By ALEX SPONSELLER The Pilgrim boys soccer team has jumped out to a strong start this season, holding a record of 4-1-2 as it gets set to make a playoff push in the back half of the regular season schedule.

The Pats have been dominant on the defensive end, allowing just two goals. Between solid play in the back and impressive outings from keeper Austin Kilduff, the Pats have been one of the stingiest units in the state to this point.

“They’ve been strong, our back four and goalie have been solid, very tight. Everyone in the back, I have no complaints about them. They make mistakes sometimes, you have to keep them on their toes, but I’ve been happy,” said Pilgrim coach Bill Carroll.

Although the Pilgrim defense is playoff-ready, the offense has struggled to find a consistent rhythm. Leading the way to this point is Declan Faherty with three goals and Jacob Holland with a pair. The duo has been solid up top, but Pilgrim is still searching for depth behind them.

“We just haven’t been scoring enough. Like against West Warwick, we had shots but couldn’t score. We need to learn to finish and to put them away to get the results that we need to get. Those teams though, they played better than we did and deserved to win, but we need to score,” said Carroll. “(Declan and Jacob) have been working their tails off. Declan has some tenacity and Jacob has been good. The biggest threat we have is (Ryan) Annunziata and teams recognize that which has helped get those other guys open. You need to get the whole lot working together though. Everyone has played well at times, but not all together. Once they get there, they’ll realize it’s easier to score goals and hopefully it’ll happen more often.”

Pilgrim will also be tasked with a tough stretch of play thanks to scheduling issues.

“They’re capable of beating anyone and they’re capable of losing to anyone, you don’t know what is going to come up each day. We are behind two games because of COVID so we will be playing three games a week, so hopefully they can get some rest. They’re working their tails off and that’s all I can ask,” said Carroll.

With the team entering the meat of its schedule, Carroll and company hope to hit their stride and cement their place as one of the top teams in Division II come playoff time later this month.

“There are some very strong teams in this league and at this moment, we’re a middle of the table team and we’re playing like a middle of the table team. We’re not playing the way we should be playing, but if we can pick the quality and intensity up by the end of the regular season, we will be a strong team,” Carroll said. “We should make the playoffs and then anything can happen from there.