Just as the weather appears to finally be breaking for the better, things seem ready to start going the way of the Mt. Hope High School girls' lacrosse team as the Huskies head into the heart of their 2025 season.

It's admittedly been a struggle for the Huskies at the beginning of the year. Like almost every other team at Mt. Hope, the girls' lacrosse club has been impacted by a late-winter/early-spring surge in illness.

And a couple of nagging injuries also haven't helped the Huskies' cause to date, though that changed in a good way late last week when head coach Kerri Giarrusso and her staff — assistants Michael Kane and Annee Kopecky — were finally able to field a full-squad of players for the first time all season this past week.

And it didn't take long for it to show in the Huskies' performances as the locals soon captured their first win of the season.

Mt. Hope put forth  a solid effort in a road game against Lincoln School April 23, though the locals suffered a 13-10 setback to host Lynx at Faxon Farm just over the state border in Rehoboth, Mass.

Heading into the contest, the Huskies had lost their five previous outings by an average of nearly nine goals per. Lincoln School just joined the D-II ranks from D-I this spring.

Lola Silva scored three of her four her goals in the second half as Mt. Hope attempted to rally from an 8-6 deficit to the Lynx at the break. Adriana Botelho had a hat-trick. Silva is the team's leading goal scorer, Botelho tops in total points (goals and assists).

Catherine Frawley added a pair of goals and Grace Zamil one. Miley Boucher had two assists. Goalie Nadia Albritton made seven saves, including a few at key times during the contest to keep the Huskies within range. Her best stop might actually have come on a Lincoln penalty shot with just 1 second remaining in the first half.

"The girls played well and it was solid a effort for sure. It was the first game where everyone was available to play," Giarrusso said of the Lincoln loss.

The next day, April 24, also away and a much longer trip to Narragansett, the Huskies edged the host Mariners, 13-12.

The fourth of Silva's goals in the contest was the decider. Botelho also scored four times, while Crawley and Aubrey Cummings had two apiece. Boucher had the other goal.  Zamil had three assists. Albritton was again credited with seven saves.

"It's been a rough beginning with girls being out sick and injuries. We've been improving everyday in all areas of the game," said Giarrusso.

Albritton, a junior, backs the Mt. Hope defense in net. Classmates Lilly DaSilveira and Haley McCormick along sophomores Margaret Thorp and Lyla Dionne and freshman Kaia Brown are on defense.

Senior co-captains Silva, Liliana Redman, junior Madison Butterworth, sophomore Cummings as well as classmates Aaliyah Braz and Sophia Santoro are midfielders.

On attack are fellow co-captain and senior Nevaeh Ferreira, juniors Botelho, Boucher and Zamil, sophomore Sophia Santoro and freshman Frawley.

The Huskies are coming off a 1-12 record a year ago in a slightly different Division II.

Realignment saw off reigning league Chariho and runner-up North Kingstown to D-I. Lincoln School and South Kingstown took their places in D-II.

D-III champ Westerly and second-place Narragansett have moved up, while Pilgrim, Toll Gate and Smithfield dropped leaving nine teams total in the second tier.

Mt. Hope, Cumberland, Burrillville, Middletown and Cranston West are the hold-overs in D-II.

Of what she expects from the Huskies the rest of the way in 2025, Giarrussso added, "The girls are starting to put it all together and clicking with each other on the field Coach Mike, myself and Coach Annee are definitely excited for the second half of the season to see what this team can do."