Tough Day at The Office - Varsity Loses 3-1 to Nashua South

Saturday's cold fall rain at Nashua South presaged Hanover's 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Purple Panthers.  During a scoreless first half, the gloomy clouds gathered.  Then the rains came, and after coughing up two goals in the first eight minutes of the second half, the Marauders were forced the chase the game, and they never caught up, surrendering a third goal before pulling back a token sore by Avery Kravitz in the dying minutes of the game.

The loss dropped Hanover out of first place in the NHIAA Division One standings, and broke an unbeaten streak that stretched back to November, 2012.  Ah, but it could have been much worse.  The Marauders kept their cool in the face of systematic unsporting play by their opponents, who earned two yellow cards, and should have been shown several more.  Nashua South got the win they wanted, but their inability to honor the game in the process will cost them far more in the long run. Hanover stayed composed and classy to the bitter end, and if they are able to learn the lessons offered, perhaps the soccer gods will reward them in the postseason.

The game started pretty well for Hanover, which outshot Nashua South by a 10-1 margin, and had several gilt-edged chances to score in the first 40 minutes.  They would long to have any one of them back before the day was over.  After a perfunctory 10 opening minutes, Jonah Levine cranked a shot form distance that was at the very least a fair warning.  Minutes later, Jamie Dinulos walked the tightrope on the left endline and hit a great shot from point blank range that goalkeeper Christpher Jiminez, a busy man all day, managed to save.  Asa Berolzheimer tried to bundle in the rebound, but it was not to be.  Midway through the half, Avery Kravitz, on for Tim Alibozek on the right wing, and was spring for a clean breakaway, and got a good, hard shot on goal that forced Jiminez to make a spectacular diving save.  Seth Stadheim was sniffing for the rebound, but it didn't fall his way.

Nashua South had several free kick opportunities given to them, but were unable to sustain any sort of coherent attack, although by now it was clear that this team was a long way from its doormat status in recent years.  They were big, confident and cocky, and coming off of a 4-0 win in their last game.
Still, Hanover was getting the lion's share of possession and territory. 

Jonah Levine was the next Marauder to come close to scoring, stealing a flaccid flat pass and breaking in on Jiminez.  His hard, low shot was saved, and the ensuing corner was ineffective.  Jonah then almost converted a cross from Andrew Kazal, and then Ian Caldwell stole a ball and ran through the box, missing his short side shot into the side netting with Dinulos begging at the far post.  The half ended scoreless, but Hanover came off the pitch confident, knowing that the next goal would surely be theirs.

Unfortunately, the roof fell in, and quickly at that, as the opportunistic Panthers made their own chances and finished with ruthless efficiency in the opening minutes of the half.  Less than two minutes in, Ryan Guidaboni, who was a torn in Hanover's side all day, tracked down Luke Strohbehn when he was slow to clear the ball, stripped him, and fed it to a streaking Mauricio Acevedo, who raced into the box and deposited a hard shot to the corner that gave Konrad Mitchell no chance.

Six minutes later, South doubled their lead, counterattacking after a Hanover free kick went right into the hands of Jiminez, who quickly set up Kevin Batista Dos Santos on the right flank.  Dos Santos lofted a cross to the left that settled over the top of defenders Max Greenwald and Adam Pikelny, and was collected on the run by Srishall Thopa, who cut back to his right, beat both backs, and hit the corner with a professional finish. 

Hanover stayed composed, even as Nashua South's time-wasting tactics began early.  It was like seeing the Christmas stuff in CVS before Halloween.  With 20 minutes to play, Hanover began playing their best soccer of the day, and a comeback seemed still believable.   Jonah Levine saw his low shot roll just past the left post after a good sequence, and then Ian Caldwell's shot after a corner kick was blocked.  After a good Konrad Mitchell save on a counterattack, Caldwell's brilliant cross set up Alibozek for a hard left footed shot on not.  Even with only 12 minutes left, all Hanover needed was their first break.

