The Toll Gate boys soccer team has picked up where it left off last season as one of the elite teams in Division IV, as it entered the week with a 4-1 league record which was good for first place.

The Titans’ high-flying offense has once again led the group to this point. The team picked up a big 4-2 win over Woonsocket last week to grab first place and also exploded for a 12-3 win over Paul Cuffee.

Aiden Preuit has once again been the division’s top offensive weapon and led the Titans with five goals against Paul Cuffee, while Rhon Vega and Ryan Enos each scored a pair. Edrees Heidari, Adam Vespia and Arthur Castro also scored.

The Titans also rolled to a 6-2 win over Rogers and were led by Christian Dias with a pair of goals while Preuit, Vespia, Vega and Greg Laliberte also scored.

The team’s lone loss came in a 7-2 decision to Mt. Pleasant. Although it was a disappointing effort for Toll Gate, coach Jason Melo felt that it was a necessary wakeup call.

“We had one minor speed bump along the way, but those are good to have with the aspirations that we have. We want to get back to the championship game and losses like that can help us get there. The effort just wasn’t there that day, but the kids will learn from that,” said Melo.

The Titans are coming off a heartbreaking championship loss but return much of the same core this fall. Melo has also been encouraged by the early contributions from the underclassmen.

“We have a very strong team again this year. We’ve also added a lot of younger kids that have freshened up the squad and added another dimension. Having guys like Aiden, Christian, Eddy and Rhon, those guys are a huge help for those younger kids. They’re very unselfish, everyone in this team is unselfish,” said Melo.

Preuit has been on a tear in the early going and leads the team in goals.

“He’s a typical big striker up top. He’s strong, smart, but he doesn’t care about the numbers. He cares about the team win. That’s all you can ask for,” said Melo.

The Titans will now enter the back half of their regular season schedule and are looking to finish strong and clinch the top seed of the playoffs. Remembering last year’s disappointing ending has motivated the Titans and they believe that they are in the driver’s seat to return to the big show.

“I think our seniors think about it quite a bit,” said Melo. “They’re taking it one game at a time, but they’re confident and believe that they should be back in that game this year but with a different outcome.”