The JV girls faced the Gouverneur Wildcats, vying for the first place spot in the league on Oct. 1. The Bears were down two starting athletes with Reagan Kiah joining the varsity team to help in the absence of an injured Elaina Robert and an unfortunate early game ankle snap putting Ashlyn Beeles in a brace for the remainder of the season.
The defense struggled at the start with communication and marking, resulting in a 2-0 Wildcat advantage at the half. Despite these setbacks the girls played with high intensity and hustle in the second half.
Elena Abplanalp saw the corner of the net following a pass from Gigi Sergi and Sergi had the second goal on a drive up the middle by her sister, Mary. The Sergi sisters are a force in the center field and the Gouverneur coach commented on their effectiveness along with the relentless speed and aggression by “number 11” (Abplanalp). The Wildcats managed to put two more in although the Bears outshot them 23-11.
The Bears continued to play down a few key players on Oct. 4 as they faced the Malone Huskies on the road. While Hadley Green and Elena Apblanalp joined the varsity team this time, defensive starter Sydney Oshier was having a stellar performance against an aggressive forward when she snapped her ankle. This sent her off to urgent care and the Bears playing with even more disadvantage.
The Huskies monopolized on the opportunity and put one over the head of keeper Bradish-Hayes late into the second half. Despite good efforts at the end of the game the Bears couldn’t find the inside of the net.
The shortcomings didn’t put a damper on the weekend as the Lady Bears connected off the field on a sunny Sunday, Oct. 6. The girls met in neighboring town Russell for a 5K benefit to help a local woman in her struggles against breast cancer.
Leslie Whitton is the mother of three young girls, one a varsity soccer player at Hermon-DeKalb. Despite a lengthy and debilitating battle, Leslie and her girls all participated in the run and were an inspiration for perseverance and hope. It was an incredibly uplifting day and the girls were proud to represent Canton and support such an incredible cause.
The team wore their homemade pink tie-dyed Canton soccer t-shirts and raised over $300 for Leslie and her family.
“It was really inspiring to see Leslie run the whole thing,” said Olivia Bourdette, who stuck around for the music and fun at Shindigz on the River.
“It was a lot of fun to spend quality time with my team,” Kaitlyn Holbrook commented.
Coach French would like to especially thank the parents who gave rides all the way to Russell and some who even participated in the run- Sarah Coburn, Morgan Green, and Shandelle Clifford.
“This is the first time I’ve had a team do a community event like this and the turnout was better than I expected. This is really a stellar group of athletes with big hearts and a strong connection,” commented French. “It makes me grateful and proud.”
The Bears will finish their season in the next two weeks with games at home against Massena on Oct. 7, at OFA on Oct. 10, and on the new Canton turf field on Oct. 16 and Oct. 18 vs Potsdam and Salmon River.
