Boys dream season ends in State Finals!

It's been a week since the most magical state tournament run in the history of our program came to an end at the MIAA D2 State Finals game, where the Bulldogs fell to West Springfield, 0-2. 

The #21 seeded 'dogs punched a ticket to the State Championship game with a stunning 2-1 (4-2 in PKs) win over top seeded East Longmeadow.  The win capped off a dramatic march to the State Final game that saw the team travel nearly 700 miles and upset four highly touted items along the way- #12 Woburn, #5 Agawam, #20 Amherst-Pelham, and #1 East Longmeadow. 

On behalf of the entire team, I want to thank the entire community for the overwhelming support over the season and particularly during the run to the finals. The parents and families of our student athletes were amazing in support of all of our kids throughout.

FINAL FOUR!

We are not 100% sure, but we think the Final Four game will be live streamed at this link. Fingers crossed!

https://www.youtube.com/user/ELCAT01028

It's only happened once before in the program's 38 year history (2010), but a 1-0 win over Amherst-Pelham on Saturday night, punched the 2021 Bulldog's ticket to the MIAA Final Four. 

The #21 seeded Bulldogs have pulled off three upset road victories on the way to the Final Four, logging roughly 500 miles! 

Results- 

First Round- defeated #12 Woburn, 3-1

Round of 16- defeated #5 Agawam, 4-0. 

Quarter-Finals- defeated #20 Amherst-Pelham, 1-0

The Elite Eight (Quarterfinal) win over Amherst-Pelham saw the Dogs battle A-P and difficult weather conditions, showing tons of grit along the way.  In the end, it was a class goal by Jake McCabe ('23) midway through the 2nd half, that separated the two teams and gave the Bulldogs a date in the Final Four. Once again, the back line of Ashton Cetoute ('22), Zach Dowling ('23) and Jay Kelleher ('23) were incredibly clean on the day, giving A-P very few clear chances. It was Giovanni Ruggeri's ('22) 2nd straight shutout. 

CLICK HERE for highlights of Elite Eight game

Interesting note of praise during this tourney run-  The 'dogs surrendered the first goal of their tournament just 12 minutes into the first game, against Woburn and have scored eight straight since without surrendering. Well done boys!

FINAL FOUR Information-

#21 Canton vs #1 East Longmeadow

AT Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School- 215 Fitchburg Street, Marlborough, MA

Wednesday, November 17th at 5:00pm. 

Ticket Info- All tickets must be purchased digitally on the GoFan app or website.

CLICK HERE to purchase tickets. Please do so ahead of time.   No cash tickets will be sold. 

CLICK HERE for D2 Boys Soccer Bracket

Bulldogs hit the road in upsets over Woburn & Agawam enroute to Elite Eight

It's been an exciting and impressive tournament run so far for the Boys Soccer team as the team earned a #21 seed in the first-ever D2 State-wide MIAA tournament- upsetting #12 seeded Woburn, 3-1 in the first round and shocking #5 seeded Agawam, 4-0 in the Round of 16. 

The team is set to face #20 seeded Amherst-Pelham High School on Saturday at 6:00pm at South Hadley High School.

At the bottom of this entry is all of the information Bulldog Boys Soccer fans would need to know about the Elite Eight game. But first, a quick recap of the first two wins!

First Round- Canton 3, Woburn 1-

This one started off all Woburn with the Tanners taking control of the early minutes leading to a goal for the home side. But the 'dogs reacted well, answering with two goals of their own before halftime.  The first came on a brilliant free kick from Jake McCabe ('23) who whipped in a ball that Erik Valdovinos ('22) flicked past the Woburn keeper with his head. Shortly after, Valdovinos got in behind the Tanner back line, attacked the end line and delivered a great ball to a streaking Jacob Crugnale ('22) who calmly finished past the Woburn keeper. 

The 'dogs would face some serious pressure from the Tanners for most of the 2nd half but withstood the attack.  Carson Eagles ('23) and Charlie McKinney ('22) would play key roles on both sides of the ball throughout the game but especially in the 2nd half. With roughly 5 minutes to play, yet another Bulldog transition took place, this one leading to a Valdovinos goal that would ice it for the visitors. 

Click Here for Highlights of the Woburn-Canton game. 

