Canfield, Simone scratch out a victory against Poland, 2-1

By Jon Moffett

The Cardinals rallied from a 1-0 halftime deficit.

POLAND — Canfield High soccer coach Phil Simone is going to need a lot of throat lozenges if the season keeps going the way it has for the past week.

Simone’s boys team managed a last-minute goal to tie Howland Tuesday, and Thursday, the girls team slipped past Poland, 2-1, in an All-American Conference game. After both games, his throat was so sore he was barely able to speak.

“It’s always good to get a win over Poland,” Simone said. “This is my first season as the girls coach, but I know this rivalry is always fierce. To get a win over them is just tremendous.”

Cheered on by a boisterous student section, Poland started aggressively and put a lot of pressure on Canfield. The Bulldogs spent a majority of the first half on Canfield’s side of the field and held the edge in shots, 13-4.

Poland’s Jordan Palumbo, a junior, attacked the net early and often in the first half. Midway through the half, Palumbo’s shot bounced off the crossbar and back into play. Teammate Becky Hanna, a senior, attempted to kick the ball in, but her shot also bounced off the bar before being scooped up by Canfield’s goalkeeper Anokha Padubidri.

Hanna later scored a goal with 20:07 left in the first half. Poland held onto the 1-0 lead going into halftime.

Canfield’s Molly Martin, a senior captain, tied the score just under two minutes after the start of the second period.

With a few minutes left in the game, Poland was awarded a corner kick. The ball was kicked in play, and a Poland player shot the ball, which hit the crossbar and came straight down. It appeared as if the ball had crossed the goal line, but the referee didn’t make a call. Padubidri smartly picked up the ball and sent it down the field.

“It looked like the ball had crossed the line,” said Poland coach John Cavalier.

Canfield’s Rachel Morris kicked in the go-ahead goal with 1:05 left, and the Cardinals were able to hold on.

“It felt amazing,” Morris said of the goal. “We all played our hardest and came out as a team tonight.”

Cavalier didn’t agree with the no-goal call, but he didn’t use it as an excuse for the loss.

“We’re 3-4, and in three of those games we’ve dominated,” Cavalier said. “We pounded the goal tonight ... we just don’t finish.”

Canfield had some extra motivation for the win. Simone said longtime trainer and assistant coach Mark Seiser, whose niece plays on the team, passed away last month. At halftime, Simone instructed his team to win the game for Seiser.

This was the first of two matchups between the two schools. Poland will travel to Canfield later in the season to look for revenge.

“It’s disheartening,” Cavalier said of the loss, “but we play them again and we’ll give them a battle. It’s only one game, and I tell the girls to just take it one game at a time.”

jmoffett@vindy.com