Roach officially commits to Boston University

Griffin Roach signing his commitment letter
with Boston University 

The Canton High School Boys Soccer program is proud to announce that Griffin Roach, class of 2019, has officially committed to continuing his soccer and academic career at Boston University beginning next fall. Roach signed his commitment letter to BU in a brief ceremony held at Canton High School this morning.

Roach becomes the first boys soccer player in the history of Canton High School to officially sign with a NCAA Division I program. The Bulldog soccer program was established in 1984, thus making Roach the first to rise to this level of collegiate soccer in our 35 year history.

Roach has been a major part of CHS Bulldog Soccer over his 4 years here.  He has started every game of his high school career (other than a game where he was injured.)  He has led his teams to three straight MIAA tournament appearances and two straight Hockomock League Davenport division 2nd place finishes. As a captain this fall he was the 2nd leading scorer in the Hockomock scoring 15 goals and adding 9 assists for 24 points.  He graduates CHS Boys Soccer tied for 4th place on the all-time scoring leader list with 32 goals and 20 assists for 52 points. He is a two-time All-Hock selection, two-time Patriot Ledger All-Scholastic and two-time EMASS All-Star. He is only the 2nd player in program history to earn All-State honors two-years in a row.

Griffin Roach proudly surrounded by CHS AD and Boys
Soccer Coach Danny Erickson , his father and mother Joe and
Joan Roach, and CHS principal Derek Folan. 

(Interested in checking out CHS Boys Soccer career stats? You can find them at our History page by clicking here. )

The BU Terriers compete in the Patriot League as well as face off against all of the other big D1 schools in the state each year. The Terriers are coached by local soccer legend Neil Roberts, who will be in his 35th season at the helm when Roach arrives in August. Bulldog fans will be able to easily support Roach at his home games as BU hosts their opponents at Nickerson Field in Boston.

Long-time CHS Boys Soccer coach Danny Erickson had this to say about Roach's contributions to CHS Soccer and his future at BU:

"Griffin has the full package. He is gifted athletically but also with the work ethic to match.  I have seen many kids with potential come through our doors but Griffin had that really high ceiling and he reached it through hard work. He is a role model for all student athletes. Early in his high school career, he set the personal goal of playing high-level collegiate soccer.  Through all of his work on the practice and game pitches at CHS and with his club team at GPS, he forged his own path to get there. I cannot say how proud and excited I am to see him moving on to Boston University. He will have a great career there- and one that will allow us all to see him play!" 

Roach is also a captain and star on the successful CHS Boys Lacrosse team- where he will finish up his Bulldog playing career this spring.

Good luck Griffin!

2018 post-season honors- updated 1-27-19

Griffin Roach and coach Erickson
at EMASS all-star game where Griffin
was awarded his EMASS and All-State
certificates. 

Despite an early exit from the MIAA state tournament (0-1 loss to Dartmouth), many Bulldogs were recognized for their individual efforts during the season. For the 2nd straight year, the 'dogs posted a final record of 10-5-4.

Individual Honors:

Paolo Ruggeri- Ruggeri, a senior captain, earned Hockomock League All-Star status for his great play this season in his central defensive midfield role. 

Paul Corcoran- Corcoran, a senior captain, earned Hockomock League All-Star status for the 3rd consecutive season. He joins Chris Murray ('12) and Damian Kozak ('15)  as the only players in Bulldog history to be named to the All-Hock team for 3 seasons. He also earned Eastern Mass All-Star status this year- an honor reserved for the top 8 players in the Hock. He also earned Patriot Ledger All-Scholastic Honors for the 2nd straight season. 

Corcoran and Roach (far left of photo) at the Patriot Ledger
Award Banquet

Simon Cruz- Cruz, a senior, earned Hockomock All-Star Honorable Mention status for his tremendous season. He was also asked to participate in Hocksports.com All-Star Classic. 

