By ALEX SPONSELLER The Pilgrim girls lacrosse team has jumped out to a 3-2 start to begin the year and has won its past two contests. The Pats picked up an 11-7 win over Cranston West at home last Friday and then topped Westerly 14-10 on Monday afternoon.

Despite some early season struggles, the Pats have come on strong in the past week and have emerged as the dark horse in their division.

“I like the way we look. We are starting to come into our own and we also have a phenomenal team chemistry this year. They genuinely love each other and play for one another, which helps considering we didn’t have a season last year. We’re at a solid 3-2,” said Pilgrim coach Jess McCaughey.

Pilgrim returns an excellent core of veteran starters, including Lydia Ramsden, Trinity Volpe, Ella McCusker, Olivia Paquet and Ella Centracchio. Other girls have played big roles this year and have earned more minutes, including Jenna Gustafson, who has been starting at midfield.

However, the Pats have also relied on a large core of underclassmen as the overall numbers dipped a bit going into this spring.

“Pretty much every girl that is not a senior has never played lacrosse before. Everyone has stepped up, they have been like, ‘I’ll do it. I’ll learn, work hard and be the starter,’” said McCaughey.

Pilgrim’s defense has been strong this season as its offense begins to pick up some steam. The overall strength of the team, though, is its chemistry and ability to play as a unit, according to McCaughey.

“Our team defense has looked really good and again, it’s with three brand new defenders. They have decent ball handling skills but have the work ethic to get there. But our biggest strength is definitely team chemistry, this is the closest team I have ever had. That has been great to watch, it has been a big strength,” said McCaughey.

Pilgrim has a tough schedule ahead, as it played Rocky Hill on Wednesday and will have Bay View on Saturday.

As the regular season enters its back half, McCaughey and company hope to continue to grow and make a strong push toward the playoffs.

“The biggest key will be remembering our core values. We say go for the gap, which means do not get complacent, go for it. The other is to stay humble and hungry. Coming to practice ready to win the day and get better. Also stay confident, remember that we have a good team that is learning every day,” McCaughey said.