Photo: Belmont High School senior co-captain Sydney Mun scoring the Marauders’ first goal of the season in the season opener vs. Weston.

It was a Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em girls’ lacrosse season opener for co-captain Belmont High’s Sydney Mun as the senior midfielder found herself sprawled on the turf at least a half dozen times.

But like the best fighters, the senior forward picked herself off the canvas to score, collecting five goals, including the game winner, leading Belmont High Girls’ Lacrosse to a 13-11 victory over a stubborn Weston squad at Harris Field on Tuesday, March 31.

The first time Mun hit the deck came with seconds remaining in the opening quarter – with her stick flying skyward as she landed with a thud – resulting in the team’s first tally of the year off the subsequent penalty zone free position.

Belmont’s head coach, Dan O’Brien is not surprised at the times Mun was spun, knocked, and went down during the game. “It happens a lot,” he said. “She plays so aggressively, and she goes hard. She makes good things happen. And we’re gonna need that all year from her, so it’s good.”

While the evening’s focus was on Mun scoring, it was a moment of situational awareness – call it lacrosse IQ – that O’Brien said was Mun’s most important involvement of the game, coming within three minutes from the final whistle after Weston cut the lead to two.

A Belmont sideline pass got loose and headed out of bounds, which would turn over the ball to the Wildcats, giving the visitors an opportunity to cut the lead to a single score. But tracking back to the ball, Mun put herself in position to snag the ball in her stick and gain possession.

[Mun] made a really great, smart, aggressive play, winning that ground ball, then going backwards with it and killing the clock. That’s the type of heady stuff that I’m talking about,” said O’Brien.

For Mun, just the start of the season was a long time coming for the multi-sport student athlete. 

“I think it’s super exciting to be back on the field, and it was really a team effort. Ball movement was a big contributor to finding open players, and it was just really fun,” said Mun. She said her and the team’s quickness was the advantage that provided the win for the Marauders’.

“During practice, we are always doing conditioning, getting the first step, and starting to accelerate in our speed. I think that was very evident in our game,” said Mun.

Tuesday was game one in one of the more difficult schedules a high school girls’ lacrosse team will play this season. The week of the public schools spring break (April 22) will see the Marauders enter a four-game gauntlet against powerful opponents Billerica, Andover, Top 20 North Andover, and defending Division 2 state champions Notre Dame, Hingham.

And Belmont will be facing these powerhouse programs with a newly formed backline. Led by returning starter senior Fiona Rodrigues-Clark, the three newcomers to defense – sophomore Gabriella Carney and juniors Nina Sheth-Voss and Lily Cook – have, while being a work in progress, grown as a cohesive unit.

“That was a brand new defensive unit we have out there,” said O’Brien. “We’ve got to continue to develop their communication and learn how to play as a unit. Lily [Cook] stepped up [against Weston] and played great individual one-on-one defense, and Gabriella [Carney] made a couple of great plays to force turnovers at the end.”

Belmont’s newly constructed defense showed enough promise supporting senior goalie Brooke Whalen, who came up with 11 saves that allowed the Marauders to stay in front for the entire game. “[Whalen] had the big saves when we needed them. It’s always about stealing one or two goals that made the difference tonight,” said O’Brien.

“She’s our Brooke Wall,” said a teammate after the game.

Along with Mun, O’Brien was encouraged that the Marauders’ attack didn’t rely on a single player. And that single player is usually senior midfield All-Star Niamh Lesnik who had a couple of goals, including a solo run taking the draw and storming down the middle of the field to deposit her first of the season. Senior attack Nora Goulding provided three assists, junior mid Ruth Siegert had two goals, and Maddie Tisdale contributed a goal and an assist.

“So I’m happy with the way we’ve taken coaching,” said O’Brien. “Now we have to see continued improvement.”