan Litz popped the first goal 40 seconds into the game. Looking to just get the ball toward the net, she lifted a shot well outside the box that found enough space above Hampshire goalie Emilia Berrena for the score.

“I went out there and I wanted to start the momentum off strong,” Litz said. “Get one in the first few minutes. So to do that, and set the energy level high, it felt great.”

As a four-year varsity player, Litz suffered through losses to South Hadley in 2023 and 2025 in the tournament, but helped raise the trophy in 2024.

“The one thing we all said at the beginning of our senior year was we wanted to win Western Mass,” Litz said. “To do that with some of my best friends that I’ve been playing with since I was younger was amazing.”

Belchertown scored just a few minutes later, at 36 minutes, 34 seconds on the clock, after a free kick on Hampshire’s side of the field. Gabriella Slovack made a pass into the box to Lia Pikul. As her momentum went away from the net, Pikul his a rolling shot right-to-left that snuck into the bottom corner.

Hampshire struggled to put significant pressure on Belchertown goalie Ava Stelmokas. Belchertown’s midfield and defensive lines cut off passing lanes and didn’t allow the Raiders strikers to create space.

A day after a group of siblings helped Belchertown win the field hockey title, a pair of sisters shared their names on the scoresheet again on Sunday. Litz’s younger sister Emma, a junior, scored Belchertown’s third goal.

Early in the second half, she received a leading pass from Slovack, who finished with two assists, and dribbled up the right side of the field before ripping a shot to the back of the net.

The younger Litz, who switched from centerback to the wing on offense, scored her first goal of the season during a 4-0 win over Hampshire in the regular season.

“We saw the potential she had and the opportunities that were created,” Thibeault said. “Once we made the move we never really looked back.”

Though the loss stung for the Raiders, head coach Steve Croft remained hopeful heading into the state tournament. After each of Hampshire’s three losses during the regular season, the squad typically followed with a strong win.

“We always got to be focused from the opening whistle,” Croft said. “Moments can happen in soccer in an instant. We’ve always learned from any of our losses this year.”

Both teams entered the day ranked in the top-eight for their respective division rankings, setting both squads up to host at least one playoff game.