Don Palma made his second goal with 24:50 left in the first half, but playing with a lead is the lesson the Cardinals didn’t experience from last season. The Cardinals went 2-10-3 in 2019.

This year, Canfield has outscored West Branch and Salem 13-2 in the first two games.

“Last year we couldn’t finish at all,” said senior captain Tyler Cole, who had two assists and a goal. “To start 13 goals in two games, that’s insane. We’re not playing easy teams. We’re not playing some team from who knows where. We’re playing Salem. We’re playing West Branch. We’re looking to carry that forward.”

The Cardinals (2-0) had that 5-0 lead heading into halftime, but only scored once in the second half.

Staff photographer / John Vargo Canfield's Zach Ahmed, left, holds possession as Salem's Tim Stephens defends. Ahmed and the Cardinals dominated the game, 6-0.

It’s something Salem coach Travis Zeigler takes a point of interest heading into the remainder of the Quakers’ season as his young Salem (1-2) team keeps learning.

“It was a defensive game,” Zeigler said. “We worked on shifting across, finding a man, man marking. They scored five goals in the first 20 minutes of the game. They scored one in next 60. You have to take defense away from it. I think the boys see it now.

“Moving forward, I think we’re in good shape on that end of it.”

Caiden Hart had eight saves as the Quakers’ wrestler turned keeper learned the finer points of the game.

Canfield dominated shots on goal, 14-3.

“First thing you tell any keeper in that situation is it takes 10 to get there,” Zeigler said. “It’s not all his fault. Also, we want him to be patient. He’s still learning, angles, where to go, when to come out, how to catch the ball. A team like Canfield, they’re coming at you with speed and hitting the ball hard. It’s something he hasn’t seen.

“I think what he did in the game and saves he made is what we focus on. That’s what he takes moving forward.”

Canfield senior captain goalkeeper Joey Backhaus had a couple of tip saves on a free kick and a close shot on goal with about 5 minutes left before halftime, accounting for a couple of his three saves.

“He plays lights out,” Canfield coach Christian Silvestri said. “They only had three or four opportunities. They’re not an awful team by any means. Our defense really played hard. They protected our goalie.”

With about 20 minutes remaining, the Cardinals pulled Backhaus and put in its backup keeper, sophomore Matt Hunter.

Everyone on the field and bench wants to support Hunter as he made his varsity appearance.

“It just shows they care about their team,” Silvestri said. “They’re ready to let the younger players to get some play time and, obviously let them know, the varsity players have their backs. It’s nice to see him get in. He was nervous. He played well. It was nice to for the team to rally behind him.”

Palma doesn’t take full credit for his two goals. He said it starts with his keeper, through the back, to the midfield and to Cole. There, Palma finds his opportunity to score.

When Hunter came in Wednesday, it was the same premise – make sure this Canfield team stayed as one unified force.

“When he came in, we made sure no one hit him,” Palma said. “We had his back. Everyone on this team has each other’s back.”