Griffin Roach- Roach, a senior captain, earned Hockomock League All-Star status for the 2nd consecutive season.  He also earned Eastern Mass All-Star status this year.  Most impressive- he was named the All-State team for the 2nd season in-a-row, joining Kozak ('15) as the only Bulldog to earn that honor twice. He also received Patriot Ledger All-Scholastic honors for the 2nd straight season. 

Individual Season Stats:

Scoring- 

Griffin Roach- 14 goals, 9 assists- 23 points (2nd in league)

Paul Corcoran- 6 goals, 7 assists- 13 points

Simon Cruz- 6 goals, 3 assists- 9 points

Paolo Ruggeri- 3 goals, 2 assists- 5 points

TJ McCabe- 2 goals, 3 assists- 5 points

Avery Minkin- 1 goal, 1 assist- 2 points

Mike Mazzola- 1 assist- 1 point

Colby Ciffolillo- 1 goal- 1 point

Dylan Baird- 1 assist- 1 point

Goalkeeping- 

Alejandro Correal- 16 games played, 18 goals allowed, 1.13 gaa, 5.5 shutouts

Dylan Coyne- 2 games played, 4 goals allowed, 2.00gaa, .5 shutouts

Frigid Alumni Game brings out hearty alums

I wouldn't call it great weather for soccer...but 25 CHS Boys Soccer Alums converged on the Memorial Field turf tonight, braving freezing temperatures to take part in our annual alumni tournament. Participants ranged from the class of 1989 thru the class of 2019.

The Championship team was made up of the Old Timers (with the help of some '19ers).  The championship goal came in the form of  a golden goal- scored by the oldest guy on the field- George Thomas '00.  Thomas' team also featured the great play of Adam Castonguay, Matt Aucoin, DJ Murray, Jake Shapiro, Paolo Ruggeri, Avery Minkin, and Huy Pham.

Thanks for all who attended! See you next year.

'Dogs set to begin MIAA Tourney

The Bulldogs have earned a #5 seed in the D2 South MIAA Tournament. This is the team's best seed since 2011. The 'dogs will face the #12 seed- Dartmouth High School- on Sunday, November 4th at 5:00pm at CHS's WWII Veterans' Memorial Field.
Ticket prices- Adults- $7, Students/Senior Citizens- $5
The Bulldogs head into the State Tournament as the two-year Hock Davenport runner-up. This year's regular season record was 10-4-4. Dartmouth posted a record of 9-8-1. They recently shutout Hockomock Kelley-Rex Champion Mansfield 2-0.  This should be a great game!

Senior Night Success!

Hats off to our 8 graduating seniors and 2 managers for a great performance against Foxboro on Sunday, earning a hard fought, come-form-behind win over the talented Warriors, 2-1.

The 'dogs found themselves down early as a Foxboro strike from 30 yards out beat Alejandro Correal over his head and dipped under the bar.  The score remained 1-0 through the half. The 'dogs would strike early in the 2nd frame when Correal (playing in the field) found Griffin Roach in for a breakaway which Roach calmly finished. With just 15 minutes to play, Simon Cruz's corner kick found Paolo Ruggeri, who hit a great head ball past the Warrior keeper. Both teams had chances down the stretch but the Bulldogs held on for the 2-1 win.

Other seniors putting in great performance on the night were Paul Corcoran, Avery Minkin, Nate Achildyev, Mike Mazzola, and Huy Pham. It was truly a great night for our seniors.

The win wraps up the regular season for the Bulldogs with an impressive 10-4-4 record. They await MIAA seeding to come out on Wednesday with a first round game expected this weekend.

Dogs fall to Milford- concede Davenport

Thursday night saw the top two teams in the Hockomock Davenport face off for a game which would determine the Davenport Championship.  It was an amazing high school soccer game but, in the end, Milford would score a goal in the final minutes to grab the 2018 league title.

