CHS boys soccer bows in state final after magical run

Senior Zach Dowling leaps for a head ball during the Division 2 state final versus West Springfield. (Mike Tureski photo)

A truly magical state tournament run — and a potential Cinderella story for the ages — ended instead with heartbreak and tears at Leominster’s Doyle Field as the 21st seeded CHS boys soccer team fell to the sixth-seeded West Springfield Terriers 2-0 in the MIAA Division 2 state championship game on Saturday.

Playing in their first state final in the program’s 38-year history, just days removed from pulling off an improbable upset victory over top-ranked East Longmeadow, the Bulldogs had the look of a team with destiny on their side. However, an early case of nerves and a couple of well-executed West Springfield throw-ins flipped the script as Canton found itself in catch-up mode for the remainder of the contest — albeit with minimal chances to show for it.

“I think everyone went into that game a little nervous — I was nervous leading up to the game,” acknowledged head coach Danny Erickson, himself a CHS soccer alum and a 29-year coaching vet. “Looking back at the game, I do think our soccer was a little bit different on the day than it had been, but I don’t think we were overmatched. And when we did settle down, especially in the second half, it was anybody’s ball game.”

Erickson said if anyone is to shoulder the blame for the slow start, it should be him. “Probably my top focus going into the game was to try to get our boys all feeling like this was just a soccer game, and we had done a real good job of that throughout the tournament run,” he said. “For some reason, I just wasn’t able to push the perfect buttons to get them in a super comfortable place at the start of that game.”

All in all, Erickson conceded it was a “bit of a dull final,” with neither team generating much in the way of scoring opportunities.

Unsurprisingly, Jake McCabe, an exceptional soccer talent who has played the hero for this team on countless prior occasions, had a few of the Bulldogs’ better looks and at times seemed to be trying to will the ball into the net. Other than his first-half header that went over the bar, McCabe also had a free kick with about eight minutes remaining in the contest that forced the West Springfield keeper into a low save and was briefly there for the taking after a rebound.

Erickson noted that it was sophomore Zaza Franceour, a key reserve, who created that chance after he was fouled at the top of the box. He also thought Franceour provided a nice spark when he came off the bench midway through the opening half. “Zaza sort of woke the team up a little bit,” he said.

Despite the agony of that final loss, Erickson said he could not be prouder of what his team accomplished this year and particularly during their history-making postseason run.

“If you told me when we were down 1-0 in the tournament opener at Woburn that we’d be in the state final I’d tell you that you have to get your head examined,” he said. “What these guys did from that moment on was nothing short of athletic and team excellence.”

The pinnacle of the run, of course, came last Wednesday at Assabet Valley Regional High School as the Bulldogs outlasted No. 1 East Longmeadow in the most thrilling fashion possible — winning in a PK shootout on a conversion in the fifth round by senior Charlie McKinney, preceded by a couple of huge saves by senior keeper Giovanni Ruggeri.

Earlier in the contest, with about two minutes to go in the opening half, McCabe put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard with an impressive strike to the far post. The Spartans would go on to tie it shortly after halftime, but Ruggeri came up big down the stretch with some monster saves and gutted out the shootout after suffering an injury in OT.

Unlike the championship game, Erickson said last week’s semifinal featured “chances galore” on both sides — right through the two overtime periods — and “just a ton of creative, attacking soccer.”

Erickson said the beauty of that game — and the whole season for that matter — was that several players stepped up and had a hand in the team’s success.

“I really think this entire tournament will be defined by different guys stepping up at different moments for us,” he said, pointing to the “huge” games by seniors Erik Valdovinos and Jacob Crugnale in the middle two rounds as well as the steady brilliance of the team’s backs and midfield corps. “So many guys throughout this journey took their turns.”

And while they may always wonder what could have been, Erickson said he has full confidence that the boys will come to appreciate the historic nature of their collective accomplishments and just how special they were this season.

“It was truly an amazing run for these kids,” said Erickson. “They played awesome; they played different types of opponents; they traveled almost 700 miles. It was pretty exhausting in the best way possible and I’m really proud of how they represented the community and the high school and their families.”

See this week’s Citizen for more photos from the Division 2 state final.

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