Marauders Open With A 1-0 Win Over Bishop Guertin

By Jared Pendak
Valley News Staff Writer

Friday, August 29, 2014
(Published in print: Saturday, August 30, 2014)

Hanover — After losing more than three-fourths of its total scoring production from last year’s undefeated state championship squad, one of the biggest questions facing the Hanover High boys soccer team this season is where its goals are going to come from.

With six seconds remaining in Friday’s season opener against Bishop Guertin, at least one answer finally came for the Marauders.

Sophomore striker Sam Strohbehn —the younger brother of 2013 Hanover graduate and former Marauders leading scorer Ian Strohbehn — uncorked a left-footed beauty from the left side in the final seconds, beating Cardinals goalie Ryan Schweizer for a 1-0 Hanover win in the season opener for both teams.

After a pass from the right wing by active defender Cian Kelly, junior Ian Caldwell sent a well-placed crossing pass to Strohbehn. The sophomore tapped the ball behind a defender and then ripped a lifted shot that tucked into the right side of the net for his first career goal. It was the 20th shot of the game for Hanover, which had a number of quality chances, but sent the ball clanging off a post of or high over the net. “We were getting shots, but not goals, the whole game,” said Caldwell, one of eight backups from 2013 who started for Hanover on Friday. “We finally got one on the board there at the end. (Kelly) sent in a great ball and Sam had a couple of great touches.”

For reasons both on and off the field, the score was a long time coming. Guertin’s bus broke down on Interstate 89 in Sunapee, forcing Cardinals parents to caravan the players in multiple trips and delaying the start of the game by 1 hour, 10 minutes.  After kickoff, Bishop Guertin’s defense was the main catalyst for the goose eggs on the scoreboard as Cardinals coach Paul Ostberg jam-packed the back line. Guertin yielded no shots on net, and made life difficult for a Marauders team striving to find chemistry with its new lineup. A tie would have felt like a victory for the Cardinals, who were 1-15 a year ago.

“Tactically, Bishop Guertin did what I would have done, too, if I were coming off that kind of season and coming in to Hanover,” Marauders coach Rob Grabill said. “They sat back, never went to the goal and stayed behind the ball. That would have frustrated a lesser team, but our guys stayed composed. We didn’t start chirping at each other, we didn’t commit any stupid fouls. I’m glad that the winner was such a beautiful goal. They really earned the result that they got.”

Hanover had plenty of chances, applying consistent pressure from the offensive end. Its first major scoring opportunity came nine minutes in and may have been its best chance until the winner. Caldwell — who was in the middle of things all game long — sent a crossing pass that Jamie Dinulos dove forward to head in stride. It just missed the right post. Later, strong bids by Seth Stadheim and senior defender Luke Strohbehn also went wide.

In the second half, the Marauders kept the tempo high and nearly scored on Jonah Levine’s shot off the right post. Levine later set up Kelly for an offering going over the net and through the football field goal posts. Kelly lowered his aim, but not enough, moments later when he put one off the cross bar. “I told the players, ‘Let’s not forget about the header by Jamie or the ball that hit the post,’ ” Grabill said. “As difficult as Bishop Guertin made things, we had plenty of chances.”

The Marauders were 19-0-1 last season while outscoring opponents 66-5. They lost three of the top 11 scorers in program history in All-American Daniel Hazlett (41 goals, 24 assists—65 career points; now playing at Dartmouth College), Rocco Linehan (25-22—47) and Xavier Tchana (30-12—42). Starting goalie Andrew Bynum and former stalwarts Evan Greenwald, Sam Carey, Jack Lightbody and Thomas LaPorta are also gone. Much of that nucleus had played together since youth league and for several seasons as varsity starters. Senior defender and co-captain Andrew Kazal acknowledged that the team is in search of a new identity. “It’s not the same as last year, because those guys had been playing together for a long time and we don’t really have that yet,” Kazal said. “We’re trying really hard to (establish) our own chemistry now.”

Free Kicks: The cause of Bishop Guertin’s bus breakdown was overheating because of an oil leak, according to Cardinals coach Paul Ostberg. ... Hanover was whistled offside twice in the first half, much to the consternation of its coaching staff. ... The Marauders had four corner kicks to none for Guertin. ... Schweizer made four saves for the Cardinals. Hanover’s Konrad Mitchell did not need to make any, but gathered a number of loose balls and launched a couple of towering drop kicks. ... The Marauders play three of their first four games at home, with 2013 semifinalist Concord coming to Merriman-Branch Field on Wednesday. Hanover beat the Crimson Tide 1-0 on the road in the semis last November.