Round of Sixteen- Canton 4, Agawam 0-

Much like the Woburn game, Agawam came out flying forcing Bulldog keeper Giovanni Ruggeri ('22) to make a brilliant diving save in the first minute, but that momentum for the home side would not last long as Jacob Crugnale would jump on a rebound in the Agawam box and bury his early chance.  The visitors would double the lead late in the first half when Dylan Baird ('22) delivered a beautiful ball to the far post that Jake McCabe would attack and confidently head past the Agawam keeper. 

The second half saw the Bulldog squad manage the lead with poise and confidence.  With roughy 15 left to play, the team would put together 18 consecutive passes leading to a Jacob Crugnale goal that is worthy of whatever praise it gets. Finally, a heads up play by McCabe on a throw-in late in the game found Crugnale free for a moment and that would be all the time he needed to hit a left footed volley past the Agawam keeper for his HAT-TRICK and icing the victory for the Dogs.  Ashton Cetoute ('23) and Jay Kelleher ('22) were monsters in the Bulldog back line on the day. Ruggeri earned his 7th clean sheet of the season. 

Click Here for Highlights of the Canton-Agawam Game

INFO for those attending Saturday's Elite Eight Game:

Unfortunately, there will be no live stream of the game available. If this changes, we will let you know!

Tickets: 

- Gates will open for spectators at 5:20 PM 

-There will be no CASH tickets available.

-Tickets for Adults $10.00 & Students/Senior Citizens are $5.00

-Tickets for our game can be purchased here: 

https://gofan.co/app/school/MA23932

 

Spectator Parking: 

You can get to the lot by going from Lincoln Avenue to Taylor way past the barn and left up to the parking area see blue line.Park in the designated purple area on the map below. Please do not park in the church parking lot or any reserved spot.  A small parking lot is also next to the church parking lot that can also be used.

 

 

Dogs wrap up regular season with impressive 10-4-4 record

A big win over non-league Randolph highlighted the final week of the season as the 'dogs struggled to find a groove until Friday night against the Blue Devils. The team had surrendered a late goal to draw at Sharon Monday, 2-2 then failed to score in a frustrating game against Foxboro Wednesday, falling 1-0 before bouncing back with a huge 9-0 win over Randolph. 

Sharon 2, Canton 2- Monday, October 25- The Dogs traveled to Sharon to play their only natural grass game of the season in the. rain on Monday and played a great game but failed to capitalize on many chances, ultimately drawing with the Eagles, 2-2. Erik Valdovinos ('22) opened the scoring early on an unassisted goal but the Bulldogs squandered several great chances to double the lead before surrendering a penalty that saw the Eagles tie it up.  Jacob Crugnale ('22) would find space at the top of the box with minutes remaining in the half and Charlie McKinney ('22) played him a great ball.  Crugnale then beat a defender and calmly gave the dogs the lead heading into halftime.  The Green and White came out flying in the 2nd frame, generating several really good scoring chances, but the Eagles did not break.  Finally, with just minutes left in the game, the Eagles took advantage of a free kick, scoring on the chaos in the box to end the game 2-2. 

Foxboro 1, Canton 0- Wednesday, October 27- It was a wild and windy one at Foxboro Wednesday night as the Warriors entered the game needing a win to qualify for the state tournament. Once again the Bulldogs played some really good soccer but unlike Monday, failed to generate a great deal of quality chances. Early in the second half, former Bulldog Jorge Sanchez scored the game's lone goal on a gorgeous head ball. Some late game tactical changes yielded the Bulldogs several really good chances in the final 10 minutes, but there were no goals to be had for the Dogs. 

Canton 9, Randolph 0- Friday, October 29- It was an explosion of goals on Friday night at home as the squad netted nine in the regular season finale. Valdovinos was the biggest contributor to the goal eruption, netting a first half hat trick. Also finding the back of the Blue Devils' net on the night were Jake McCabe ('23), Zaza Franceour ('24), Jorge Nebril ('23), Drew Garrett ('23), Ryan Kovner ('23) and Sam Mayer ('23). 

Click Here for highlights of the Randolph Game. 

Big two-win week sets up exciting final week

Two big wins last week improved the CHS Boys Soccer team record to 9-3-3 and sitting just two points behind first place Oliver Ames in the Davenport with two league games remaining. 

