Head Coach of the Girls’ Soccer team Kristin Cannon will be leaving at the end of this school year. Head of Athletics Richard Corso shared the news in an email on May 5 to the Poly community, including students, faculty, and parents. 

“There are not really words to explain my experience at Poly. I’ve learned so much from the people around me and I have been given the space to grow and take on so many challenges while here,” Cannon wrote in an email to the Polygon. In Corso’s letter, he detailed that “Cannon has accepted a position at Springfield College as the new Head Women’s Soccer Coach and will also serve as the Assistant Professor of Physical Education and Health Education.” 

The letter also shared Cannon’s coaching accomplishments from her four years at Poly: “In her time at Poly, she coached our Girls’ Soccer program to their first NYSAIS championship in 2018 and repeated it again in 2019 when the team clinched both the Ivy Prep League and NYSAIS trophies — another new record. Today, four of her Poly players are playing Division 1 soccer and two seniors are headed to Division 3 teams in the fall.” 

Cannon has been involved in many different operations throughout her career at Poly. “I value the team concept and working in teams, and my time at Poly has given me the honor of collaborating with so many different teams from soccer to MS basketball to our COVID team to many different committees,” she said.

Besides training, coaches play a significant role in nurturing the character of their players. “She really taught me the value of hard work, and working not only for yourself, but for an entire team,” said junior Zoe Wells.

Cannon coached some players all through high school but equally impacted those who worked with her for just one season. Eighth-grader Anna Brandmeyer was one such player. Brandmeyer wrote in an email to the Polygon, “She made it so we all looked forward to practice and felt valued on the team. I’m so thankful that I got the opportunity to have her as a coach and I know that the fun and intensity she brought to the team will be continued in the following seasons.” 

Junior Nicole Bogdanos has been coached by Cannon since her eighth-grade year. Bogdanos said, “Coach Cannon did more than coach the girls soccer team. She was a role model and a mentor for every girl, whether she was doing the brutal preseason running with us, welcoming a large and loud group of girls into her childhood home, or simply giving looks of encouragement from the sideline. Not only did she lead this team to two NYSAIS championships, but more importantly she inspired all of us to be better today than we were yesterday, and better tomorrow than we are today. ”

For the Girls’ Soccer preseason, Cannon formed an annual trip to Rhode Island to strengthen their soccer skills and for the team to bond. Junior Haley Clayton said, “She’s the best soccer coach I’ve ever had hands down. When I was new to Poly she made a point to have me included in all the Zoom calls and COVID practices [and] challenges which helped me so much in adjusting to Poly…I think she had an amazing team-first mentality and always did what she thought was the best for the team…sometimes she gave us days off instead of more training, and in Rhode Island assigned roommates to make us closer as a team and not just choose who we were already friends with.”

As Poly looks for her replacement, Corso wrote in his email to the Poly community, “Dr. Cannon will help us through this transition and search for our next Athletic Director and Girls’ Soccer Coach.” 

“The soccer team means everything to me,” Cannon wrote. “We have built a program rooted in a strong culture and deep foundation thanks to the commitment and belief of so many. I know they will continue to welcome new players and coaches and nurture the family who are already here.”

Additional reporting by Allie Weiser