Two victories don’t seem like much. To perennial powers, that’s merely a week’s worth of work. But to the third-year Pelham girls lacrosse team, they’re worth much more.

In a historical sense, Pelham’s pair of wins in 2008 doubles the program’s total. In 2005 and 2006, the Lady Pythons won once. The win total in 2007 was zero.

“They had a basic understanding of the sport, but not any experience dealing with specific in-game situations,” said first-year head coach John Fichera, who brings plenty of in-game experience, as well as an expectation of success, following many years as a member of Division-I stalwart Pinkerton Academy’s coaching staff.

Fichera said his team has faced an early-season learning curve.

“… A big curve, but winning the Derryfield game was so important,” he said.

That April 17 contest showed Fichera and, more importantly, the young athletes they could remain composed and win a close contest. In a back-and-forth battle, Pelham prevailed, 6-5.

Following a 15-1 thrashing of visiting Pembroke on Thursday, May 2, Fichera and his charges, led by senior captains Katie Bourque, Heather Hilbert and Caitlin Morgan, realized they could also hammer an overmatched opponent.

“Now we need to focus on finding out how to get in the playoffs,” said the coach. “We’ve got to take it to the teams that have the same (town) population as us, the same experience. Also, we’ve got to be able to stay close with some of the more established teams.”

Following an 11-3 loss at Plymouth Regional on Monday, May 5, Pelham’s record fell to 2-6. The Pythons have winnable contests with Somersworth, John Stark and Hopkinton in May. Oyster River, Merrimack Valley and Hollis- Brookline, all good D-III teams, also await the locals.

Game notes

The matchup with Pembroke was effectively decided by halftime. Pelham jumped to a 4-0 lead.

Christine Morgan, a sophomore, opened the scoring 1 minute, 24 seconds into the contest. Freshman Alex Catalano scored the next three goals.

Senior goalie Jessica Blake allowed just one goal, cutting the Pelham lead to 4-1. She was quick and aggressive – many clearing passes led to Pelham scores on the other end of the field.

Christine Morgan’s second tally made it 5-1, then junior Cassandra Costello scored two straight, and sophomore Kally Riddinger did the same to cap the first-half outburst and give the hosts a 9-1 edge.

Devon Lamoureux, a junior, scored twice in the second half, while her classmate, Christine Downs, sophomore Keri Foley, Riddinger and Catalano also found the net.

Senior Caitlin Morgan collected multiple assists, while sophomore Sarah DeBaldo also passed effectively in the win.