Junior Varsity Take a Sweet 3-1 Win at Exeter

 It was hot on the field, but the small gathering of Hanover fans enjoyed the shaded bleachers, especially in the second half. Exeter broke in at the game’s 15-minute mark, on a long, high shot that glanced just over the outstretched arms of the leaping goalie Harry Olszewski, and Exeter nursed the 1-0 lead  through the entire half. Exeter, early on, like Concord in the previous match, moved the ball a bit too easily until the group substitutions of predominantly sophomores settled things and had a couple of good shots that just missed the mark. Still, we went into the break down a goal, and had not scored. That was to change. 

The second half began with increased Marauder intensity on display, as the midfield of Jack Hazard, Alvaro Cooper, George Geraghty and Casey Starr started and continued making things happen. The game had moved to the Exeter half of the field more often than not. Then, finally, a killer corner kick from Luke Messersmith on the not-so-wide pitch, curled into the goal for the tying goal. From there, a team that seems to ride on emotion and momentum was fired up. Soon thereafter, a series of passes that started on a short defensive clear, led to two sweet feeds, from the feisty Hazard to Starr, who deftly slid an assist to Robbie Murdza filling the space from the right side towards the middle, where he met the pass and fluffed the nets with a strong boot that gave Hanover a lead they would not relinquish. 2 – 1 for the marooned ones. 

 Later, the deal was sealed when a PK by Sander Macauley came in low and inside the left post with 10 minutes left, which allowed the visitors to exhale and relax. Final score, 3 – 1 Hanover, and the lads went to 2 wins along with 1 heartbreaking loss in this young season. Besides those already mentioned, a fine performance was put in by defensemen Jack Pattison, Lucas Adams-Blackmore, Addison Wanner, Inigo Panos, and others. Especially in the second half, Exeter just could not get through. Along with the outcome of the varsity game just behind our field, it was probably a nice bus ride home together. Bring on the weekend!