Canton 4, Stoughton 1- Monday, October 18th- The Bulldogs scored twice in each half, bettering the visiting Black Knights by a 4-1 margin. Jacob Crugnale ('22) scored one in each half while also setting up Erik Valdovinos' ('22) first half tally. Jake McCabe ('23) pulled off his first of two scary good corner kick goals of the week to round out the scoring. 

Highlights of game vs. Stoughton

Canton 4, North Attleboro 0- Wednesday, October 20th.- The 'dogs exploded for 3 send half goals to put away what had been a very close game with a tough visiting NA team- who had been riding a three game winning streak. Valdovinos returned the favor to Crugnale in the first half with a great ball after attacking the endline- Crugnale attacking the ball into the back of the NA net. The 2nd half goal explosion began when  Zach Dowling ('22) played a gorgeous ball behind the NA defense and McCabe was able to poke it past the keeper. McCabe would then score once again with some individual corner kick magic (crazy good!). Dylan Baird ('22) calmly finished off a ball that came to him at the top of the box rounding out the scoring for the Bulldogs.  Another great day in the midfield for Charlie McKinney ('22) and Carson Eagles ('23). 

Highlights of game vs. North Attleboro 

The team will head to Sharon on Monday for a 3:45 game against a tough Sharon squad before finishing up the Hock schedule with a trip to Foxboro on Wednesday at 6:30pm.  The final regular season game of the year will be at home vs. Randolph on Friday night at 7:00pm. 

Dogs extend unbeaten streak to five games

Two solid road results this past week, a 2-1 win over Kelley-Rex first place Attleboro and a 0-0 draw with Davenport first place Oliver Ames extended the Boys Soccer team's unbeaten streak to five games and moves the team to the brink of tournament qualification. 

Attleboro 1, Canton 2-  The Bulldogs traveled to Attleboro on Wednesday to face the Kelley-Rex- leading Blue Bombardiers, who had been red-hot, riding an 8 game unbeaten streak.  But that streak would come to an end as the Bulldogs came out flying and never looked back. Both teams shared large portions of the game with the ball but the Bulldogs were able to capitalize on their opportunities. Senior Erik Valdovinos ('22) found the back of the net and assisted on a Jake McCabe ('23) goal giving the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead. They would surrender a late goal but hold off a charging Attleboro squad down the stretch. Dylan Baird ('22) had a great game for the Bulldogs. 

Oliver Ames 0, Canton 0- Friday saw the two top teams in the Hock Davenport go toe-to-toe for 80 minutes but neither team could break through, leading to a scoreless draw. Giovanni Ruggeri ('11) came up big a couple times in the Bulldog goal in preserving the shutout. The trio of Jay Kelleher, ('22) Ashton Cetoute ('23) and Zach Dowling ('22) were all very clean on the day in the back for the Dogs. 

The Dogs now sit at a mark of 7-3-3 with five games remaining. The team will host Stoughton on Monday night at 6:30 and host North Attleboro on Wednesday at 6:30 where we will honor our seniors on their Senior Night. 

POSTPONED! 2010 Sectional/Hock Champs to be honored at George Thomas Night- 10/29/2021- 6:45pm

UPDATE- I'm sorry to announce that since I have recently tested positive for Covid-19 (a breakthrough case),  I will be in a quarantine and this event will NOT be able to take place. I am so sad that we will not be able to celebrate GT and the 2010 team this year. We will definitely do so in 2022! Also- keep an eye out for information on our alumni game to be played in GT's memory in November. 

ATTENTION Bulldog Boys Soccer Fans, Friends, Families and Alumni:

Friday night, October 29th, the Canton High School Boys Soccer team will be celebrating an amazing Championship team from the past while also honoring former Bulldog- George Thomas IV. 

The game vs. Randolph, which will be the final regular season game of the season, will kickoff at 7:00pm.

Coach Jon Girolamo, Danny
Erickson and George Thomas
pre-game in 2010 State Semi-Final

PRE-GAME- Don't be late!!!!!!

A pre-game ceremony will take place at roughly 6:45pm which will honor the life George Thomas- former Bulldog player and long-time assistant coach- who passed away this past February at 38 years old. Please click here for a blog entry from the time of his passing.  

We will be accepting donations that night for a fund which has been established in George's memory.

