Girls' Lacrosse Comes Up One Game Short

The Belmont High girls' lacrosse team needed to win its last game, at home against Lexington on Tuesday, in order to make the state tournament, and the players knew it.

The pressure seemed to suffocate them early, and a talented Lexington team took advantage, going up 10-4 at the half. However, there was still 25 minutes left to play, and Belmont's eight seniors, like standout captain Abby Ananian, weren't ready to call it quits just yet.

"At halftime, coach calmed us down, gave us a reality check," she said. "Then, we all looked around and asked each other, 'How do we want to finish this season, this game?"

They wanted to finish playing Belmont lacrosse, according to their coach, Jessica Smith, and that's exactly what they did.

Belmont (8-10) won the second half, 6-2, with an aggressive offensive attack, led by Ananian and sophomore Caroline McCarthy, and a gritty defense, anchored by senior Annie Weis, sophomores Hollis Hunsberger and Becca Moore and junior goalie Katie Ananian, who had eight saves. Ultimately, however, it wouldn't be enough, as Lexington (12-5-1) was able to stall the last 4 minutes to a 12-10 win.

Abby Ananian scored three goals in a 4-0 run to start the second half. McCarthy netted the other off a nice feed from senior captain Liz Leinbach.

The teams then traded goals, with McCarthy adding another. Lexington scored again with 8 minutes, 48 seconds remaining to go up three, 12-9, but Ananian came right back, cutting through multiple defenders for her sixth goal of the game and the 308^th and final goal of her prolific career.

Despite constant double and triple teams, Ananian has amassed more than 100 goals than any other player in the program's seven-year history. She will bring her skills to Division I St. Joseph's University in Pennsylvania next year.

Throughout the year, Belmont hung tough with some of the top teams in the state. The team lost at Lexington 9-8 earlier this season and played No. 10 Triton Regional tight twice, falling 11-9 at home and 12-11 on the road.

"In years past, we'd get killed by those teams but make the tournament," Smith said. "This year, we played those teams tough but we're just not in the tournament."

Ananian agreed, saying this year's team was the best she's played on.

Sophomore Izzy Goldstein and teammate Melissa Habelow had first half goals for Belmont, in addition to Ananian's two. Lexington's Kyleigh Williams had four goals in the game.

Ananian, Leinbach and Weis were honored with fellow seniors Catherine Moore, Olivia Eschenbach-Smith, Maddie Polcari, Kori Ktona and Arianna Schatzki-McClain before the game.