Heather Canny spent her sophomore season keeping stats for Lockport. But now, the junior forward is back to piling up stats for the Porters.
After missing last spring with a torn ACL, Canny has returned to the field feeling more than ready to go.
“I had a whole year off, so I was really eager to get back out there,” Canny said. “It was hard not to be able to get out there last year. I still came to every game and I loved watching them. I was happy to watch them. I was the stats girl and I had fun with that.
“It’s a nice change, though, to be playing with them again.”
Canny is displaying no signs of rust, either. She scored six goals for Lockport (4-1) in five games at the Windy City Ram Classic, leading the Porters to a runner-up finish in the 32-team tournament.
“She’s got a lethal foot,” Lockport coach Todd Elkei said of Canny. “When she just turns and puts it on frame, she’s really dangerous. It’s really great to have her back on the field, and she’s a big part of our offense.”
Canny is excited to be surrounded by a bunch of other skilled players, including junior defender Brinlee McNabb, a Milwaukee recruit who also missed last season with a torn ACL and spent plenty of time with Canny on the bench.
“There’s so much talent and we all know each other,” Canny said. “We’re all familiar with each other, we have great chemistry, we can move the ball around and we always know where we want it to go.
“I think that’s going to work really good for us.”
Canny played on the varsity as a freshman before suffering the injury during her club season in October 2021. She was able to get back on the field last summer.
“There was a lot of physical therapy — a lot of working on my own and making sure I did what the physical therapist told me,” Canny said. “The whole goal was just to get back playing as fast as I could. That’s all I wanted.
“I took everything really seriously and I got back in eight months.”
Canny’s comeback felt fully complete after she recorded a hat trick in a 7-0 win over Hancock during Lockport’s second game of the season.
Finding the net for the first time since the injury was a particularly special moment.
“That first goal was amazing,” Canny said. “There was no other feeling like that. I was just so happy to be back with my team and everything. It was just great.”
Warrior way: Lincoln-Way West (5-1) has gotten off to a tremendous start, outscoring its opponents 19-1. Freshman goalkeeper Cora Franczyk has had immediate success, helping the Warriors record five shutouts, including a big 1-0 win over Andrew.
Nora Gaffney, Kylie Murphy and Ava Peterson have led the offense.
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The victory over the Thunderbolts provided a small measure of revenge as Andrew ended the Warriors’ season last year, beating them 2-0 in a regional championship game.
Lincoln-Way West hopes to go much further this year.
“The goal is to win a regional championship this year and then continue in the playoffs as far as possible,” Warriors coach Joe Stephens said. “We just need everyone to play their role to the best of their ability.”
Fantastic freshman: Freshman forward Calli Edwards has made an immediate impact for Mother McAuley (4-0-1).
Edwards has already scored 13 goals, including a six-goal outburst March 20 in a 7-0 win over Tinley Park.
Edwards is a huge addition to a team that also has plenty of experience, returning 10 starters. The Mighty Macs expect to improve greatly upon last season’s 8-10-1 finish.
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