Members of George's family will be in attendance to support the Bulldogs and to share in this celebration of George's impact on the CHS Boys Soccer program.  His sons George V and James will be serving as honorary captains. 

PLEASE plan on arriving for the game by 6:30 in order to be present for this ceremony. Let's make sure the Thomas Family feels the Bulldog love!

HALF-TIME-

During a halftime ceremony, we will be honoring the 10 year anniversary of the 2010 Bulldogs' Championship season (delayed a year due to Covid) Players and coaches from that team will be in attendance so we can honor them in a brief halftime ceremony.  It will be great to see and honor members of this amazing team.

The 2010 squad won the Hock Davenport, the Hockomock Cup, advanced to the EMASS Final and amassed a record of 18-1-3 with the only loss coming in the EMASS final. 

We hope to have a great crowd at this event! Please spread the word!

Go Dogs!

Dogs pick up two big wins

It was a great week for the CHS Boys Varsity Soccer team as the squad hosted Davenport foe Foxboro on Wednesday and Kelley-Rex crossover opponent Mansfield on Thursday.  Both the Warriors and the Hornets were off to great starts on the season as the Warriors were tied with the Bulldogs in 2nd place in the Davenport while the Hornets were unbeaten on the season, surrendering only two goals in their first nine games. The Bulldogs were up for the challenge as they edged the Warriors, 2-1 and blanked the Hornets, 3-0. 

Canton 2, Foxboro 1

Both teams headed into Wednesday night with four league victories to date.  The Bulldogs played on their front foot from the opening whistle, creating many chances but they could not finish early. It took some magic by leading scorer Jake McCabe ('23), who danced his way up the endline off of a corner kick, beating three Warrior defenders before poking a goal into the top corner. The team would take the one-goal lead into the break but it was Foxboro who came out firing in the 2nd half, scoring on a Bulldog defensive lapse early in the 2nd, knotting the game at 1-1.  Midway through the 2nd, McCabe found Erik Valdovinos ('22) in the box with a great service. Valdovinos would bring it down with his chest, get tripped up with a Foxboro back, pop back up and bury the game-winner.  Dylan Baird ('22) and Brian Shea ('23) were key in the Bulldog midfield. 

CANTON-FOXBORO HIGHLIGHTS

Canton 3, Mansfield 0

The story on Thursday night was the Canton attack as the unbeaten Hornets had only conceded 2 goals in their first 9 games, but the Bulldogs exploded for 3! The Dog's had the advantage in territory and possession for most of the contest but were only able to capitalize on one in the first half.  It was McCabe's tenacity that got him this one as he powered through a busy Hornet goal area to score on a chance off of a Valdovinos touch.  The 2nd half saw the Bulldog maintain possession but it was the Hornets that got closest to score early as CHS goalkeeper Giovanni Ruggeri had to make a finger tip save that would hit the bar to keep the Green and White in the lead. The 'dogs would score twice in the final 15 minutes on goals by Jacob Crugnale ('22) and McCabe. 

Ruggeri and the back line of Jay Kelleher ('22), Ashton Cetoute ('23) and Zack Dowling ('22) earned the team's 3rd shutout of the season. 

CANTON-MANSFIELD HIGHLIGHTS

The team has another BIG week ahead as they travel to Attleboro (6-1-3) on Tuesday and to Oliver Ames (8-1-1) on Friday.  The Bulldogs currently sit in 2nd place in the Davenport with a overall mark of 6-3-2. 

Boys CHS Soccer mid-season update- 10-2-2021

The CHS Boys Soccer blog has been slacking!  Sorry not to keep up-to-date with all of the action over the past couple of weeks. Here is a recap:

9/22/2021- 4-1 win over Taunton- After defeating Stoughton on September 20th, the team sat at 2-2-1 and returned home to face unbeaten Taunton High School. The Dog's were hungry, coming out of the gates strong, notching two goals in the first 10 minutes- one by Caden Mirliani ('23) and one by Jacob Crugnale ('22).  Taunton cut the lead in half before the break but the 2nd half saw the Bulldogs come out strong again, scoring 2 goals on corner kicks within one minute of each other. The first was scored by Dylan Baird ('22) and the second by Carson Eagles ('23)- his first career tally.  

