Streaking boys soccer team on cusp of playoff berth

By Jay Turner

With a win and two draws last week, the Canton High boys soccer team extended its unbeaten streak to a season-high seven games while giving itself a bit of a cushion heading into an action-packed final two weeks.

Sophomore Paul Corcoran (Mike Barucci photo)

Entering play on Monday, the Bulldogs were still in first place in the Davenport Division by the slimmest of margins at 5-3-2 and needed just three points (a win and a tie) to qualify for the Division 2 south sectional tournament. However, head coach Danny Erickson stressed that there were “literally no guarantees” with six games left over a 12-day span, including one apiece against all of their division opponents.

“I think it’s going to be a dogfight right to the end,” predicted Erickson, who is eyeing a return to the postseason after a down campaign in 2015.

The good news, said Erickson, is that the team is now finally starting to get healthy and has put itself in a good position with its recent unbeaten streak.

And even when the Bulldogs have not played as well as they are capable of — such as last Thursday’s game against Oliver Ames or Saturday’s contest against Randolph — they have still been able to come away with a favorable result.

In the OA game, for instance, the Bulldogs had their share of struggles against the Tigers’ pressing attack but battled valiantly en route to a scoreless draw. Junior goalie Abe Garber played great against the defending Division 2 state champs, earning his fourth shutout of the season.

Two days later, the Bulldogs turned in an uneven performance against the Blue Devils of Randolph, but they also put three goals in the net and held on for the 3-2 victory.

Sophomore Griffin Roach scored the game winner with seven minutes to go in the second half, and senior Cole Duserick buried his first goal of the season, assisted by Dillon Anderson. Senior captain Sammy Papakonstantino, who recently returned from an injury that he suffered in the preseason, also had a goal for the Bulldogs in the victory.

Earlier in the week, Papakonstantino announced his return to the lineup with a stellar performance against nonleague Marshfield, finishing with a goal and an assist in an eventual 2-2 draw. Sophomore Paul Corcoran scored the other goal for the hosts, his team-leading seventh of the season.

While the team had several other chances to score in the game, Erickson said it was by far their best performance of the week and he will gladly take tie against a tough nonleague competitor like Marshfield.

The bottom line, said Erickson, is that the team has been able to stay out of the loss column and he has been very proud of their performance to date.

“We’ve been very hot and cold in our season and have been fortunate to be able to get results even when we’re hot and cold, which says something about this team,” he said. “But if you told me in the preseason that this team would go seven games in a row without a loss, I’d say, ‘Alright, we’ll take it.’”

Now it’s up to the Bulldogs to seal the deal as they embark on a road-heavy stretch to close out the season, including games this week against North Attleboro, Milford, and tomorrow night against Sharon. The team will then play its final home game next Monday against Foxboro, followed by an away game next Thursday against Stoughton and a season-ending showdown with Mansfield next Friday at Gillette Stadium.

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