When the Toll Gate girls’ lacrosse team stepped onto the field on Thursday, it was about more than just a game.

The Titans went on to fall to Johnston, 12-4, in their RIIL debut, but the loss didn’t mean all that much in the big scheme of things.

The fact that Toll Gate can say that it’s an RIIL team this season is an accomplishment in its own right.

After playing as a club team in 2015, the girls and their parents put in a tremendous amount of work in proposing to the RIIL their case that they should be admitted to play in Division III for the 2016 season. Needless to say, the RIIL obliged, and Toll Gate girls’ lacrosse found itself playing in a league game for the first time on Thursday.

Although it won’t show it in the standings, Thursday was a win for the Titans.

“I told the girls before the game that they did a lot of work to get here, them and their parents,” Toll Gate head coach Jim Areson said. “They did all of the work to get this game to happen. This is a big accomplishment. It’s the first day of our journey.”

On the field, the Titans had a tough test in facing an experienced Panthers’ squad, which made the playoffs last season after compiling a 7-3 regular season record.

And Johnston jumped out to a 3-0 lead within the first 12 minutes of play on goals from Grace Sarah, Gabby DiRaimo and Gaby Sauro.

But the Titans showed some fight and proved that they belong over the ensuing five minutes, as Kiley Walsh recorded their first goal as she picked up a loose ball in a scrum and fired a shot by Panthers’ keeper Jacsmile Cassion. A couple of minutes later, Lily Fortin brought the Titans within one, 3-2, when she sprinted from midfield by a series of defenders before finding the back of the net.

“This was their first true varsity lacrosse game, and it showed at times, but I thought we did some nice things,” Areson said.

Unfortunately for Toll Gate, Johnston finished the first half with three goals in the last six minutes, with Sarah, Sauro and DiRaimo each scoring a goal over that stretch, as those three players went into half scoring two goals apiece.

Johnston continued its offensive tear into the second half, too.

Panthers’ captains Jocelyn Cabral and Rachael Graziano potted goals in the opening six minutes of the second half to up their lead to six, 8-2.

But, again, Toll Gate refused to give in, getting back-to-back goals from juniors Madeleine Hirsch and Madison Gothberg to keep the Titans within striking distance, 8-4.

Ultimately, Johnston would pull away at the end.

A pair of goals from Sarah and one each from Sauro and Cabral helped the Panthers finish the game by scoring four unanswered goals and, in turn, clinching a 12-4 victory in the D-III opener for both teams.

The opponent should be a bit lighter in Toll Gate’s second game. The Titans are set to travel to Mount St. Charles (4-6 in 2015) today for a 3:30 p.m. start.

Although there are minimal expectations in terms of wins due to the program starting from the ground up, Toll Gate showed on Thursday that it is more than capable of competing and winning some games this season. However, steady improvement will be key.

“Our goal is to get better every day,” Areson said. “They’re smart kids and work hard in practice, so they’ll figure things out. You don’t necessarily need to be the best team at the beginning of the season, but you want to be playing your best lacrosse at the end of the season. That’s our goal. If we can make the playoffs this year, it would be a successful season, without a doubt.”

Thursday marked something special, as the girls who took the field opened up doors for future lacrosse players at Toll Gate.

The implementation of a team not only affects Areson as a coach, but as a parent, as well. Areson had his daughter at the game with him and, because of his current team, his daughter will one day have the opportunity to play lacrosse at Toll Gate.

“My daughter is right there, she’s in fourth grade and she’ll be on this field one day,” Areson said. “It’s all because of what these kids did. When she’s playing here in four or five years, then that will really be the legacy of it. It starts with them and it’ll just grow from here.”