Sep 15, 2018 3 min read

The Canon-McMillan High School boys soccer team has again opened a season with a hot start, but unlike the previous two years, the Big Macs will try to avoid a midseason lull in 2018.

The Big Macs are currently 6-1 overall and 3-1 in Section 2-AAAA. Canon-Mac suffered its first loss of the season Saturday afternoon, to Upper St. Clair, 3-2.

“It has been a comprehensive team effort to start the year for us,” Fingers said. “We have had more depth than in previous years and the kids are really buying in this season. They have shown a lot of hard work and dedication this offseason preparing for the year. They know the expectations here and are ready for the challenge.”

Last season, Canon-Mac jumped out to a 5-0 start but finished off the regular season with a 5-6 mark.

They picked up a pair of postseason wins over Norwin (2-1 in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs) and Franklin Regional (3-1 in the quarterfinals), before suffering a 9-0 setback to North Allegheny in the semifinals.

The Big Macs season ended with a 2-1 loss to Pine-Richland in the third-place consolation match.

In 2016, Canon-Mac began the season with a 6-2 mark, but then ended the year on a 5-6 run, which included a 1-0 loss to Seneca Valley in the quarterfinals.

“You have to play a full season,” Fingers said. “You can’t have any lulls and you can’t take anything for granted. You have to bring the same energy to every match and practice every time out. When we won the (WPIAL) title in 2015, we did just that.”

One of the big keys to success for Canon-Mac this season has been their balanced scoring that has produced 27 goals in the first seven matches.

“My assistant coach told me the other day, so far we have had 12 different goal scorers,” Fingers pointed out. “I love that balance on offense and it really keeps the defense on their toes. They can’t single one guy out.”

Some of those potent offensive weapons are Tony Fonagy (eight goals) and Anderson Jones (five goals).

“We have started a lot of games fast, and if I had to guess, I would say we have scored 80 percent of goals in the opening 30 minutes of the match,” Fingers said. “We get the lead early and we protect it. We have a couple of unique set pieces and we have a solid counterattack.”

The Big Macs’ defense has also been stout, allowing only seven goals with two shutouts.

“It seems like over the past 20 years, a team from the South Hills has either won a WPIAL title or at least made it to the finals,” Fingers said. “We are in a competitive section and there are no easy games. We have to bring that winning mindset every night and focus on the small things in order to win games and be successful in this section.”

Canon-Mac hosts Mt. Lebanon in a section contest Tuesday at 8 p.m.