CLICK HERE for Taunton GAME HIGHLIGHTS

9/24/2021- 0-0 draw at North Attleboro- The 'Dogs traveled to NA on that Friday to play their 3rd game in 5 days and it was clear that the legs were not there.   Both teams were a bit on the flat side as chances were few and far between.  The Bulldogs did control most of the 2nd half but squandered the 2 or 3 legitimate scoring opportunities that were created.  The teams had to settle for splitting the points. Giovanni Ruggeri ('22) earned his second shutout of the year and the back three of Ashton Cetoute ('23), Jay Kelleher ('22) and Zack Dowling ('22) were clean on the day. 

9/27/2021- 1-3 loss at King Philip- In what was the team's most disappointing performance to date, the Bulldogs went down early in Wrentham and never quite got back into things. The Warriors withstood some great, sustained Canton pressure and attacking soccer for the initial 15 minutes of the game and managed to counter effectively, flipping the game in their favor with some great transition play. The Dog's fell down early, 2-0 then found the back of the Warrior goal on a great combination play resulting in a great ball from Baird to Erik Valdovinos ('22) who buried his first goal of the season. A miscommunication early in the 2nd gave KP the two-goal cushion and the game didn't change much the rest of the way resulting in a disappointing road result for the Green and White. 

9/30/2021- 3-2 win vs. Sharon-The Bulldogs showed true resilience in this one, falling behind early on an Eagles goal in the first 3 minutes of the game. Canton would step up and tie it midway through the first frame as Baird would pick up a loose ball in the box on a great challenge by teammate Jake McCabe ('23), Baird then used some amazing ball mastery to evade the Sharon pressure and bury a perfectly placed ball in the corner of the Eagles' net. The Green and White would fall behind again shortly after but the Bulldogs never quit, combining for a spectacular goal to tie it up before the break. Brian Shea ('23) won a big tackle at midfield, found classmate Mirliani, who played McCabe, who played a perfect penetrating ball to Valdovinos, who got behind the Eagles right back, slotted a ball to Crugnale in the box, who then poked a drop to the path of Charlie McKinney ('22), who hit a perfect shot past the outstretched Eagles' keeper. 2-2 at the half. 

Early in the 2nd, Valdovinos used his speed and determination to get around the Sharon backs and slot a great ball towards the back post that found its way into the goal putting the 'dogs up for good. The Green and White squandered many chances as the game played out but it would take a huge Ruggeri save in the waning minutes to preserve the win. 

CLICK HERE for some great photos of the game compliments of Hockmocksports.com

CLICK HERE for Sharon GAME HIGHLIGHTS

The team sits at the halfway point of the season with a 4-3-2 record with a HUGE match-up with unbeaten  (once-scored upon) Mansfield on Monday at 4:00pm at CHS. 

Dogs hit their stride on road at Stoughton

Monday saw the Boys Varsity Soccer team travel over the border to Stoughton where they exploded for 8 goals in an 8-1 win over the Black Knights. 

The Dogs came out flying from the start and never looked back, netting four goals in each half and putting in a complete game effort. 

Six different Bulldogs scored on the day as there were many opportunities created for the road dogs. Jake McCabe ('23)  had a 4-point day scoring two goals and assisting on two others while Jacob Crugnale ('22) netted two goals of his own- including the goalazo of the day on a ripped left footed shot from just outside the box. Crugnale assisted on a 2nd half goal as well.

Each scoring once for the Bulldogs were:

Charlie McKinney ('22) (unassisted)

Caden Mirliani ('23) (assist- Zack Dowling)

Zack Dowling ('22) (assist- Crugnale)

Drew Garrett ('23) (assist- Jake Morgan ('22) 

Giovanni Ruggeri ('22) and Nick Ruggeri ('24) were strong in the Bulldog goal- only conceding a late first half penalty. 

The win comes on the heals of back-to-back losses last week to Oliver Ames (0-3) and Milford (0-2) and moves the squad's early season record to 2-2-1. 

The Green and White will host Taunton at 5:00pm on Wednesday and travel to North Attleboro for a 3:45 start on Friday. 

Dog's kick off 2021 Campaign with road draw and home win

The CHS Boys Soccer team kicked off the 2021 season this week earning a road draw and a home win.  Wednesday saw the squad head to Braintree and earn a 1-1 draw while Friday night saw the Dogs top a strong Franklin team, 2-0. 

