Canaan Christian Academy’s varsity soccer teams closed out another stellar campaign this past week with a Senior Day sweep of visiting Bloomsburg.
The Lady Eagles soared to a 4-2 victory in the opener, thus finishing up the season with an overall record of 11-1-3.
Canaan’s boys team rolled to a 3-1 win in the nightcap and wound up with a 12-5-3 mark.
Both squads are coached by longtime Athletic Director John Ashley.
“I can’t say enough about this group of young people,” he told TWI Sports. “They were an absolute joy to coach. These kids did everything that was asked of them without complaint. It’s extremely difficult to say goodbye to our seniors.”
CCA fans turned out in force to bid a fond farewell to: Ashley Eason, Kayla Smith, Shanequa Knecht, Leah Talerico, Ricky Grant, Matt Thompson, Brendan Lupyak, Courtney Swingle, Alisha Howell, Josiah Misiura.
While their scholastic soccer careers are now officially over, many of these players will be back in action later this month as member of the varsity basketball squads.
“These seniors balance their intensity with an enjoyment of the game,” said Coach Ashley. It’s the kind of thing that spreads through the whole team.”
The Opener
Emotions were running high Friday afternoon as coaches and players alike battled back tears in the moments leading up to Senior Day festivities.
The Lady Eagles took to the pitch under grey and threatening skies, looking to give the big crowd a reason to cheer....which didn’t take long at all.
Just two minutes into this contest, Canaan bolted out to a lead it would never relinquish.
Rebecca Farrell shook loose from a pair of Knight defenders and jetted down the sideline. CCA’s top scorer unleashed a perfect cross to teammate Rebekah Misiura, who tapped the ball home for a 1-0 lead.
Misiura returned the favor midway through the first half. Rebekah snared a corner kick and quickly dished the ball to Farrell at the 18. Rebecca ripped a shot past Bloomsburg’s keeper for a 2-0 advantage.
Farrell made in a 3-0 cushion at intermission. This goal came courtesy of an assist by Talerico at the 39:05 mark.
After the break, Coach Ashley made it his mission to give the seniors as much playing time as possible. It was a strategy that paid off quickly as Talerico and Kayla Smith each found their way into the scorebook.
Leah, who sees the majority of her time at the defensive end, found the back of Bloomsburg’s net in the 49th minute. She tallied off a pass from Smith, pushing CCA’s advantage to 4-0.
The Knights scored a pair of late goals to avoid the shutout.
“Our girls walked off the field fighting back the tears,” said an emotional Coach Ashley. “They knew they’d just played the last game of a great season.”
Score by Half...
CCA (11-1-3) 3 1 - 4
BLM (6-10-4) 0 2 - 2
The Nightcap
Canaan’s boys team went on the attack immediately, scoring two goals in the opening five minutes against the Knights.
Josiah Misiura used his speed to create the Eagles’ first goal. The senior forward faked out a pair of Bloomsburg players and left them in the dust. Josiah rocketed down the sideline and attacked the net.
Misiura drew the defense in, then chipped the ball high in the air toward the far post. Matthew Thompson appeared out of nowhere, launched himself skyward and headed the ball home.
Josiah’s sweet pass and Matthew’s acrobatic goal brought the big Senior Day crowd to its feet. Canaan had itself a 1-0 ad-vantage and the inside track to a memorable victory.
“This was quite a bittersweet experience,” said Coach Ashley. “We ended the season on a high note, but I’m really going to miss this group of seniors.”
Canaan kept the offensive pressure on, pinning Bloomsburg deep in its own end of the field. Ricky Grant made that pressure pay off when he scored off a pass from Joe Schweinsburg.
A talented young midfielder, Schweinsburg capitalized on a Knights’ mistake and hit Grant with a pinpoint pass. Ricky one-timed the ball into the net, giving the home team a 2-0 lead.
Defensively, Raul Salavarria and Nathan Kilian made those two goals stand up.
Salavarria kept the Knights at bay from his sweeper position. Kilian was making his first-ever start at keeper and played a pitched a shutout in the opening half.
Nathan was eventually relieved by Joe Chupick after the break and the two keepers combined to stop 9-of-10 shots.
Rain began to fall in earnest at intermission and the two teams settled in for a messy 40 minutes of action.
Midway through the second half, Canaan made got an insurance goal courtesy of Misiura. Josiah snagged a pass from Grant at the top of the 18. With his back to the Bloomsburg net, Misiura faked left and spun hard to his right.
This pirouette left the defender spinning his wheels in the mud. Josiah bore down on the net and blasted a missile past the keeper.
The goal came just 2:35 into the second half and gave the Eagles a solid 3-0 lead.
Eli Amick helped the visitors avoid a shutout, scoring Bloomsburg’s lone goal at the 24:45 mark of the second half.
Zach Stiner carded 10 saves for the Knights.
Canaan outshot Bloomsburg by a margin of 13-10.
Score by Half...
CCA (12-5-3) 2 1 - 3
BLM (11-9-0) 0 1 - 1
