CANFIELD SHINES ON THE BIG STAGE
Would it surprise you if I told you that The Canfield Cardinals girls soccer team is having
another successful season? Needless to say, The Cardinals have been the definition of success the past decade plus. Accumulating 11 consecutive All-American Conference (AAC) championships since 2012 while also collecting 6 district championships and 4 regional finals appearances in that same span! This year, so far, has been no different. As Canfield is perched atop the AAC with a perfect 5-0 record, they are also flying high with a 12-0-1 record entering Sunday’s match.
The Cardinals next test? The St. Marys Memorial Roughriders, from St. Marys, Ohio about fifteen minutes from Wapokoneta. The Roughriders have been no strangers to success either, with an impressive 75 wins since 2017, St. Marys Memorial has collected 6 consecutive seasons of 10 or more wins and entered Sunday currently with an 8-3-1 record. Both The Cardinals and The Roughriders got to meet at the beautiful Lower.com Field, home of the historic Columbus Crew.
On Sunday, during a beautifully warm October 1st the two teams took to the pitch and battled for momentum in the beginning moments. The Roughriders came out aggressive, keeping the ball on The Cardinals side of the field and forcing them to play defense. However, Canfield adjusted by the fifth minute of the first half and started applying the pressure to St. Marys. Hanna Wahib opened the scoring for The Cards with a goal halfway through the opening half to give Canfield the early 1-0 lead. The chess match continued on the field between the two programs, as The Cardinals were getting more shots on goal and keeping The Roughriders on their heels. Lorieona Jannone doubled the lead for Canfield with a goal late in the first half, making their lead 2-0. Not done there,
The Cards piled it on in the waning minutes of the half as Vivian Nohra and Maci Toporcer also grabbed goals to, once again, double Canfield’s lead 4-0 at the end of the half. Maci Toporcer would also grab the opening goal of the second half, her second on the day, to extend the lead for The Cards by a full five goals at 5-0. The Toporcer goal would be the last goal for either team of the day with Canfield shutting down The Roughriders offense in the second half as well, winning the match in Columbus 5-0!
Interviews with Player of the Match Maci Toporcer and Cardinals Head Coach Phil Simone can be found below! Canfield (13-0-1)(5-0) will return to conference action with a major match on the road against The Howland Tigers (10-3-2)(5-1) on Monday, October 2nd with a share of their 12th consecutive AAC crown on the line for The Cardinals! That match will also be found live-streamed for FREE on YSN!