The 'dogs went into the game two points behind the Scarlett Hawks- thus needing a win to grab a piece of first place. The first half saw the Bulldogs control territory, possession and chances but the only time they found the back of the net, the goal was called back. Simon Cruz played a great ball through to Griffin Roach, who buried the chance, but Cruz had been taken out while making the pass and a whistle ended the play as the ball went by the Scarlett Hawk goalkeeper.

The game was scoreless heading into the 2nd half but there would be 5 goals from that point on.  The 'dogs scored first when Paul Corcoran's free kick from 35 yards out froze the Milford keeper and found its way into the back of the net. The lead would only last for 90 seconds as Milford came right back up and converted a long throw-in. The 'dogs would then fall behind 2-1 on a scrum in the Bulldog box that ended up with the ball in the back of the Bulldog goal. Simon Cruz would convert on a Corcoran long throw to tie the game up with 15 to go, but the 'dogs ran out of steam as Milford controlled the final 10 minutes and scored on a nice shot late in the game. Final score- Milford 3, Canton 2.

The Bulldogs will end their regular season campaign on Sunday when they host Foxboro on Senior Night.

'Dogs stay in hunt with shutout win at NA

The Bulldog Boys Soccer team outlasted a 45 minute storm delay midway through the first half and a hard-nosed North Attleboro team on Tuesday night to take home a 1-0 road win.  The victory keeps the Bulldogs' hopes of a Davenport crown alive with just two games remaining.

The 'dogs came out flying from the opening whistle, dominating possession and territory for the first 20 minutes, but NA's defensive mindset kept Bulldog chances to a minimum and the game went into halftime scoreless.

Griffin Roach would score the only goal of the game when he was fouled in the box and awarded a penalty (the Bulldog's first of the season.) Roach would convert from the spot and the team finished the game out for the 1-0 win. Dylan Coyne and Alejandro Correal combined in goal for the shutout.

The Bulldogs head to first place Milford on Thursday at 4:30 to face the Scarlet Hawks. The 'dogs are currently 2 points behind Milford for first place in the Davenport.

Dogs struggling for results

The past two weeks have seen the Boys Soccer team struggle to find its way through a series of close games amassing a record of 1 win, 2 draws and 1 loss over that stretch.

The first of those games saw the Bulldogs take an early 2-0 lead over visiting Oliver Ames only to surrender 2 second half goals on the way to a 2-2 draw. Both goals were scored on the combination of Paul Corcoran to goal Griffin Roach.

Simon Cruz provided the only goal in the next game as the 'dogs traveled to Braintree to face the Wamps. Once again an early Bulldog goal would not hold up as the team surrendered a late goal and had to settle for its second straight draw. The draw qualified the Bulldogs for the MIAA State Tournament for the 12th year of the past 13.

The 'dogs would get on the winning end of things in the next game as they traveled to Stoughton where they earned a 2-0 win. Both Corcoran and Roach each found the back of the Black Knight goal in the victory. Freshmen Dylan Baird earned his first career point- assisting on Roach's goal.

The Sharon game last week saw the 'dogs fall behind early in the game before knotting it up at halftime on another Roach goal- this from TJ McCabe. But the Eagles scored again early in the 2nd half and then again with about 10 to play. The 'dogs pushed forward and Avery Minkin converted his first goal of the season but the 'dogs were unable to convert the game-tying goal.

The 'dogs look to bounce back when they travel to twice-beaten North Attleboro tonight.

Team explodes for six goals in road win

The CHS Boys Soccer team extended its unbeaten streak to 8 games on Monday with a convincing 6-2 win at Taunton.  The Bulldogs were on the front foot from the opening whistle.  Senior Griffin Roach scored the first three Bulldog goals of the game- all in the first 20 minutes. Paul Corcoran added a 4th first half tally that game the visiting side a 4-0 halftime lead.

