Everything fell into place for Hanover on Senior Night, as the Marauders beat Dover 3-0 and then saw all of their scoreboard-watching dreams come true. Hanover's regular season record of 11-4-1 puts them in third place in the NHIAA Division One standings, and provides the possibility of a quarterfinal game at home next Saturday if they take care of business in their opening round game on Wednesday.
The Marauders were ruthless and efficient in dismissing Dover, outshooting the 25-0 and taking six corner kicks to only one for the Green Wave. Hanover played patiently throughout the first half, and was rewarded with Seth Stadheim's goal with five minutes to play before halftime. The second half was nearly a copy of the first. The Marauder dominated territorially right from the start, and were ultimately rewarded with goals by Jamie Dunulos and Cian Kelly to put the game on ice.
Hanover started all ten seniors on the squad as a salute to their contributions to the program, and they put on an excellent performance, particularly midfielders Josh Wallace and Avery Kravitz, and the forward line of Noah Kahan, Henry Allison and Chris Powell. Ten minutes into the game Kahan made a great run on the left side and hit a sweet cross through the box. Luke Strohbehn came as close to scoring as he has all season, volleying a corner kick from Kravitz on goal, only to see Dover goalkeeper Kieran Lombard deflect it over the top with a desperate lunge.
The Marauder back four of Strohbehn, Max Greenwald, Cian Kelly and Adam Pikelny (subbing for rehabbing Andrew Kazal with 78 minutes of competent soccer) did an excellent job controlling play from the back and switching the point of attack with patience and precision.
The ten Hanover seniors were honored along with their parents at halftime, and then got back to business in the second half, continuing to set a high standard with their passing game. The one alteration in the lineup saw Cian Kelly move into an attacking position, with the intent of securing his first career goal. Once again, the Marauders created a number of chances, including a pair for Kelly and two golden opportunities for Kahan, who barely missed connecting on a far post header off of a corner kick.
Hanover's subs took over midway through the half, and capitalized on a defense that was pretty tired from defending hard for the first twenty minutes. Ten minutes later, the Marauders doubled their lead when Jonah Levine threaded the needle through the Dover defense to Jamie Dinulos on the left flank, and the elusive left winger raced in on goal and scored for the third time in his past four games. He's heating up at exactly the right time of year. Eight minutes later, Kelly delighted the large crowd (including the entire Trinity High football team, sitting right behind the Dover goal) by meeting a brilliant Ian Caldwell cross at the right post and tucking in his long-sought goal.
One more sub got into the game in the last five minutes as Benny Gantrish made his varsity debut, earning bragging rights over his two older brothers. The speedy sophomore had just completed a MVP season with the Marauder Reserve team, and was rewarded for his full-out dedication and positive attitude, and also for leading the team in scoring. He looked right at home with classmates Will Smith, Jake Acker and Marcus Helble, who nearly collected his first goal with a nicely-created shot opportunity.
Now it's time for the Marauders to defend their State Championship. They have taken a different trajectory this season, but their aim has been true, and they find themselves in a position to make a serious bid to get back to the final four. They have learned a lot of hard lessons and grown a great deal. They will bring well-earned confidence and uncharacteristic humility to the task, but they know for certain that they are among the best teams in the state. They fear no one. First up will probably be Manchester Memorial on Wednesday, although the game time has yet to be set.
If the Marauders play Memorial in the opening round, it will be the second year in a row that they have opened with the Crusaders. They would do well to remember last year, After beating Memorial easily in the regular season, they were sluggish in the tournament opener, conceding the first goal before winning 3-1. Hanover beat Memorial 3-0 three weeks ago, but they saw enough skill and organization to keep them from any sort of overconfidence.
When the Marauders practiced at The Pasture on Monday to prepare for their mud bowl adventure at Alvirne, it was their unstated find hope that they were done with playing on grass for the rest of the season. That wish has come true. It's all turf, all the time from now on for Hanover. It's getting cold. Halloween is coming. This is their time of year.
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