photo via Jim Rassol for the Sun-Sentinel   Excerpt: Down two goals with less than eight minutes to play, St. Thomas Aquinas didn’t panic. Just a week earlier, the Raiders’ girls lacrosse team found itself in a similar predicament, trailing American Heritage-Delray by three goals in the second half. St. Thomas rallied to force overtime and beat the Stallions in the regional finals. Playing in their first state semifinal Friday against Naples Barron Collier, the Raiders needed a spark once again to keep their dream season alive on a sweltering, sunny day at Jupiter High School. Once again, St. Thomas wouldn’t be denied. Trailing 9-7 with 7:30 left, St. Thomas scored the final five goals in the contest to knock off the Cougars, 12-9, and advance to Saturday’s state title game. The Raiders will play Bishop Moore at 4:05 p.m. “I feel so secure with the girls I put out there,” Raiders coach Samantha MacCurdy said. “They trust each other and stay so composed. They knew they could come back.” Senior midfielder Ali Beekhuizen scored a game-high five goals, including the tying and go-ahead goals.   Read the rest HERE