Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Junior Varsity Rallies Three Times to Tie Alvirne, 3-3

The Junior Varsity battled a strong Alvirne team and rainy, mussy conditions to forge a 3-3 tie on Tuesday afternoon.  The draw kept Hanover's unbeaten streak going, although their win streak was snapped at seven.

Alvirne jumped out to quick 1-0 lead after two minutes when goalkeeper Own Brooks misplayed a back pass.  The Marauders answered back less than seven minutes later when center back Brendan Amos carried the ball down the right side and centered it to Dan Healy, who interrupted his reverie about KFC long enough to volley it into the net.  Alvirne went back ahead midway through the first half, and held the 2-1 lead at halftime.

The threatened rain was a constant presence in the second half, soaking the players and the pitch to the extent that there was standing water in a number of spots.  The rain didn't dampen Hanover's eagerness to tie the score, however, and Robbie Murdza made a nice solo dash down the right side and beat the keeper to pull the Marauders back into a draw.

Midway through the second half, Alvirne took the lead for the third time, once again forcing Hanover to play catch-up.  Griffin Johnson obliged with ten minutes to play, hitting a free kick from outside the penalty area that beat the Bronco keeeper and tied the match at 3-3.  For the third year in a row,  Hanover and Alvirne battled in overtime, and despite the Marauder domination of both extra periods, the match ended in a soggy draw.  Now 11-3-1 on the season, Hanover returns home on Friday to face Dover at 4:00 before closing the season at the Division One state tournament in Nashua on Sunday.

Coach Callanan, who hates ties with a passion, was nevertheless pleased with his team's resilience.  He praised Casey Starr, the team's Swiss Army Knife  (put him anywhere, and he'll be sharp), and also cited Griffin Johnson and defenders Jack Pattison and Lucas Adams-Blackmore for their play.


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