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.