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.
