The Cranston West girls lacrosse team is off to a slow start record-wise, as it dropped to 1-5 in league play and 3-7 overall when it fell to Burrillville 14-11 on Monday.

However, the Falcons have been competitive in some close losses, including Monday, and have been encouraged by some of the performances by both the veterans and youngsters. 

Senior Olivia Venagro led the team on Monday with four goals while sophomore Ashley Budano scored a hat trick. Also finding the back of the net against the Broncos were Zoe Budano, Madison Deanseris and Kennedy Carr.

“We have a young team, it’s a rebuilding year and we’re just trying to figure out our group. We have good chemistry on offense and defense, now it’s about making it work,” said West coach Bianca Madonna.

Ashley and Zoe Budano had breakout seasons as freshmen in 2024 and have been even better in 2025, with Ashley leading the team in goals and Zoe leading the way in assists. Madonna has been thrilled with their development as they have become go-to weapons on the field. 

“They were great last year, and even still, they have made a huge improvement since then. This year, they’ve been feeding the ball to other players and getting assists, and they know when to take the ball to the lanes, to our shooting spaces or getting a quick shot on goal. They read the field well, encourage other people and know their roles well,” said Madonna.

Some other close losses were against North Smithfield and Middletown, which were by a combined three goals. Madonna hopes the young players see their upside in those performances despite the scoreboard. 

“They work hard until the end. They hold their heads up, encourage others and keep working hard even when we’re down. Those losses should give them motivation moving forward and should show them that we are on the same level as the other teams in the division,” said Madonna. “If we keep working hard and motivating each other, we’ll catch those breaks.”

The Falcons will now take on the back half of their regular season schedule and are looking to continue to play sharp defense while improving on offense as they compete for a Division II playoff spot. 

“Just defense, continuing to stay strong. They’re doing great with communication. They’re doing great in transition, our main focus on offense is just winning from the draw and using that. When we’ve led off the draw, we get the motivation to push the ball down and make the fast play,” said Madonna.