Despite a lack of subs in their first game of the season, the JV girls dominated against OFA in the annual Ogdensburg tournament. With only six practices into the season and 12 girls eligible to play they still overpowered the Devils and came out ahead with an 8-1 win.
Daphne LaPierre not only managed to score her first JV goal but put in two goals for the Bears, assisted by returning sophomore Kaitlyn Holbrook and freshman Ashley Aldous. Aldous also scored two goals in her first JV game coming to the team as a speedy, strong striker.
Mamie Coburn played for the JV last season as a seventh grader and returns with formidable skill. She assisted one of Aldous’ goals and fired one in herself assisted by Holbrook. Holbrook had yet another assist to Madison Ayrassian whose aggression and skill shined and prompted a move to the varsity level. Ayrassian also had an assist to Gigi Sergi who scored on an impressive run following a pass from Ayrassian. Sergi is a young seventh grader but has proven that she has the confidence, skill and speed to contribute greatly to the JV team. Her sister, Mary, also advanced up from the modified team and assisted sophomore captain Reagan Kiah with her goal.
The defense continues to shine with the experience of sophomores Olivia Bourdette, Sydny Oshier, and keeper Emma Bradish-Hayes. Freshman Kaydence Locke also shows potential as she joins the Junior Varsity and rounds up the season start tournament team for the Bears.
The first league match was on a rainy Saturday as the Canton Bears traveled to Gouverneur to face the Wildcats who had a dominating season last fall. The Bears immediately recognized the strength of the Wildcats offense including Peyton Wood, known for her strong finishes and multiple goals. Wood scored in the first minute of the game and the pressure was on to man mark her.
The defense played hard in the first half of the game and Bradish-Hayes had multiple saves for the Bears as the Gouverneur offense worked relentlessly. Kiah also had some nice saves as she stepped up to play keeper following an injury to Bradish-Hayes. The Bears offense had equal chances though and finally put one in as Gigi Sergi used her speed to get in front of the Wildcat defense making a strong pass up the middle to Elena Abplanalp who put it in the net. The half ended 2-1 with hopes for a strong second half.
Unfortunately the Bears decided to play the middle of the field more the second half and let up their guard on Wood. Rather than man marking, the move to a zone defense left her open to score and the Wildcats came out ahead with a 4-1 finish.
The Bears were ready for a rematch with Gouverneur for the championship game of the OFA tournament a week later on Sept. 9. This time the Bears came on strong defensively and were motivated to man mark as needed, contain the crosses, and fill the gap in the middle caused by the need to mark Wood again. Bradish-Hayes was a rock star in the net making 10+ saves for the Bears.
The Wildcats outscored the Bears this time by only one point, 2-1, but they definitely didn’t outperform. The Gouverneur coach, Shawn Typhair, commented on the skill, aggressiveness and smart plays made by the Bears and it was apparent that the teams were an even match.
By rotating the middle man line-up between Mamie Coburn, Ashlyn Beeles, Mary Sergi, and Ashley Aldous the Bears kept fresh feet at the marker, sweeper, stopper and striker positions. This fab four created a center that the Wildcats struggled to push through. Hannah Ames and Olivia Bourdette also had amazing performances blocking crosses. Overall the entire team stepped up their game to make it exciting to the end. The lone goal for Canton was made by the Sergi sisters, Gigi with the finish assisted by Mary.
On Sept. 10 the JV girls matched up against Malone on their home field. Elena Abplanalp started the scoreboard on a perfect penalty shot to the back corner of the net. Ashley Aldous had the second goal with a rocket shot following a pass from midfielder Hadley Green.
The winning goal came from Gigi Sergi’s speed and finesse allowing a breakaway goal in the second half. The game ended 3-2 with especially noteworthy performances by Sydney Oshier, Mary Sergi, Hannah Ames, Aldous, and Abplanalp.
“We’ve been working on fast feet, aggression, short passes, and controlling the ball while visualizing the field and these girls really showed a grasp for that with determination during this game. Elena Abplanalp and Hannah Ames played amazing defense even though they have skill and desire for offense so I appreciate their willingness to be diverse players,” stated Coach Kim French. “We’ve had some great additions to the team and I look forward to watching and helping their growth while appreciating the modeling of those seasoned players. It should be a successful season.”