Friday night's home opener was played in front of a supportive Bulldog crowd and the home side did not disappoint. After weathering a blistering start to the game by the Panthers, the Bulldogs gained confidence and more control of the game as time progressed with the two teams heading into halftime with the green and white beginning to create chances.

The 'Dogs came out flying in the 2nd half and converted twice in the first ten minutes.  The first came on a free kick from about 25 yards out, just right of center. Junior Jake McCabe (2023), who had earned the kick on a foul, calmly stepped up and hit an amazing strike over the wall and into the top corner. It was a class strike!  Roughly 5 minutes later, Dylan Baird (2022) found Jacob Crugnale (2022) who created just enough space at the top of the box to get a shot off and he made the most of it, burying it just past the outstretched hands of the Franklin keeper and inside the far post. 

Giovanni Ruggeri (2022) earned his first clean sheet of the season in goal with great defensive performances put in in front of him by Jay Kelleher (2022), Zach Dowling (2022), Carson Eagles (2023) and Charlie McKinney (2022). 

Wednesday's 1-1 draw at Braintree in non-league action featured Jake McCabe's first goal of the season on a beautiful head ball off of a Charlie McKinney corner kick. 

Click Here for highlights of game at Braintree

The team faces Hockomock Davenport powerhouse and defending champion Oliver Ames on Monday at home at 6:30pm.  Tickets available at https://events.ticketspicket.com/agency/6357f6e2-ee7a-4b8b-925e-4ae220d92fb1

Critical time in the fight for Connor Dobbyn

Back in 2019, the Bulldog Boys Soccer team dedicated a game in honor of Connor Dobbyn, the son of Bulldog Boys Soccer alumnus Michael Dobbyn ('95).  Nearly two years later, Connor is still fighting for his life against the awful disease- Sanfilippo Syndrome. He needs the help of Bulldog Soccer Nation.

Please see a message below from his parents.  It is so important that we help with donations and share the message. Thanks all. 

Hi to all of our supporters,

This is Connor’s parents, Marisa and Mike. We’re writing, first and foremost, because we want to THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts for your support since the release of our “Save Connor” video in October 2020. You have been integral in the fight to save our son’s life. Our family can never express how grateful we are that you would help us to cure Sanfilippo Syndrome and “Save Connor.”

Together, we’ve come so far, and your support has been humbling. This journey has been exhausting for our family, starting with the Sanfilippo Syndrome diagnosis in April 2019. Like any family, we initially needed to grieve for the life we thought we knew and come to grips with the new life we face. We went public with our story in August 2019 and the fundraising took off. We anticipated releasing our “Save Connor” video in March 2020, but the pandemic brought the world to a screeching halt. However, a cure can’t wait, so we decided last October that we couldn’t wait any longer and released it.

Fundraising so publicly is a grueling process, putting your family’s struggles out into the public in hopes of saving your child’s life. But we won’t give up.

We know you have been following along and joining our fundraising efforts, so we’re hoping that you’ll come through one more time. We need you to help us reach our goal and finish this struggle once and for all. We are making one final push: to reach $1M at SaveConnor.com by Connor’s birthday, giving him a chance at life.

Let us explain.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Connor’s 13th birthday is Monday, June 21st.

This is a pivotal time for Connor. We’ve begun to notice more symptoms and possible regression. Our fear is that he may be at the “top of the roller coaster” and is starting down. It’s unfortunate, but we can halt it. And soon.

Birthdays should be joyful occasions when parents celebrate the accomplishments their children have made in the past year, often talking of how they are “growing up too fast.”

For us, that’s not the case. For our family, each birthday is a painful reminder of the decline we will continue to see if something doesn’t happen soon. Turning 13 years old should not be so bittersweet, and we know come June 21st, the tears will flow. We plan for a positive outcome – we must. The alternative is just too painful.

We have done our best to keep you updated. The most recent news is that important contracts with clinical trial suppliers must be paid regarding materials to create the drug product. These steps must be completed now and can’t fall behind.

We need just a bit more and must reach $1M (by Connor’s birthday) to be able to fully pay for what is needed now.

We have hope that a grant submitted to the NIH will pay for the rest of the trial, beyond what needs to be funded now. For us, stopping this disease and keeping this trial on track just needs a little more funding.

