High School Soccer Preview

Optimism running high again for Pats

Posted 9/2/14

The Pilgrim girls’ soccer team has had a busy preseason – far busier than most – but it’s all by design.

The Pats know they’re good. They just want to be the best.

Pilgrim went 11-2-1 …

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High School Soccer Preview

Optimism running high again for Pats

Posted

The Pilgrim girls’ soccer team has had a busy preseason – far busier than most – but it’s all by design.

The Pats know they’re good. They just want to be the best.

Pilgrim went 11-2-1 last year – its fourth straight season with at least 10 wins – and advanced to the Division II semifinals for the second consecutive year.

The journey came to an end there though, as eventual champion Burrillville topped the Pats.

With a huge portion of the team that came so close a year ago back in the fold for this season, Pilgrim is working on maximizing its chance at competing for a championship.

It’s played four Massachusetts teams in the preseason with strong results, and on Wednesday it beat Toll Gate and then Coventry to win the Warwick Vets Fall Soccer Tournament.

The Pats have been playing a lot of soccer – and most of it has been good soccer.

“The big thing here with the preseason is to get them feeling good about themselves and keep them healthy,” said head coach Tom Flanders. “We’ve achieved both of those things, which is good.”

Of course, as with any high school team, graduation did take a toll on the Pats, albeit a relatively small one. They lost key contributors Clare Birney, Haley McCusker and Kendra Levesque, but little else.

Pilgrim is loaded with experience.

“Even last year, I looked around at one point and we had eight sophomores that were starting,” Flanders said.

Coupled with Pilgrim’s experience is a whole lot of talent, and it begins up front with returning second-team All-Stater Katelyn Vieira.

Vieira, who was third in Division II in scoring with 18 goals and 11 assists and is a two-time Warwick Beacon Player of the Year, has been a fixture in the lineup for Pilgrim since her freshman year. Now a senior, she’s a captain and is angling to lead the Pats further than they’ve been in some time.

“Soccer is her life,” Flanders said. “She had a great premier season, did fantastic with Bayside. She’s just a top-notch kid and a top-notch player, and wants to be successful. She’s a great leader too.”

As strong as Pilgrim is up front with Vieira leading the way, it’s also strong in the back with junior goaltender Hannah Page. Also a starter since her freshman year, she’s emerged as a leader and one of the state’s best.

She’s serving as a captain, too.

“She’s really somebody that’s a standout,” Flanders said. “She’s really a legit player, and there’s no doubt about it. She could probably play for some college teams right now in her junior year. That’s how good this kid is.”

To go with Vieria and Page, Pilgrim’s other two captains are senior defender Madison Almonte and junior midfielder Kendra Tantimonico.

Tantimonico also plays up front with Vieira, giving Pilgrim a dynamic combination of potential goal scorers. The Pats also added another player to the forward mix with Portsmouth transfer Emma Manosh, a senior.

“She’s fit right in and she’ll do some nice things in her senior year here as a Pilgrim Patriot,” Flanders said.

Other forwards are senior Emma Reilly and junior Arianna Moussaly.

In the midfield are returning juniors Hannah Johnson, Molly Lynch, Alexia Martins and Emily Heon.

On defense, where Pilgrim has to replace multi-year starter Birney, juniors Sophia DeLuca and Erin Plowman are part of a solid group, along with seniors Emily Fluette and Haley Buco.

Pilgrim also has two sophomores on the varsity roster who should help in Ellen Strain and Jeriann Evans, plus four freshmen – sisters Corrine and Hailey Rivera, Caitlin Smith and Alyssa Andrews.

“It’s a good mix of kids,” Flanders said. “I’m thrilled so far with everything that’s gone on.”

The Pats have plenty of reasons to be happy right now. And if everything falls right, they’re hoping to be just as thrilled with the postseason as they are with the preseason.

“I really just want to build on last year’s performances,” Flanders said. “As long as they stay healthy, I’m really a believer in this team. I’m feeling very confident.”

Pilgrim opens its regular season today at Bend Street against Westerly at 5:15 p.m. On Thursday, it plays at Chariho at 6 p.m.

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