Crossword Genius

Lad ran goal excitedly, slowing to score (10)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

allargando

'slowing to score' is the definition.
(term for slowing down on a musical score)

'lad ran goal excitedly' is the wordplay.
'excitedly' indicates an anagram.
'lad'+'ran'+'goal'='ladrangoal'
'ladrangoal' is an anagram of 'ALLARGANDO'.

(Another definition for allargando that I've seen is " Musical instruction".)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.