Souhegan's Izzy Stevenson tries to maneuver away from Bishop Guertin's Abby Lynn during Wednesday's game in Amherst. (Photo by Joe Marchilena/NH-HighSchoolSports.com)

AMHERST – McKinley Curro-Sbordone knows the Souhegan High School girls lacrosse team has a roster full of good, young talent.

Getting the Sabers to believe that themselves has taken a little longer than their coach might have expected.

With just a little more than a week left in the regular season, Souhegan looked like it might be there Wednesday night, as the Sabers took an early lead and had an answer for every time Bishop Guertin came back before holding on for a 7-5 win in a Division I game at Calvetti Field.

The win was also Souhegan’s first over Bishop Guertin in over seven years, as the Sabers last beat the Cardinals on April 24, 2018.

“We have not necessarily played to our potential this season and it was nice to see us come together as a team and fight,” Curro-Sbordone said. “I’m so proud. Win aside, the way we played and celebrated on the field was the highlight of our season so far, because we’ve struggled in that dynamic. Our team played as a team and that clearly is why we were able to carry the pace of the game.”

Emmie Curran had three goals and Lanai Hickman and Libby Kennedy had two goals apiece for Souhegan (8-3), but the win was more about the defense.

The Sabers held the Cardinals (8-5) to one of their lowest offensive outputs this season, including a scoreless fourth quarter for Bishop Guertin.

“Our defense, although we’ve had our ups and downs, is the backbone of this team,” Curro-Sbordone said. “We have such amazing defenders and we can shut teams down.

“We’ve struggled because we’ve been undisciplined with fouls this season that have cost us. We played a very disciplined defense. I was so incredibly proud of our slides and how we were crashing and had each other’s backs.”

Jordan Gaebel finished with three goals and an assist for the Cardinals and Sarah Brunelle and Abby Lynn each scored, but the team’s total on Wednesday was half of its season average (10.3) this season.

“I think it’s two strong defensive teams,” Santos said. “They did a very good job on their defensive end. They have a tough zone to crack and the biggest thing against a zone is ball movement, and we just have to continue to work through that.”

Souhegan led 4-3 at halftime, with Curran scoring with 5:46 left in the second quarter to put the Sabers on top. Gaebel started the scoring in the second half to tie the game again, and Bishop Guertin looked poised for more moments later.

But with the Cardinals on a lengthy possession, Santos tried to call a timeout, but neither official could hear the request. Moments later, the Sabers forced a turnover and went the other way, scoring on a free position shot by Kennedy to make it 5-4.

Gaebel again answered for Bishop Guertin, scooping up a groundball in her defensive end and racing the length of the field to score and make it 5-5 with 1:55 remaining in the third.

“Jordan Gaebel had a great game,” Santos said. “She’s playing midfield for us right now, but she’s a lights-out defender and did an awesome job. (The goal) juiced us up.”

But the momentum didn’t last. Souhegan got the draw and went back in front when Curran scored on a free position with just 45 seconds remaining in the third. Curran also had the lone goal of the fourth quarter, midway through, to give the Sabers a cushion.

“We have a really young team, and to see those kids start to believe in themselves, that they can do that, and they have the green light to do that, it’s starting to show,” Curro-Sbordone said. “”No team can win big games if not everyone is contributing. It’s great to see everyone show up.”