The Bulldogs kept the attack on early in the 2nd half as junior Colby Ciffollilo scored his first career goal and sophomore TJ McCabe made it 6-0 with a beautiful far post finish. Paolo Ruggeri was strong throughout the entire game, providing two of the assists on the day.  The Tigers would score two goals late making the final score 6-2.

Great performances were put in by Patrick O'Leary, Huy Pham, Johnny Bradley and Nick MacKay. 

The win sets up a huge game on Thursday as the Bulldogs (6-1-2 in the league) take on Milford (5-1-2 in the league) for top spot in the Davenport. 6:30pm kickoff at CHS.

'Dogs extend unbeaten streak to 7 games

The CHS Boys Soccer team handed North Attleboro their first loss of the season on Friday afternoon, 3-1, extending the Bulldogs' unbeaten streak to seven straight games.

The 'dogs had the better of the play for a vast majority of the contest but the game was tied at 1-1 at the half.  Paul Corcoran beat two NA players up the right side midway through the first half then put a great ball across to Simon Cruz whose shot attempt ended up being re-directed into the back of the NA net by Griffin Roach. The 'dogs gave up very few chances the rest of the half but faltered on an NA corner kick- surrendering the game-tying goal before the break.

The 2nd half saw the 'dogs come out flying. The combination of Corcoran to Cruz to Roach- this time on a Corcoran throw-in- once again led to the Bulldogs taking a lead as Roach calmly passed his 2nd left-footed goal of the game past the Rocketeer goalkeeper.  The Bulldogs then withstood 15 minutes of tough pressure from the visitors before regaining the upper-hand. The third goal was a beauty- as a Cooper Ashcraft purposeful heading clearance saw an amazing combination involving, Corcoran, Roach and Cruz once again- leading to a quality left-footed finish by sophomore TJ McCabe.

The victory wraps up a very successful stretch of 5 games in 9 days which saw the Bulldogs win 3 and draw 2.  The team now sits at 6-1-2 with a home mark of 4-0-1.  A trip to Taunton on Monday is the next action for the Bulldogs.

Members of team run JFK 1/2 day program

A big shout out to Boys Soccer team members Dylan Coyne, TJ McCabe, David Dempster, Will Keefe and Patrick O'Leary for helping to run soccer games for John F. Kennedy School students during their after school 1/2 day program on Wednesday. They gave us their coveted time on a 1/2 day of school to spend it with these future Bulldogs!

The boys worked with small groups of k-5 students running soccer warm-ups and games. It was a blast for both the high school kids and the JFK kids!

Thanks to the JFK CAPT for having us! It was awesome!

Bulldogs draw with Mansfield

Wednesday night saw the Boys Soccer team play to a scoreless draw with Hock Kelley-Rex leading Mansfield.  The game was back and forth throughout with both teams getting chances but neither were able to convert.

The 2nd half saw the 'dogs get three great looks at goal, but were not able to convert for the win. Alejandro Correal earned his 2nd consecutive shutout in goal and 4th of the season.

The 'dogs will host North Attleboro on Friday afternoon at 3:45.

'Dogs wrap up 3-game road trip unbeaten

A 2-2 draw Saturday night at Foxboro was followed up by a 1-0 win over Sharon on Monday to wrap up a 3-game road trip with 2 wins and a draw, improving the squad's record to 5-1-1.

Both contests were physical battles and the Bulldogs were up for each of them.  Sharon doggedly defended in their own and and were very dangerous on the counter-attack but the Bulldogs back-four and goalkeeper Alejandro Correal thwarted each Eagles chance. Correal had a huge save in each half keeping the game scoreless until Simon Cruz scored the game-winner with 10 minutes to play. The goal came off of a Paul Corcoran throw-in which was flicked on to Cruz by Griffin Roach. Cruz then calmly knocked it by the Eagles goalkeeper.

