The Marauders earned an important early-season victory on Wednesday, beating a physical Concord team 2-1 in a rematch of last year's NHIAA Semifinal. Both teams have been hit hard by graduation losses, and this matchup gave each team the opportunity to show their progress in the rebuilding process. Round one went to Hanover on the strength of two goals by junior Asa Berolzheimer and a good showing by a determined Marauder defense.
Concord followed in the footsteps of Bishop Guertin, last Friday's opponent, by showing up late. Perhaps it's best not to travel to Hanover from Concord via Keene. Both teams had ample time to warm up, and before the crowd had even settled into their seats, Jamie Dinulos had put the ball in the back of the Concord net, heading home a cross from Sam Strohbehn. Somehow, the play was judged to be offsides. Can't wait to see the film. From there the first twenty minutes were a stalemate, with Concord holding a slight territorial edge. Midway through the half, Hanover went to the bench and was ready to sub in Noah Kahan for Dinulos, Seth Stadheim for Sam Strohbehn, and Josh Wallace for Asa Berolzhimer. Hanover earned a corner, and the subs were waved in. "Wait, Josh," said Grabill.
"Asa's been working on these corners. Let him take this." Boom. Goal. Berolzheimer's rocket into the box glanced off a Concord defender and found the back of the net. It was a 1-0 lead that Hanover never lost, and Wallace then happily replaced Asa.
Neither team had many more chances in a half that featured a total of four total shots between the two teams, and 15 fouls. Tim Alibozek his a shot/cross from the right flank that was tipped over the bar by Crimson Tide goalkeeper Andrew Grondin, and burly Concord striker Dylan Thomson hit a hard free kick that squeezed through the Marauder wall and was well-handled by Hanover netminder Konrad Mitchell. Not far from then end of the half, Stadheim was spring on a breakaway and was fouled from behind at the edge of the Concord penalty area. Red card, right? It was yellow instead, and Berolzheimer's resulting free kick went P-Lot.
Unsurprisingly, Hanover gained an edge in play coming out of the break and did a nice job generating some good offensive chances. Ian Caldwell, back in the lineup after sustaining a hard knock in the first half, sailed a hard shot over the bar. Concord's defense bent but didn't break, and so Berolzheimer decided to go over and around them instead of through them, teeing up a long shot that in all likelihood was intended to be a cross. He'll never tell. His high, arching shot from near the right touchline sailed across the face of the goal and amazing clanked off the far upright and went side netting on the other side with 25 minutes to play.
The Marauders managed the match from there, continuing to look for counterattacks as Concord pressed forward. Several offsides penalties negated some good possibilities, but Hanover maintained the necessary composure to withstand some rough play from the visitors, who also were pretty vocal when they thought their rights were being infringed. Neither team distinguished itself in the chirping department, but Hanover's maturity when the going got tough was a decisive factor in the match.
Concord pulled back a goal with less than four minutes to play, with striker Jack Silverstein managing to elude a Marauder defender and push a short shot past Mitchell to ensure a frantic final three minutes. Hanover did a fine job playing out the string, and earned the right to celebrate at the final whistle with a hard-earned win. It wasn't pretty, but it was a result.
"These teams will both be around at the very end of the season." commented Grabill. "It was nice for us to get the win while we're learning on the job, and I like our chance to be the more improved team the next time we see each other." Hanover now has three wins and a draw against Concord since the Marauders promoted themselves to Division One. But it's definitely a rivalry.
There's no rest for the weary Marauders, who take to the road on Friday for a trip to Exeter. The Blue Hawks are a perennial power in Division one, and are the only Division One program to have won three titles in a row, which happened a decade ago. Hanover edged Exeter in overtime last year. Departure time on Friday is 1:05 p.m. Next Tuesday, the Marauders will return home to face Londonderry, another potential top four team.
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