You have carried us, and together we’ve raised more than $650,000 at SaveConnor.com. It’s incredible, and humbling, and just shy of enough.

So far, we’ve made it a point to not ask you to give again and again. Although, we know many of you have, and we are grateful for your generosity. But now, friends, we’ve run out of time. And in this disease, TIME is everything.

So we’ve decided to try to finish our near-term fundraising campaign in a single day: Monday, June 21st. For Connor’s 13th birthday, we’re asking all of the people who have so generously helped our family before to give one more time. To give him the gift of life.

We plan to raise the remaining $350,000 as his birthday gift, on this one day at SaveConnor.com. With more than 10,000 supporters, it not only “can” happen, it will.

It is ambitious, but you have already made us believers in the impossible. You’ve made us believe in happier birthdays for Connor’s future. We can see it. It’s no longer a far-fetched hope, but a very real possibility: Connor living and thriving in his teen years, high school, and adulthood.

To reach this goal, we need 7,000 supporters to give a $50 birthday gift or 3,500 to give a $100 gift on or by June 21st. This must happen now.

If you were planning to give again later in the year, please do so by or on June 21st. This is the time when we need your donation. Connor’s chance at a real future is one $350,000 birthday away. Curing this disease is within reach and in time for Connor.

Will you give this birthday gift of $50 or $100? Your gift gets us even closer to the goal. Also, can you recruit a few friends to do the same?

What better way to end this portion of the SaveConnor.com campaign than to reach the $1M need on Connor’s 13th birthday?

We always struggle with how to thank you, someone who is literally helping save our child’s life. Words simply aren’t enough, and we don’t know what sort of actions would be sufficient. We feel that you’d want us to thank you by simply spending quality time with Connor, hugging him, loving him, and making sure we are doing everything in our power to save him. I can assure you that we are, and we will.

Thank you with everything we have,

Marisa, Mike, and Keenan

SaveConnorNow@gmail.com
SaveConnor.com

P.S. You inspire us to press on. Please make Connor’s 13th birthday on June 21st the one we’ll remember for years to come!

#1day1goal    #SaveConnor

Coach George Thomas

George Thomas- former Bulldog soccer player and coach and an absolute giant of the Canton High School Boys Soccer family, died suddenly this past Thursday night and has left an enormous hole in the hearts of all who were touched by him.  He walked through his life never looking for the spotlight- if anything intentionally avoiding it- but ask anyone who knew him and they will tell you that he was always the brightest light in the room. 

Coach Jon Girolamo, Danny Erickson and 
George Thomas pre-game in 2010 State Semi-Final

George leaves behind so many different circles of families and friends who all feel the same way about this loss as we in the Bulldog Soccer family do. We are so, so sad that our dear friend has left us but we are all feeling so fortunate to have had him in our lives.  We extend our condolences and share in the same grief as his many other "families" including the Wheaton crew, Sunrise crew, Dream Street crew and countless others.  George made us all better people and made each of our communities kinder and more caring. 

As has been captured in so many social media posts already- George was an amazing husband, dad, son, brother, co-worker, teammate, and friend but I'd like to highlight here in our Bulldog Boys Soccer Blog just who he was to our program. 

George the player-  Let's start with the finish here. GT currently sits as the 7th leading scorer in the program's history, scoring 31 goals and doling out 18 assists in his CHS career.  As a sophomore, he was a huge part of our greatest-ever single season turnaround. After winning only three games during his freshmen year (1996) he helped us to our first-ever Hockomock League title in 1997 (17-3-1).  He scored one of the greatest and consequencial goals in CHS Soccer history on a diving header off a Robbie Conroy set-piece before jumping into AJ MacDonald's arms in the South Sectional Quarterfinal 2-1 win over Oliver Ames. (NOTE- he is still pissed at me that he was left off of the all-star team that year....He should have been on it- just one of the thousands of coaching mistakes I've made the past 30 years.)  Check out the goal in video link below:

(click here if no image above)

George would go on to lead the team to two more winning seasons and tournament appearances. He was awarded Hockomock League All-Star his Junior and Senior seasons and was named EMASS All-Star his Senior year.  He was a  huge part of a group of young men who set an amazing foundation for years of CHS Boys Soccer successes to follow. 

