Behind Goalie's Best, Girls' Lacrosse Stall Woburn, 8-7

One parent said his daughter was talking so much about the next day's prom "that it's no wonder that this game is so close."

And Belmont High School Girls' Lacrosse team needed a stellar solo goal from a senior captain, the best performance of the year from its first year goalie and a game of keep-away for the final five minutes of the game to secure an 8-7 win over Woburn High School, giving the Marauders' it's ninth victory of the year and providing a happy prelude to prom.

Belmont went up 6-3 in the first half, in large part from the play of first-year goalie Linda Herlihy, who stopped six Tanner shots as seniors Britta Marden, Caroline McCarthy and Izzy Goldstein each pocketed a pair of goals.

Woburn came out for the second 25 minutes and scored in less than a minute while Belmont's dominance in the midfield and on ground balls deserted them.

A goal by junior Katie Leinbach at the 21 minute mark was the bright spot for the offense which would keep possession of the ball for several minutes only to loss them on mistakes or blocked shots.

Just after the 10 minute mark, Woburn scored – finishing off a 3-1 run - to cut the lead to one at 7-6.

When senior leadership was needed the most, Marden stepped up, first by winning a ground ball then, from beyond the midline, raced up the right side of the pitch to score on a deflected shot that dribbled into the net at the 8:40 mark.

After scoring with 6:40 remaining in the game, Belmont went into a stall, passing the ball around the 12-meter arc and behind the net. Despite losing the ball once – only to be saved by a defensive gem from Carolyn Casey – Belmont's offense refused to attack the goal and ran out the clock for the win.

The team is now 9-3-1 with a handful of games to play ... thankfully after prom.