Hanover played its best soccer of the season to date in their most important game, coming from behind to beat Exeter 2-1 in their NHIAA Division One matchup at soggy Merriman-Branch Field.
Cheered on by a large home crowd, the Marauders got goals by Jake Acker and Seth Stadheim and superb defense from their senior back line to earn a semifinal date next Wednesday with Pinkerton Academy at Exeter's Bill Ball Stadium.
Trailing 1-0 after a first-half Exeter goal, the Marauders tied the match with a minute left in the first half on Acker's, and then took control of the game at both ends, talking the lead with 16 minutes to play on the Stadheim strike and shutting down the Blue Hawks defensively, keeping them from launching a single shot in the entire half.
Exeter came into the match on a roll, having squashed Salem 4-1 in the first round. They came out aggressively in a first half that produced back and forth play and some near misses at both ends. Exeter central defender Jared Cassassa, who returned to the Blue Hawks this year after a season with the Seacoast Academy team, was their most dangerous attacker. He made a spectacular run down the left flank and nearly scored with a shot that just missed the far post. A few minutes later, he headed a corner kick just over the bar.
Hanover also produces some near misses, thanks to some excellent play on the left wing by Jamie Dinulos. He hammered a pair of crosses through the Exeter goal mouth, just missing connections with Josh Wallace, and then Avery Kravitz at the right post. Wallace worked his way open for a shot on goal that was scooped up by Exeter goalkeeper Henrik Barbin, and Ian Caldwell ripped a hard shot over the crossbar.
Exeter opened the scoring at 25:24 of the first half, and once again it was Jared Cassassa in the middle of things. The Marauders lost the ball at midfield, and midfielder Evan Royer took possession and fed the ball to Cassassa on the right flank, barely onside. The lanky senior took one touch and buried a hard shot inside the left post for a 1-0 lead. This was a problem for Hanover, which this season was 0-3 in matches in which they had conceded the first goal. Unless they could change this tendency, their season would be over, and it would end with only their second home loss in seven years.
Hanover stayed composed on the ensuing kickoff, focused on good defense and midfield possession, and struck back just before halftime, thanks to a great strike by Acker, who was inserted into the starting lineup to replace Jonah Levine, recovering from a leg injury he had received in Wednesday's playoff win over Manchester Memorial. Acker took a nice feed from right back Cian Kelly just outside of the penalty area, deked a defender, and ripped a shot inside the left post to level the game.
Having dodged a bullet in the first half, the Marauders came out strongly after the interval, and slowly but steadily asserted themselves. Their defense was impenetrable. Luke Strohbehn and Max Greenwald were superb in the middle of the back line winning balls and dominating the air. Greenwald, who had his best game ever against Memorial, had his best game ever against Exeter. He was decisive and physical, and continued his significant improvement with the ball at his field. Hanover also had control at midfield, thanks particularly to Asa Berolzheimer and Ian Caldwell. Time and again, Berolzheimer's ball skills and field vision helped Hanover transition from offense to defense and gain momentum.
Midway through the second half, the Marauders came very close to scoring, as Luke Strohbehn hammered a ball over the bar on a free kick feed from Berolzheimer. Three minutes later Hanover made no mistake, thanks to a scintillating run through the box by Caldwell, who sliced trough the heart of the Blue Hawk defense with the ball glued to his food, imperiously dismissing one Exeter defender before combining with Seth Stadheim on a quick, Arsenal-like give-and-go. The resulting shot was saved, but the ball found its way to a charging Stadheim, whose striker's instincts gave him the presence of mind to chip the ball over the prostrate Barbin and into the goal for his fourth goal of the season.
There were sixteen minutes to play, and Hanover's history with a lead this season was not perfect. They had lost late advantages in their overtime draw with Bedford, their overtime win at Pinkerton and their overtime loss at Alvirne. This time, however, their game management was airtight. Exeter didn't get a shot on goal, or even a shot at goal. They barely had possession in the Hanover end. In fact, they barely had possession. Oh, they worked hard, and forced Hanover to work even harder. But this was an impressive 16 minutes of ball possession and even additional attacking, thanks to the cool play of Noah Kahan, Jamie Dinulos and Tim Alibozek. Exeter was desperate to equalize, but they were never were able to link more than a single pass, and the clock soon ran out of an immensely satisfying victory.
The Marauders will have a day to rest, and then they'll get to work to prepare for a Pinkerton team that will provide a stern challenge. The Astros advanced to the semifinals by beating the Alvirne team that just recently topped Hanover, and they did it on turf. They will enter Wednesday's 4:00 matchup with the confidence of having beaten the second seed, and eager to avenge the overtime loss that the Marauders laid on them three weeks ago. Hanover will be excited about the possibility of Levine's return, and looking forward to some fan support occasioned by the early start time and the subsidized spectator bus. Will Pinkerton have fans? Yeah, probably. They have an enrollment of 3,000, and some of those students may be able to make the short trip to Exeter. But the Marauders love playing at Bill Ball. They love playing later and later into November. They are clearly getting better with every game, and will be eager to see what the next match brings. You should be eager, too. See you there!
No comments:
Post a Comment