The Pilgrim field hockey team would shut out cross town rival Toll Gate 3-0 in the teams’ season opener last week.

The Pats took a 3-0 lead into the halftime break and would maintain it throughout the second half to secure the win. Senior Elizabeth Cavanagh put Pilgrim on the board in the first quarter, while Samantha Moffat and Charlotte Williamson added goals in the second. Moffat also chipped in an assist in the win.

Pilgrim goalie Colby Lavoie finished with five stops in the cage while Toll Gate’s Abby O’Connor recorded seven saves.

Pilgrim coach Stephanie Shields was happy with her team’s fast start.

“It was important for them to know that they could play that way and do that well. The important thing was to maintain (the lead) throughout the rest of the game. Toll Gate had a great second half, they really turned it up and put the pressure on us. I was happy with the way they kept their composure and maintained that lead,” said Shields.

Pilgrim, who is coming off a 6-9 season last year, is looking to return to the top of the standings with a big group of seniors, including Cavanagh, who was All-Division last fall and was recently named the Beacon’s Player of the Year.

“It was important because they are our leaders. We put out a few first-year players who had only played for three weeks in August. It’s important to have them out there directing what’s going on and for them to take that responsibility,” said Shields. “It’s was a great opportunity for us to (win on opening day). It was a great opportunity for us to prove that we could do it and that we can compete with the teams in this division.”

Despite the loss, Toll Gate played a solid second half and controlled the majority of the fourth quarter in the Pilgrim zone. Toll Gate coach Jim Areson was pleased with his club’s late performance and hopes that his young roster will continue to improve as the season progresses.

“We are young in certain areas. This was Abby O’Connor’s first game as a varsity goalie and she stepped up and played a better second half. Everyone played better in the second half. She will get better and we will get better. We have great senior leadership on the team and I thought they did a good job. We’ve still got a few things to figure out but I think that we have some things to build on, especially in the fourth quarter today. We had good pressure, we just have to maintain things,” said Areson. “We should be competitive every game this season and that is all I really hope for. It is going to be similar to last year in that every game we got a little bit better, and that’s all I can really ask of them.”