The Pilgrim girls soccer team had a breakout win last week when it cruised to a 4-0 victory over La Salle.
The teams were scoreless at halftime but the Patriot offense would surge in the final 40 minutes and control the pace. Amaya Coffie continued to roll this season as the state’s most productive striker, scoring a pair of goals while Pilgrim also got scores from freshman Allison Patten and junior Chloe Casavant. Coffie and Haylee Marcotte picked up assists while keeper Jenna Madden finished with six saves in the shutout victory.
“We realized how their defense was playing going into the second half so we were able to use combination passes in our lines and in the middle we were winning balls,” said Coffie, who leads the team with 10 goals through six games. “It’s so important because we had a really tough loss against SK and only beat East Greenwich by one. So it was great to beat La Salle and to do it by four points.”
“We really didn’t make any adjustments, we worked with our formations, the girls stayed in their shape and we took off. We didn’t get a lot of practice and had a few rain cancellations, but once these girls get a little more practice and confidence, the results will follow,” added coach Ross Carroll, who is in his first season with the club after taking over for longtime coach Tom Flanders.
Carroll has been relying on Coffie in the early going and has been impressed with her ability to produce despite being double and sometimes triple teamed by opposing defenses.
“Amaya has a lot of pedigree, she’s a targeted individual. We’ve been noticing teams putting two or three players around her so the key for us is getting people to play around her. She’s been doing extremely well, she’s very talented and a hard worker,” said Carroll.
Pilgrim saw a handful of newcomers make an impact in the win, including Patten, who has scored a pair of goals this season.
“It’s very encouraging, we needed a few girls to step in and get quality minutes. The quicker we can get them up to pace with the other girls the better it will be for the rest of us. Those were very important minutes for those young girls so I’m proud of them. We’ve had an emphasis on playing quicker and the results showed,” said Carroll.
Pilgrim improved to 3-1 in league play with the win and despite some roster turnover, expects to be in the championship mix by season’s end.
Coffie, a senior, is looking to grab a title after cementing her place as an All-State standout the past two seasons.
“I just want to focus on winning in the end. We always do great in our division but it gets tricky at the end. If I can win with my team my final year that would be great,” Coffie said. “We just need consistency and hard work, we’ve got to push our limit every day.”