Then, disaster.  Hanover gave away an unnecessary foul in the right corner, and the ensuing free kick found Daniel Dukeshire in the box, and his header gave Nashua South  seemingly insurmountable 3-0 lead.  Still Hanover kept playing well, and working to get a goal.  Several Marauder free kicks and corners were disappointingly ineffective.  Caldwell made a great run into the box and was fouled 1/16th on an inch outside the penalty area, but the resulting free kick was airmailed by Asa Berolzheimer.  Avery Kravitz topped that with a drive from the top of the box that landed one exit up the busy highway.  Then  Kravitz finally connected to pull a goal back, sinishing a nice sequence from Dinulos to Stadheim to Levine and to Avery for his first varsity goal.

Hanover was well into injury time, appropriately awarded to compensate for Nashua South's unsporting time wasting.  Jamie Dinulos hit a great shot that was saved for a corner, and then Alibozek was wide past the post with his best shot of the day after a patient buildup.  Acker skied a right footer over the bar, bravely taken, and the three tweets sounded to end the match.

The value of the lessons learned on this disappointing day will be manifest next time out on Tuesday's road trip to Salem, so it won't take long to see if Saturday's result was a portent or an aberration.
Hanover made all the right moves after the final whistle, allowing Nashua South to savor their win without a single bitter word, never pointing fingers or finding fault or suggesting a new formation or a better brand of GU.  There were mistakes aplenty on the day but mistakes are correctable.  No September loss has ever been fatal in futbol, and the bus to Salem loads in less than 24 hours.  Bring it on.

JV Takes Over at Nashua South With a 4-0 Win

The Marauder JV team got back to their winning ways Saturday, playing through an intermittent cold rain, to run their record to above .500 at three wins against two losses.  The Hanover boys found the net four times against a packed box and went home with a 4 – 0 win Saturday afternoon. 

Luke Messersmith started the scoring with a solid header off of an amazing cross from Peter Huizenga 25 minutes into the contest, followed soon thereafter by an nice lead pass from Dan Healy to Yedne Atkins, who dribbled through the crowded box to send one home for the second goal.  It was 2 – 0 Hanover at the half.

Then, well into the second half,  Messersmith registered his second goal of the game off a Brendan Amos assist for our third goal, and five minutes later Robbie Murdza received an assist from Atkins and nailed the fourth and final goal from the middle of the box.

Owen Brooks and Henry Olszewski kept the slate clean, but didn’t need to do too much work to achieve that, as Nashua South was concentrating (unsuccessfully) on holding court on defense while compromising any offensive flow.

Good to get a lopsided wind after 2 nail biting, one goal losses recently, and to now be owners of a winning record through the first five games of the still-young season.

Next up is Tuesday at Salem.  Snacks and beverages still needed, check on our needs at https://hanoverhsboysjvsoccer.shutterfly.com A few cheering fans are always good to have at these road games.  Car pool? 

Game and Practice Schedule Sept. 15 - 20

Monday, Sept. 15

3:30 p.m.             Varsity Film Study – Room 250

3:40 p.m.             Practice Bus Departs for Dresden Fields

4:00 – 5:30           Regular practice for JV, Freshmen and Reserves at Dresden

5:00- 6:30             Varsity Practice – Dresden Field

Tuesday, Sept. 16

1:30 p.m.             Varsity and JV Bus Departs for Salem

3:40 p.m.             Practice Bus Departs for Dresden Fields

4:00 – 5:30           Regular practices for Freshmen and Reserves at Dresden

4:30 p.m.             Varsity and JV Games at Salem

Wednesday, Sept. 17

2:40 p.m.             Practice Bus Departs for Dresden Fields

3:00 – 4:30           Regular practices for JV and Reserves at Dresden

4:30 p.m.             Freshman Game vs. Cardigan at Dresden Fields

4:30 – 6:00           Varsity practice at Dresden Fields

Thursday, Sept. 18

3:40 p.m.             Practice Bus Departs for Dresden Fields

4:00 – 5:30           Regular practices for JV, Freshmen and Reserves at Dresden

6:00 – 7:30           Varsity Practice – HHS turf field

Friday, Sept. 19

3:40 p.m.             Practice Bus Departs for Dresden Fields

4:00 – 5:30           Regular practice for Reserves and JV at Dresden

4:30 p.m.             Freshman Game vs. Memorial – HHS turf

6:30 – 8:00           Varsity Practice at HHS turf

Saturday, Sept. 20

2:30 p.m.                      Freshman Game vs. Dover at HHS Turf

Looking ahead:

Tue. Sept.  23                Varsity and JV Game vs. Bedford – 4:00

Wed. Sept. 24               Reserve Game vs. KUA – 3:30

Reserves Beat Newport 3-2 For Their First Win

The Marauder Reserves broke open a 2-2 tie with Newport on a second half goal by Benny Gantrish to earn a satisfying 3-2 win over Newport.  It was Hanover's first won of the season, tying their record at 1-1 on the young season.

