The Pilgrim boys soccer team grabbed its first win of the season when it topped host Johnston 5-3 last Saturday morning.

The Pats found the back of the net early and often and would roll to a 4-0 lead at halftime.

However, Johnston came out hot in the second half and went on to score three unanswered goals to make it a one-goal game.

Pilgrim captain Haiden Riess would end the threat in the final minutes when he notched his second goal to give Pilgrim the two-score advantage and close out the win.

Jackson Bromage, Jonathan Lopes and Jacoby Foster all recoded one goal and an assist for Pilgrim while David Ferrante picked up an assist of his own. Ian Laplume and Chris Williams combined for 6 saves in net for the Pats.

Sebastian Saucedo, Steven Vera Vaca and Jayden Corrales scored goals for the Panthers while Andre Amato and Freddy Magana Landaverde recorded assists. Josue Vasquez recorded 7 stops in net for the Panthers.

The Pats’ offense continued to surge the following day when Pilgrim rolled to an 8-2 win over Hope. Riess finished the day with a hat trick, while Foster and Logan McDermott added 2 goals each while Bromage also scored. Laplume finished with 7 saves.

After being shut out by Westerly in the season opener, Pilgrim coach Tom Flanders was thrilled with his team’s response on offense.

“’I was super excited, we had a good first game against Westerly but just couldn’t find the back of the goal. We played a good brand of soccer. Today, we beat a very good Johnston team. I was happy with the way our guys responded,” said Flanders.

After a rebuilding 2023 fall, the Pats are back with many returners, including Riess, who was an all-division player as a junior and figures to be one of the top scorers in DII this season.

“All of the returning players here are showing the new players how we have to handle ourselves. We need all of us to win,” said Riess. “I just want us to win the whole thing and win as many games as we can. We need to work as a team. We have great coaches to help us win game.”

Flanders takes over the boys program after a longtime stint on the girls side. He is encouraged by the young roster and is thrilled to have a chance to coach his alma mater.

“We’re loaded with juniors so we’re still young in a lot of respects. They’re a great bunch, always trying to learn, asking the right questions. It’s a good situation,” said Flanders. “It’s a cool transition for me, it was something I always wanted to do. I played for Pilgrim and was captain of the team in 1989. It’s surreal for me.”