Sophomore Hannah Linton stepped up as the starting goalie for the girls lacrosse team after the original starter left the team. She enjoyed a pleasantly surprising season, recording 22 saves in Pascack Valley’s county tournament loss against Ridgewood on May 2nd.

“She’s positive, energetic, vocal….she’s very dynamic,” said PV coach Melissa Velez. “She’s a leader in our defense.”

It took a little time for Linton to be comfortable as the starting goalie. As the varsity backup last year, she only played a minimal amount of time. She felt uneasy at first about having all of the responsibility, something she was not accustomed to.

“When I was brought up, I felt like I had to do it and I felt like I was forced,” said Linton about her starting experience as the starting varsity goalie. “But I was able to ease into the position.”

This year, Linton recorded 104 saves through 17 games and compiled a 7-4 record. As the season went on, Linton impressed Velez more and more every game with the rather aggressive style of defense she plays, as she comes out of the net a lot to defend.

“She’ll come out of the net, she’ll dive and fall to the ground, she’ll scream at her teammates, and overall she’s just very competitive,” says Velez.

Linton agreed with Velez’s description of her play.

“(I expect) to play outside the goal and in,” she said.

The PV girls lacrosse team finished their successful season with a record of 9-8. Also, they have a reliable goalie at hand for the next two years to come. With a reliable goalie leading a reliable defense, there’s always something to look forward to.

“I just expect to be more confident,” Linton begins. “I was really scared at first. I feel like I need to be more confident in my role and be a lot less scared then I was.”