Playing on the road again against a Newport varsity-age team playing a JV program (their second year), Hanover jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first half on goals by Aidan Connolly and Tenzin Tashi.  Conolly jumped on a shot by Benny Gantrish that bounced off the near goal post, and scooted across the goal mouth to him at the far post.  Tenzin did a great job beating the goalkeeper one on one for his first goal of the season.

Newport bounced back on two goals in the final six minutes of the first half, both coming off of hard crosses into the box.

Hanover got the game winner in the 65th minute on a well-placed corner kick by Francesco Navarro that found Gantrish perfectly positioned to volley it into the net.

Coach Willie Johnson cited goalkeeper Joseph Glock for his improved play, and also Tashi and Gwynn Grazino-Mackenzie for their solid midfield work.  He also praised Gabe Loud for his steady play at center back, and tabbed Gantrish as the Man of The Match for his all-round play.

Hanover is right back into action on Saturday with a match at Souhegan at 11:30.  The bus leaves HHS at 8:30.

Marauders Prep For Weekend Games

Here are a number of updates pertaining to the upcoming games this Friday and Saturday, and our preparations for them.  This applies to all four teams.

On Thursday, the Varsity players who were not tested last year should report to the Training Room after school and meet with Trainer Jeni Frechette and go to the computer lab for baseline concussion testing.  This will be mostly juniors, sophs and Seth.  If you have had it done recently, check in with Jeni to confirm that.

The weather forecast tomorrow suggests that there will be a front moving through, with rain in the afternoon.  Check the blog (and also the soccer bulletin board, for those at school with no blog access) for updates.  The bulletin board is also updated daily.  It appears as though the rain may be over in time to get practices in. The Varsity is scheduled to go at 5:00, and we will definitely plan on training after the rain passes.  Check in for other team updates.

The Reserves dressing for Friday's game at Newport know who they are.  In addition to the group that dressed for the Monday game  (and because some of them will be absent), we will also dress Tenzin, Angus, Liam  and Sam.  This group will also dress for that Saturday game, along with Jonathan.  Please contact your 7th period teachers in advance to tell them you will be leaving class Friday at 2:30 sharp.  We will be contacting parents by e-mail to ask for help with snacks for the bus trips on Friday and Saturday.  Ann Kynor has graciously volunteered to be the Team Parent for the Reserves.  If you are willing to help with snacks and drinks, feel free to contact her at:  kynorfamily@me.com.
Friday's bus will leave at 2:30 and return no later than 7:30.  Just in time for football!  The bus will leave at 8:30 a.m. Saturday for the 11:00 game at Souhegan.

The freshman team will host Exeter at 11:00 Saturday at the Dresden Fields in Norwich  (The Pasture).  They should be at the field no later than 10:15.  (We are tentatively adding a Freshman home game against Cardigan next Wednesday).

The Varsity and JV will leave for the games at Nashua South at 11:30.  Game time for both teams is 2:30.  Players driving to the game after ACTS should have notes to the athletic office no later than Friday.

Thanks to all players and parents (and friends!) for your generous help with our "Go Orange"  food drive for the Haven.  We delivered 300 pounds of food and had $400 in donations, which will automatically be doubled by a challenge grant.  That's a wonderful boost for their good work!

JV Comes Up Short Against Londonderry, Loses 2-1

Fall was nipping at our heels, but the boys in home whites didn’t seem invigorated by the cooler weather. We came out flat against a good Londenderry team that returned most of their 2013 squad, and their experience carried them to a 2-1 win. In what has become a bit of a pattern, the opposition had their way early on, and moved the ball freely throughout the first 20 minutes of the game. They kept the ball moving through and past our back line, and only a nifty sliding save from Owen Brooks kept the game scoreless. Harry Olszewski kept the slate clean. Late in the half, Casey Starr ran the ball downfield and just missed on a hard shot off the right post, which seemed as if it would get us going. Instead, it was followed shortly thereafter by the Londonderry striker converting from the right side at 28 feet for a score that put us down one at 1 – 0 at the intermission.

