The Marauders took full advantage of a large and boisterous Homecoming crowd to play their best soccer of the season, taking down undefeated and top-ranked Timberlane 1-0 in sudden death overtime. Ian Caldwell celebrated his birthday in fine style, volleying home a corner kick from Avery Kravitz eight minutes into sudden death overtime. The win was the fifth in a row for Hanover, which solidified its playoff position and served notice to the rest of Division One that they intend to defend their state title with vigor.
Timberlane rode into town on the strength of 12-game unbeaten streak, and was coming off of a dramatic 1-0 win last Tuesday over second-seeded Alvirne. They challenged the Marauders in a back-and-forth scoreless first half. The second half was a different story. Hanover started playing downhill, outshooting the Owls 8-1 and lunching seven corner kicks, many of the creating dangerous scoring opportunities. Combining superb defense and goalkeeping with a precise passing game, the Marauders carried the momentum into their fourth overtime game of the season and second in eight days, and cashed in their eleventh corner mick of the match, delighting the huge, black-clad crowd.
Hanover opened the game with a slightly different lineup, with center back Max Greenwald absent due to a barbershop commitment. No, not for a shave and a haircut. The musical kind of barbershop. Key of H at some sort of national competition. Caldwell slid back into the back four and contributed to a seamless defensive performance. Goalkeeper Konrad Mitchell finally got to strut his stuff, making a crucial first-half save on a close-range shot from Timberlane striker Cam Donnolly, eliciting cheers from the German Big Band, perched in front row seats and teaching their American hosts a thing or two about how to support the home team.
Hanover had several good looks in the first half, the closest of which was a header from Caldwell off of a corner kick that was headed inside the far post before it was headed off the line by Owl midfielder Christina Dallaire. Andrew Kazal, who has been playing superb soccer in recent games, sent several crosses into dangerous areas, but was unable to connect with Jake Acker on a particularly tantalizing one.
Most of the dialogue at halftime was how to take care of matters in the defensive end. Although the Marauders may have appeared to be controlling the match, they took the Timberlane threat seriously, and made some important adjustments to limit the Owl counterattacks. It didn't take long for Hanover to impose themselves offensively, however. Jamie Dinulos was a constant threat on the left flank, constantly beating defenders and making dangerous runs to the goal. He beat goalie Matt Rose on one of these runs, but his goal-bound shot was cleared off the line by defender Galen Morrill.
Asa Berolzheimer hit a long range free kick that was tipped over the bar by Rose, who also made several acrobatic plays to punch the ball clear on threatening Marauder corner kicks. Hanover had been working all season on corners, and they were particularly potent as afternoon turned into evening and the lights began to blaze over Merriman-Branch field. Berolzheimer and Dinulos came close on several short corners, and both Jake Acker and Josh Wallace authored dangerous inswingers from the right corner. Noah Kahan, playing the best soccer of his career, hit a turnaround shot from outside the penalty area that sailed just over the top.
Timberlane only had one shot in the second half, but it was a dandy. On a rare foray into the Hanover end, Owl striker Matt Salais found room to hit a shot that was headed to the upper left corner of the Marauder goal. Konrad Mitchell mustered all of his athleticism to make a spectacular dive to corral the ball and keep the match scoreless.
As the clock wound down and the tension increased, Caldwell had two sparkling opportunities miss the mark. He had a shot ticketed for the goal that was deflected over the top by a Timberlane defender, and pushed yet another corner kick conversion just wide. Despite playing further back all evening long, Caldwell was Hanover's most consistent offensive threat, and he would be heard from one more time.
Huddling before the start of overtime, the Marauders doubled down on offense. Confident in their ability to deal with any Timberlane counterattacks, they committed to going for the win, and set up shop in the Owl end of the field. With two minutes to go in the first overtime, they earned their season-high eleventh corner kick, and it fell to Avery Kravitz to take it. It was a moment for which he had practiced assiduously, and as his German houseguests raised the roof at the other end of the field, Kravitz quickly hit a driven ball that met Caldwell at the near post. Bucket drove the ball into the net, setting off a wild celebration that turned into a rolling celebration when Caldwell broke free of his mates and led a victory lap past the cheering throngs.
Hanover won't have much time to celebrate their victory. Next Tuesday, they head to Hudson for a showdown with an excellent Alvirne team that is still stinging from their loss to the Marauders in the NHIAA finals last November. The Broncos have had another great season, and sit a notch higher than Hanover in the Division One standings. They lost to Timberlane last Tuesday, but bounced back with an important 2-1 win over Bedford on Friday. "This is a great time of year," commented Coach Grabill. "All of the top teams are playing each other in the last two weeks, and no one has any idea what the final standings will look like. We have our fate in our own hands, however. If we play well in our final two games, we have a chance for a few more home games in the tournament." Given their success in this most recent home match, that should work well for the Marauders. It took them four years to get a Homecoming game, but it was worth the wait.
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