Every season brings the possibility of and opportunity for games which go beyond the normal levels of competition and excitement. When two teams are good, and well-matched, and climbing in the standings, and when there is a lot at stake, sometimes the resulting match can provide the sort of drama that makes all of the effort poured into a season worthwhile.
Hanover was headed towards a workmanlike and well-earned win against a good Pinkerton Academy team on Friday, until the Astros struck with less than five minutes to play, and the game soon went to overtime. The Marauders have not been fortunate in their two previous games with bonus soccer. They experienced disappointment in a 1-1 draw with Bedford, and disaster in a 1-0 loss to Keene. This time around, they found their best soccer of the season at the most crucial time and earned a 2-1 victory on a diving golden goal header by senior Noah Kahan.
The victory, Hanover's third in four days, vaulted the 8-3-1 Marauders over 8-4-1 Pinkerton into a tie with Exeter for fifth place in the NHIAA Division One standings, one notch below the coveted fourth-place slot that confers with it two home games in the playoffs. There is still a lot of work left for the Marauders before they can begin thinking about the postseason, but Friday's win confirmed for them that they are relevant, and that they are allowed to dream.
A bit leg-weary at the tail end of their demanding week, Hanover nevertheless got off on the front foot in the first half at Pinkerton, and took a 1-0 lead in the 28th minute. Jonah Levine was fouled at midfield, and quickly put the ball back into play, sending it to Jamie Dinulos on the left flank. Dinulos was tackled on his way to the goal, but Hanover got their first corner kick. It was easy to see that Pinkerton had been scouting the Marauders, since they sent two defenders to the ten-yard spot to prevent Dinulos and Asa Berolzheimer from their recently-effective "short corner" play. No matter. Berolzheimer has also been on target with his longer serves, and he bent a driven ball into the Pinkerton box. The serve just missed connecting with target man Luke Strohbehn, but it was poorly cleared to the feet of Ian Caldwell, who made no mistake in burying the ball for his third goal in three games.
Pinkerton had their moments in the first half. Their offensive pressure resulted in just two shots, but they forced six corner kicks, and only a resolute Marauder defense kept the Astros off the scoreboard.
Marauder goalkeeper Konrad Mitchell made a pair of excellent plays on the dangerous left-footed inswingers of talented striker Alex Ebner, and the back four of Strohbehn, Max Greenwald, Coan Kelly and Andrew Kazal had one of the best efforts of the season, owning the air, and collaborating on team defense with great balance and cover.
Hanover's second half was somewhat perfunctory. They were busy enough containing Pinkerton to keep them from mounting much of a sustained attack, and most of the match was conducted at midfield, with neither team able to show much possession. As the clock would down inside of the final ten minutes, it was clear that the Marauders would be happy to circle the wagons and manage the match for a 1-0 road win. Pinkerton had other ideas, however, and with less than five minutes to play they took advantage of a free kick on the left flank. Ebner served a long ball across the face of the Hanover goal, and superb Astro midfielder Kyle Hicks met the ball at the far edge of the penalty area and headed it back into the middle. Too many Hanover defenders had drifted to their left, and attacker Cobi Moore found the space to head the ball home for the tying goal.
This was a watershed moment for the Marauders. Would they be shellshocked to the extent of conceding another goal to the fired-up Astros? Without much offensive momentum, would they be happy to grab a point and get through the week unbeaten, albeit blemished? Too a man, Hanover chose the third alternative. The final four minutes of regulation didn't yield much for either team, but once the overtime started, it was all Hanover. The back four did a superb job bottling up Pinkerton, and the midfield began linking passes and spreading the ball in a cohesive attack. Wingers Josh Wallace and Tim Alibozek contributed, and the Marauders began knocking on the door.
The first ten minutes of overtime waned quickly, and Hanover confidently lined up for the second ten, with fresh legs in the lineup: Avery Kravitz, Jamie Dinulos and Noah Kahan up top. Hanover defended Pinkerton's final corner kick, and then set up shot in the Astro end of the field. Kahan pursued a Pinkerton defender toward his own goal, and when he coughed up a ball under the pressure, Kahan headed to goal and then laid a great pass across the face of the goal for Berolzheimer.
Asa's shot was deflected over the endline for a corner, only Hanover's second in the entire match. Once again, the Marauders took full advantage. Berolzheimer's corner nearly connected with Kahan, and Luke Strohbehn collected the loose ball and laid it back into the right corner. Berolzheimer stayed onside and sent a brilliant ball back into the box. Somehow, Kahan found an acre of room, and lunged forward for a diving header that hit the underside of the crossbar and down for the biggest goal of Hanover's season.
There won't be much time for Hanover to savor the win. They return home to Merriman-Branch field for three of their next four games, starting on Tuesday with a 4:00 match against Winacunnet. Looming a bit further down the road is Friday's Homecoming match against currently undefeated and top-ranked Timberlane. One step at a time, however. The Marauders will be challenged to build on their successful week and continue to close the gap between where they are now and where they know they can be.
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