On a fall afternoon that refused to cede the summer warmth,
the giant sized Timberline JV team came to Hanover for a lead up to the
varsity’s later Homecoming game. The
visitors fell behind early and further behind as the half and the game
progressed. Hanover is clearly on a roll, playing the way Coach Callanan predicted over a month ago, when he mystically
predicted that this team's highest moments were in front of them and he felt
good about the final half of the schedule and a strong tournament showing. This win was the 7th straight for Hanover, and this was the best game from both a defensive blanketing and
consistent offensive tsunami.
Early on Robbie Murdza deftly crossed the ball to a very
open Jack Hazard, who stepped up into the open space and calmly sent the ball
to rest in the back of the net for a 1- 0 lead.
With Coach Callanan substituting freely, at the 20 minute mark a high bouncing
ball was headed to the far post off the able foot of Hazard, where defenseman Lucas
Adams-Blackmore put his head on it for the second Hanover goal. 2 – 0
Hanover.
The Marauders continued to send good shots toward the adept Timberline
goalie that were either just off the mark or knocked down by the visiting keeper. Harry Olszewski in our goal was well
protected, and no attempts were close enough to warrant Harry’s attention.
Murdza used his speed to bring himself into position to
present a strong shot into the beckoning white nets for goal number three, and the
game was starting to have that runaway feeling. The half ended with an asserting miss, off a
beautiful exchange, with a combination started by Ingio Panos, only a small
part of Ingio’s solid overall game.
Callanan dialed in his “blitz” plan to orchestrate the early
first half score, and the boys from Hanover, in snazzy home whites, scored
again to make it 4 – 0 at the second half’s outset. An all out offensive barrage is part of the
blitz, with the vastly improved defense holding back enough to protect, even
without the midfield protection. This
fourth goal was indeed sweet, with Ingio sending the ball to George Geraghty,
who quickly sent the ball to Hazard, with Jack sending a through ball to DanMan
Healy, who fed a blazing Robbie Murdza for a well executed net ripper.
Then Healy scored, after a lovely, unselfish series of passes
that fan and soccer aficionado Brett Wanner complimented by reference to “Brazilian beach soccer”. The whole defense
looked like a brick wall, led by Panos. The
keepers, in this case, Owen Brooks, had little to do other than try to look
intimidating. Adam Mendelsohn was back
on the pitch after a two game absence from illness, with his first touch being
brilliant, a through pass that Yedne Atkins buried for the goal. The home team led by 5 – 0, but the show was
not over.
For the sophomores, the plucky striker Luke Messersmith
ripped one that hit the cross bar about as hard as Luke landed on the sod,
getting up a bit slowly from him near miss.
Griffin Johnson looked dangerous, and Sander Macaulay covered space deep into midfield
while choosing simple quick passes to move the ball forward. Griffin Johnson scored the sixth and final goal on a
play that was a carbon copy of the narrow angle goal in the previous game. Coach Callanan, and the usual suspects of
fans in the stands, called this one the best game yet, as Hanover plays know
they can compete come tournament time, regardless of the opponent.
Another clean match, and the boys exited after the
congratualtions across the field, with the feeling of a good team that doesn’t shy
away for physical play, but with great sportsmanship across the board. Coach leads by example, with 40-something
years of coaching without ever drawing a card of any color. Good stuff!
The Marauders have two more regular season games. Hanover faces Alvirine on the road Tuesday at 4:00, then hosts
the final home regular season game against Dover Friday, at 4:00.
On Sunday, the team will travel to Nashua for the annual JV Tournament. Departure is early 7:45 Sunday morning. Stay tuned for details.
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