Crugnale and Valdovinos heading to Colllege soccer pitch

The Canton High School Athletic Department and the CHS Boys Soccer program are thrilled to announce that Jacob Crugnale and Erik Valdovinos have each committed to continue their soccer and academic careers at successful New England colleges in the fall. 

Crugnale and Valdovinos have each had great CHS soccer careers culminating in a run to the MIAA D2 State Championship game during this- their senior year. Valdovinos had a career game in the first round of the MIAA state tournament scoring two goals and assisting on a third in the team's 3-1 win over Woburn.  Crugnale followed with perhaps his best career performance in the next game, scoring a hattrick in a 4-0 drubbing of highly touted Agawam High School.   These two young men played their best in the biggest moments of their careers. They have left a great mark here at CHS. 

Jacob Crugnale-

Jacob Crugnale with coach Danny Erickson

Jacob is headed to Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston to play for the Leopards, who are coached by CHS Soccer alum Connor Erickson- class of 2004.

He will join Leopard captain Paolo Ruggeri- a CHS soccer standout who graduated in 2019.  The Leopards have been a consistent threat in the competitive Commonwealth Coast Conference since Erickson took over the program a decade ago. Crugnale will certainly add another attacking threat for the team this fall.  Jacob's ability to get himself out of trouble when under pressure coupled with his finishing ability certainly make him a player to watch for the Leopard in 2022.

He scored 12 goals and added 5 assists for 15 points his senior year. He was honored as an EMASS All-Star for his stellar junior year season as well. 

Jacob had this to say upon his official announcement- "I'm excited to head to the next level of my athletic career and I thank those who have pushed me forward to become the best me so far."

Erik Valdovinos- 

Erik is headed to Franklin Pierce University to join the Ravens who are a perennial national power in NCAA D2 men's soccer.  It is a HUGE deal to have Erik joining the Franklin Pierce program. They are truly one of the elite men's soccer programs in the entire nation. They play a very high level and are consistently in the mix for a D2 national title. Erik will bring speed, skill, strength and finishing ability to the Ravens.

Erik Valdovinos with his mom and coach Erickson

He has been a major scoring threat for the Bulldogs over the past two seasons. If you caught any Bulldog games this past fall- #7 certainly would have caught your eye. He scored 11 goals and assisted on 5 more for a total of 16 points this past season. He also provided excellent leadership to a team that really came together as one late in the season. He earned All-Hock Honors in both his junior and senior seasons. 

Erik had this to say upon his official announcement-

"I'm very excited to be suiting up next year for the NE10 Tournament and Regular Season Champions as well as top-15 nationally ranked side Franklin Pierce University. None of this would be possible without the help of my coaches and teammates pushing me to become the best athlete I can be. But most importantly I wan to shoutout and say thank you to my parents for always providing me with love and support with everything I do."