The Foxboro contest on Saturday saw the Bulldogs take the lead twice before surrendering it each time. Paul Corcoran scored in the opening minutes on a crazy sliding shot from the 18 which beat the Warrior goalkeeper to the near post. But the Bulldogs surrendered a penalty kick shortly after allowing the Warriors to tie up the game. The 'dogs took the lead again when TJ McCabe made a great individual play on the right flank and found a darting Cruz heading to the near post. Cruz then buried his chance into the back of the net. A late, great strike from Foxboro tied the game a 2-2- Final.

The 'dogs will host unbeaten and highly touted Mansfield on Wednesday at 6:30pm.

Dogs grab big road win over KP

The Boys Soccer team won its 3rd straight game on Friday afternoon, 2-1 at King Philip. It was a tale of two halves and the Bulldogs had the better of the play in the first half and the Warriors had the majority of the chances in the 2nd half.  But a sweet finish by Griffin Roach on a corner kick from 30 yards out inside 10 minutes remaining was the difference as the 'dogs held on to win 2-1.

The first half saw lot's of Bulldog chances but both teams ended up finding the back of the net.  The Warriors struck first about 20 minutes in when a miscommunication between the Canton backs and goalkeeper led to an open net goal for KP.  The Bulldogs showed great resilience coming back just minutes later as Paolo Ruggeri calmly finished with a banger from about 30 yards out.

Matt Giglio and Simon Cruz were critical to controlling midfield play throughout the strong first half. Mike Mazzola and Cooper Ashcraft dealt with lot's of KP numbers and pressure throughout the 2nd half. It was a great team effort.

Things don't get any easier and there is no rest for this group as they travel to Foxboro tonight (Saturday, September 22nd) to face the Warriors, who are one of the most dangerous attacking teams in the Hock. 7:00pm kickoff at Ahern Middle School.

Bulldogs make it two-in-a-row

Monday afternoon saw the Boys Soccer team defeat visiting Stoughton 2-0, giving the team its 2nd straight home shutout win. The game was controlled by the Bulldogs from start to finish, but the home team was stymied by a great performance by the Black Knights goalkeeper- Mason Eschleman, who recorded 17 saves on the day.

Griffin Roach struck first for the Bulldogs as he blasted a side-footed volley into the back of the net off a Paul Corcoran throw-in with 15 minutes left in the first half. Simon Cruz would double the lead early in the 2nd half off of a great pass from Corcoran off of a corner kick.

Alejandro Correal  made a big save late to preserve his shutout. Paolo Ruggeri, Dylan Baird, Matt Giglio and Cruz were very strong in controlling the midfield through the game.

The team has 3 days off before a challenging stretch of games beginning with a trip to KP on Friday afternoon. The team will play 3 games in 4 days and 5 games in 8 days.

Dogs bounce back with home shutout win

Junior Alejandro Correal earned his first career shutout on Friday night as the Bulldogs defeated a very tough Franklin team at home, 2-0.  

The first half featured great play from the home-side throughout but things really started tilting the Bulldog's way in the final 15 minutes where the pressure just kept building on the visiting Panthers. Finally, Simon Cruz found himself on top of a loose ball in the box off a Paul Corcoran throw-in, and he tucked it nicely into the side netting.  Correal then had to come up big on a rare first half chance for the Panthers.  The 'dogs had several more chances late in the half to double the lead but had to settle for the one-goal edge at the break. 

That scoreline wouldn't last long into the 2nd half as the home-side came out flying.  Center-back Cooper Ashcraft's clean clearance found TJ McCabe, who combined with Griffin Roach, who then set up Paul Corcoran- who calmly finished his chance making it 2-0 Bulldogs.   The Bulldogs kept control of the game for the next 15 before the visiting Panthers started pushing players forward and pressuring for the final 20 minutes of the game. But Canton was up for the challenge- bending but not breaking as they earned their first shutout of the season. 

Mike Mazzola, Avery Minkin, Nate Achildyev and Ashcraft were also critical in the clean sheet. 