George Thomas- 1997

Our Bulldog family was so proud when he headed off to play for legendary coach Matt Cushing (RIP Cush) at Wheaton College where he was handed nothing and earned everything. George's story at Wheaton is one that every young soccer player would learn from.  It is one of the greatest examples I have seen in my life of perseverance leading to enormous success.  Georgie didn't become Wheaton captain and lead his team to the NCAA D3 Final Four through god-given talent.  He did it through grit.  George had grit before grit was all the rage.  Driving down to New Jersey to watch him play in the Final Four is still one of the proudest moments of my coaching career. 

George the coach- In 2004, fresh off his Wheaton successes, GT came home and joined the CHS Boys Soccer coaching staff as assistant coach.  He would stay in that role for nearly a decade, coaching nine seasons until work and family made it impossible for him to contribute at the level that was acceptable to him.  Georgie was the best assistant coach I have ever had and I have had some amazing assistants over the decades.  He was awarded the Eastern Massachusetts Assistant High School Coach of the Year in 2008- an award that he was too humble to easily accept- although he deserved it more than anyone. 

Tess Erickson and George Thomas V
at Canton Soccer School 2019.

George fully embraced the position of assistant coach and loved being in such a key role in our seasons. We traveled together to cities around the eastern half of the country to attend the National Soccer Coaches Convention each January.  We talked about tactics, formations, style of play, restarts, line-ups and most importantly- our boys- all the time.  We were always asking servers (at the coffee shop or pub) for extra sugar and Sweet & Low packets to move around the table as we "argued" over who to play where, and how to line them up.  We constantly looked to get better.  GT loved it all. It was so much fun and my memories of having Georgie as my coaching partner will be with me forever and will always make me smile.

The boys (alum) have been texting me the past couple of days since our loss of GT.  They are all hurting, but they are all sharing their fond memories. George has left all of us with so much. 

Coach George was also a fixture at Canton Soccer School each summer.  I know he loved it as much as I did. Camp week was another time where GT would make a huge impact.  It was really sad for me when he had to finally "grow up" and couldn't work camp anymore- but his presence has been with us there each summer since and will continue to be as long as we keep meeting each summer.  Having his son George become a camper in recent years made him so happy- and me too. 

The CHS Boys Soccer family will embrace and support George's family during this unfathomable time and long into the future.  To Ris, G5 and James- your husband/dad did so much for his Canton High Soccer community and we are ready to give back.  

Rest in peace Georgie. I love you and miss you already. I'll try to make you proud every day.  Go Dogs!

Please consider supporting the family in this time of need. A GoFundMe page has been established and can be found by clicking here. 

2021 Boys Soccer Captains Announced

Baird and Valdovinos

The Canton High School Boys Varsity Soccer team recently announced the naming of our captains for the 2021 season- Giovanni Ruggeri, Erik Valdovinos and Dylan Baird. 

We are thrilled to have these three young men leading our program.  They are all great leaders in their own unique ways and each of them will make a huge difference in our team's culture.  They are part of a great class of role models who are returning to the varsity team in 2021. 

Giovanni Ruggeri started in goal for the Bulldogs in all 12 games of the 2020 season posting 5 shutouts.  His goals against average during the regular season was a very impressive 0.8gaa. He emerged as a confident, vocal leader from his goal this past fall. He was honored by the Hockomock League as the best goalkeeper in the Davenport Division for the fine season. His soccer IQ and team-first attitude will serve him and his team well in the fall. 

Ruggeri

Erik Valdovinos was a dangerous attacking threat for the Bulldogs in 2020.  His presence in wide areas of the field helped to unbalance many opposing defenses.  His creativity on the ball and his explosive speed combined to earn him Hock All-Star status for the tremendous 2020 campaign. His work ethic and passion will make him a great captain in 2021. 

Dylan Baird was the linchpin in the Bulldog midfield. His contributions on both sides of the ball were key to the team's 2020 successes. His ability on the ball and his decision making on the ball combined to make him a key component to the team's style of play.  Dylan brings a calming yet penetrating attitude to the Bulldog attack. All of his teammates consider him a key leader on this team. 

This trio- all members of the CHS class of 2022- will look to lead what could be a special group to a special season in the fall. If you see them, be sure to with them well!