The Pilgrim girls lacrosse team would erase an early deficit to come back and beat cross town rival Toll Gate 9-8 in the teams’ season opener on Tuesday afternoon at Toll Gate.

The Titans would take a slim 2-1 lead into the halftime break, but the visiting Patriots would hit their stride in the second half to get the decision.

Mary Centracchio led the way with a game-high four goals for Pilgrim, while Lily Farrell scored a hat trick.  Kiley Strain finished with one goal and three assists for Pilgrim, while Emily Newton scored a goal as well.

Kara Yelman had a strong start for the Titans, leading the way with a hat trick of her own. Alina Jencks scored a pair of goals while Lea Fortin, Katie Pale and Delanie Wheeler all chipped in goals in the loss. Pilgrim improved to 1-0 on the season while Toll Gate fell to 0-1.

The Titans are coming off a strong 2022 spring when they reached the semifinals. Pilgrim is looking to take a step forward as a program this year after a rebuilding season last spring. Pilgrim will next host Middletown on Monday afternoon while Toll Gate will travel to Middletown on Friday.