The 'dogs have a busy week ahead as they host Stoughton on Monday at 3:45, travel to KP on Friday at 3:45 and travel to Foxboro on Saturday night at 7:00pm 

Come-From-Behind win and road loss to start off season

A Paul Corcoran goal with just 1 minute remaining in the game capped off a 4-3 come-from-behind win for the Bulldogs over visiting Marshfield on opening night- Wednesday, Sept. 5th- at Memorial Field.

The 'dogs found themselves down 2-0 at the half after some unfortunate bounces went Marshfield's way and found their way into the back of the Bulldog goal. Early in the 2nd half, Paolo Ruggeri scored on a direct free kick from about 30 yards out cutting the lead in half.  But ten minutes later, Marshfield once again took advantage of a Bulldog miscue to extend the lead to 3-1.  Just three minutes later, Griffin Roach calmly finished from the top of the box with his left foot to get the 'dogs right back in it. With just 6 minutes left and the team trailing by 1, Roach got on the end of a great ball by Simon Cruz to loft it over the Marshfield keeper to tie it up. And finally- with 1:10 left, Mike Mazzola played Paul Corcoran in behind the Marshfield's back and Corcoran calmly tucked it in past the goalie for the 4-3 win.

The Dogs were not able to keep the momentum going as they traveled to Attleboro Saturday night and despite playing some great soccer in the first half, came away with a 0-2 defeat. Attleboro came out playing much better in the 2nd half but the Bulldogs hung tough for most of the half- even missing some key chances of our own. But Attleboro would finally break down the Bulldogs backs late in the game scoring with nine minutes to go and again with four minutes to go.

Things don't get any easier for the Dogs this week as they travel to highly touted Foxboro on Wednesday night at 7:00 before hosting Franklin Friday night at 7:30pm.

Good Luck to our Graduating Seniors

Words can't quite capture just how very proud the Canton High School Boys Soccer program is to see our five members of the class of 2018 graduate tonight. This group  has given so much to the program during their time here. During their two final seasons with us, they lead the team to two state tournament bids and a Hock Sportsmanship Award. They are truly amazing role models.

It is so easy to see that all five of them are destined to head out and do great things in the next chapters of their lives.  All of them made all of us still here, better people.  We wish John, Dillon, Chris, Abe and Jake the best of luck and happiness as they leave CHS.  They will always be Bulldogs.

Next stop for each of the boys:

Chris Milne #18- Harvard University

Dillon Anderson #4- University of Richmond

Abe Garber #0- Northeastern University

Jake Verille #11- Bryant University

John Agnitti #20- UMass Amherst

Important Upcoming Meeting for all Interested Soccer Players

Canton High School will be hosting a meeting for any current 8-11th grader interested in becoming a part of the CHS Boys Soccer program this fall- 2018.

The meeting will be held on Friday, June 1st at CHS at 2:45 and will be done by 3:30pm.  It is very important that all interested candidates attend as summer, tryout, practice and schedule information will be shared.

Any student athlete currently in season in the spring should NOT miss a spring obligation for this meeting.

Click here for an informational flyer. 

Spencer Cox- class of 2015

Spencer on one of his many adventures

Our CHS Soccer community lost one of our own today, as Spencer Cox passed away after a nearly two-year battle with cancer.  Spencer faced his illness head-on and fought until the end.

Spencer certainly left his mark on every one of his soccer teammates and coaches.  His positive attitude and amazing sense of humor made him the perfect teammate. He had the uncanny ability of making those around him smile in nearly any situation.  He always helped all of us keep everything in perspective. 

Losing Spencer to this horrible disease seems so senseless.  He was a bright shining light that still burns bright in all of those who had the opportunity to be touched by him. We will all carry him with us moving forward. 

It always made me so proud to see him in pictures like this one, sporting his Bulldog Soccer shirt on one of his many international adventures. 

Below is his obituary- which includes information about his services.  You will be missed so much by so many of us. 

https://www.roache-pushard.com/obituaries.html