The Pilgrim boys’ lacrosse team got a game-high seven goals from Steven Pezzullo and four from Nolan McCusker, as the Pats cruised to a 15-2 victory over rival Warwick Vets on Monday afternoon.

Pezzullo sparked the Pats’ offense right from the get-go, scoring two goals in the first and second quarters, before netting three in the first six minutes of the third quarter. With seven goals through only two and a half quarters, Pezzullo was pulled with the game well in hand. However, Pezzullo still had time to break the single-game scoring record for the program, breaking his own record of six goals.

The junior attack is on a torrid pace with 15 goals through just three games thus far.

“He’s a big factor in our offense,” Pilgrim head coach Blake Simpson said of Pezzullo. “A lot of teams know that. He’s going to start getting doubled a lot, so we’re going to need a lot of help from McCusker and [Kyle] St. Jean, who is only a freshman. But Pezzullo is definitely the guy to beat right now.”

Pilgrim put Vets in a hole right away, getting goals from Pat Reilly, McCusker and Pezzullo in the first four minutes to push the lead out to 3-0 early.

Pezzullo would score his second of the game a couple of minutes later, too, as he took a pass from Reilly and whipped a low shot past Vets goalkeeper Jacob Pelliccio.

Pilgrim held a 4-0 lead at the end of one quarter, and the offensive outburst didn’t stop there.

Just under two minutes into the second frame, Pezzullo would snipe another to make it 5-0. Paulo Medeiros would also get on the score sheet with the first goal of his career, as his shot clipped Pelliccio and found the back of the cage.

Pezzullo and McCusker would tack on additional tallies before the quarter was up, as Pilgrim took an 8-0 lead into halftime.

“We had a mentality to start 0-0 in each quarter,” Simpson said. “Even after the first half, we just wanted to have that mentality. Even if our starters are out, our second line guys need to step up.”

That mentality must have resided with the team, which added four more goals in the third quarter and three in the fourth.

The Pats got three goals from Pezzullo and one from McCusker in the opening six minutes of the third quarter, but Vets would show some life, as well, netting a pair of its own in the third.

After failing to generate many opportunities in the first half, the ’Canes got some better looks in the third quarter. Roughly two and a half minutes in, senior Jared Davenport ended the drought with a missile to the lower left corner of the net. Tim Chaffee added the only other goal for the ’Canes late in the third, when he released a shot that found the upper left corner, making it 12-2.

For Vets, it has been tough early on to replace the production of Mickenzey Pacheco from a season ago. Pacheco netted 43 goals last spring, more than any other player in the city of Warwick. He certainly won’t be easy to replace, but Vets head coach Alex Gregson is confident that he has guys who are capable of stepping up and accounting for some of that production. He’s just waiting for one or more players to emerge as offensive leaders.

“We have some work to do,” Gregson said. “We have guys who need to get more offensive-minded. We’re putting a lot of stress on our defense right now, and it shows. I’m looking for that guy right now. I told the guys at halftime that I need a guy, I’d love two or three, to really step up and want to win us some games. Because, right now, I don’t have that. I don’t have a guy who just thinks he’s unstoppable.”

The Pats would get a goal apiece from Reilly, McCusker and Elias Pariseau in the fourth to bring it to a 15-2 final. Pariseau’s tally marked the senior’s first varsity goal.

Reilly, a senior captain, had a huge game in his own right, scoring two goals and adding a game-high five assists as he quarterbacked many of Pilgrim’s offensive sets.

Tyler Balutowski was also tremendous in goal for Pilgrim, while defenders Ethan White, John Pierce and Jimmy McKay made it tough on Vets’ offense for the full 48 minutes.

The improvement for Pilgrim is visible from last season to this season. The Pats, who were making their RIIL debut last season, are now past the settling in stage. They have a deep roster and it looks like they’re on a mission this time around.

“A lot more maturity,” Simpson said of the difference between last season and this season. “We preach maturity and having good character with these kids, on and off the field, in the classroom. They’re definitely more focused for this season.”

Vets, on the other hand, is still seeking its first win after falling to 0-2 with the loss. It will look to get on track at Middletown at 6:30 p.m. on Friday night.

The win propelled Pilgrim to a 2-1 start, and it will clash with another rival, Toll Gate, on the road at 3:30 p.m. on Friday.

Toll Gate was set to open its season against Cranston East on Wednesday, but results were unavailable at press time.

“We’re calling this a rivalry week this week because we had Vets today and Toll Gate on Friday,” Simpson said. “This win was huge.”