When Hanover beat Manchester Memorial Tuesday night, it ended a three-week stretch between wins. Less than 24 hours later the Marauders have a winning streak, having celebrated their return home to Merriman-Branch field with their second straight 3-0 victory, dispatching Nashua North 3-0.
Last night, the Marauders worked hard to beat a team with a 2-7 record. Nashua North came to Hanover with a 6-4 mark, and wins over Keene, Alvirne and Salem, and were dominated. The Marauders did not allow the Titans a single shot on goal, and launched 20 of them at the Nashua North net. Hanover had seven corner kicks, most of them dangerous, and scored on a corner for the second straight night. The Marauders are now 7-3-1 and in a tie for 6th in the NHIAA Division One standings. They are a good win or two away from the promised land of a top four finish with five regular season games remaining.
For the second day in a row, the Marauders scored early in the first half, registering the game-wining goal on a corner kick play. After two earlier short corners had produced great chances, Asa Berolzheimer launched his 723d corner kick of the season, and his driven inswinger was headed home with shock and awe by Ian Caldwell. It was his second goal in two games and third of the season. Not satisfied with one goal the Marauders pressed hard for another. Berolzheimer had several good looks, including a nice-looking drive on a free kick. His best bid was a breakway that was well saved by Nashua South goalkeeper Brett LeBlanc, who came bravely off his line to smother the ball at Asa's feet. Seth Stadheim had his bad-angle shot save by LeBlanc's face on another desperate dive.
At the other end of the field there was......nothing. Hanover's back four, intact again with the return of Cian Kelly to the starting lineup, did an excellent job winning balls at midfield and penning the Titans in their own end, and they generated little offense, no shots on goal, and one corner kick that was easily shooed away. Once again, the midfield trio of Caldwell, Berolzheimer and Jonah Levine did a splendid job of winning balls, maintaining possession with a series of short passes, and restarting the offense.
Leading only 1-0 after the half, the Marauders were reminded that their typical second-half strength would not come automatically. They were encouraged to take advantage of their depth and play a high-pressure game, and the strategy seemed to work. Before the half was over, every healthy field player on the team got some playing time, and Hanover's hustle resulted in an 11-0 shot advantage and a number of golden scoring chances. Asa Berolzheimer launched five shots, including one that almost made the parking lot. Twenty-five minutes into the half, Jamie Dinulos, who had his best game of the season, won a ball on the left flank and played it into the box. With Seth Stadheim creating confusion in the mixer, the ball fell to the feet of Berolzheimer, who buried it for his sixth goal of the campaign.
There were a number of other good chances. Noah Kahan, who had one of his most effective outings to day, broke in alone and hit a good left-footed shot that forced LeBlanc to make a diving save. Henry Allison, for the second game in a row, just missed connecting with a centering pass. Josh Wallace ripped an inswinging corner kick that would have curved into the far corner had LeBlanc not made a leaping save to tip the ball over the net. Ten minutes from time, the Marauders notched their third goal of the afternoon, and it was one of the best of the year. Once again it was Dinulos who created the moment, hitting a sweet cross from the left corner that was headed home by Jake Acker for his second goal of the season. Dinulos had his third helper in two nights, and takes over the team lead with four.
Hanover has climbed out of a midseason furrow which saw them play well enough, but make enough mistakes to drop potential points. This two-day stretch has reinforced many of the improvements that they have made over the course of the season. Their hard work on restarts has begun to pay off handsomely. They are getting tighter and tighter on defense, and owning midfield. Now they face a number of challenges that will help them continue to grow, and perhaps improve their playoff positioning as well. Next up is a Friday road trip to Derry to face Pinkerton Academy. The Astros are a notch ahead of Hanover in the standings with an 8-3-1 record. Comparative scores suggest that this match is a toss-up. Just what the doctor ordered for a Marauder team growing in confidence and cohesion, and eager to prove themselves against top competition.
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