JV Rolls On With a 4-2 Win at Salem

On a cloudy day in southern New Hampshire, the JV boys ran away from the Salem Blue Devils in the second half to post a convincing 4 – 2 win.  The first team of juniors kept things scoreless, while not getting any serious offensive runs or shots themselves.  The sophomores entered at the 20 minute mark and allowed a goal when a free kick from 30 feet bounced around the goal until Salem finally nicked one off the third rebound to give them a 1 – 0 lead. 

The team kept playing with a lack of assertiveness, but the boys in maroon started to control the flow.  However, our many corner kicks led to much ado about nothing, and the Blue Devil lead was intact until the last minute of the half.  With the clock winding down, a weak defensive attempt to clear slid right to Jensen Dodge, who met the loose ball and sent a rocket below and away from the goalie to tie the game at 1 – 1.

The half time talk from the normally easy going Coach Callanan was not so easy going, and the boys took notice.  The second half was markedly different than the first, with Hanover playing with more intensity as they got after balls and sent things in forward motion right away, compared to being on our heels much of the first half.

Before long, a free kick from Sander Macaulay curled in from the right where it was met by an beautifully timed, sliding shot from Dan Healy that found the net with authority, and gave us a 2 – 1 lead.  The lead was short lived though, as Salem’s speedy strider Nikal Pekesh solidly headed in a corner to retie the game at 2.

But our boys were playing hard now, and you could feel that the game would end up being ours.  And it was.  We were moving well, and attacking offensively.  Jack Hazard took a hard foul inches out of the box, but the  free kick was rejected by the Salem wall.  A few offensive runs were negated by pushes and knockdowns the drew no whistles.  The intensity had been turned up.  It felt like a goal was bound to happen.  Luke Messersmith just went wide with a left foot ripper, then a great save off another Messersmith shot on the left post kept things tied.

Then, a break.  Macaulay’s long cross went to Sam Ives, who sent off a bounding ball that was misjudged, and the goalie went down just as the ball flopped over his head for a surprising, tie breaking goal.  3 – 2  Hanover. A free kick from Macaulay came in low and hard to seal the deal with only 5 minutes to play.  Final score 4 – 2 Hanover.

Next game is in a week at home, with Bedford at 4:00.  See you there.