 Then, as the second half moved along, Griffin Johnson fought his way around and through two defenders, and gave himself just enough space to launch the tying goal towards the right side of the net.   Later, Owen Brooks went high for his second strong save, pushing the net bound ball over the high post to keep things tied. Our combination of defenders, led by Jack Pattison, Jack Hazard, and a host of others, while not playing their best collective game, still kept the visitors from getting good chances. 

The game seemed like it was Hanover's to win, until a high floating shot that froze the defenders near the goal as well as the keeper, was called a score after dribbling off the crossbar to the right post and away. With what appeared to be 7 minutes to play, the game was called, as the official timekeeping referee had apparently  let the clock run down during an explanation to the visiting coach, leaving very little time to re-tie the game. Sour grapes? Maybe, but it was an odd ending. Regardless, Londonderry deserved the win more than our boys in home whites did, as they consistently beat us to the ball and showed higher intensity than our fellows on this day. If the drive back in this writer’s car with one disappointed player was any indication, we will see a more focused group when we take on Nashua South at their place this Saturday at 2:30 p.m.. See you then!

Marauder Try Orange Crush; Beat Londonderry 3-0

The early-season battle at the top of the Division One table lived up to expectations for Hanover, which raised its game to beat a good Londonderry team 3-0.  Asa Berolzheimer continued his early-season scoring binge with a pair of goals, and Jonah Levine opened his account with a superb strike.
To top things off, the Marauders got to celebrate "Go Orange With The Haven" by collecting half a ton of food and $500 in donations for the Haven's food shelf.  We may see those orange socks again.

Although the game began typically as a midfield affair, it was clear that Hanover had come to play.  They were pressuring the ball all over the field, and soon some of the Lancer players began showing some frustration with each other.  Nevertheless, it was Londonderry that almost drew first blood.  Given a free kick 30 yards out on the right side, Lancer striker Cody Woods launched a shot that clanged off the crossbar.  Maybe Konrad Mitchell had it covered, Maybe he didn't.  But it was a scary moment, given how easily momentum can turn in a game such as this. That's all speculation, because just past the 16-minute mark Hanover broke on top.  Jonah Levine controlled the ball on the right side of the attacking zone, and slid a ball to Berolzheimer, who had enough time and space to hit a perfect first-time shot at curled under the bar from 24 yards out.  It was his third highlight-reel goal of the young season.  Fine.  Keep 'em coming.  Ten minutes later, Asa had a chance to double the lead, but clanged a short shot of the near upright.  On the bench, Grabill tersely growled, "He owes us one."

Londonderry had some other good looks, and kept the back four busy.  Ace Londonderry striker Nate Gaw shook loose for a turnround shot from six yards out that was right at Mitchell, who easily gobbled it up.  The Marauders also kept the pressure on Londonderry by using their depth, and got good relief from Jake Acker and Josh Wallace in the center of the park.

The Marauders like to think of themselves as a second half team, and after the interval they demonstrated why they have earned that distinction, pressing Londonderry from the start.  Six minutes in, Berolzheimer made a slick lead pass to Jamie Dinulos, breaking in from the right wing, and it took a diving save by Lancer goalkeeper Jeff Baroody to keep the Marauders off the board.
Ten minutes later, though, Jonah Levine hit a shot that no one could save, and Hanover took a 2-0 lead.  Berolzheimer set the goal up, fighting with a Londonderry defender for a 50-50 ball that popped out to Levine at the top of the box, 25 years out.  Jonah scorched a shot to the upper right corner that was, like, you know, OMG.

This was Hanover's third 2-0 lead in a row.  Two games ago, against Concord, they coughed up a goal at the end of the match and were forced to battle to hang on.  Last Friday against Exeter they held the lead, a significant improvement.  This time around, they put the game out of reach by bringing on waves of subs and maintaining the quality of their defense, and then struck for a decisive goal with ten minutes remaining.  Avery Kravitz, Tim Alibozek and Henry Allison gave the Mauarders a lot of juice on the flanks.  Then, a Londonderry goal kick went straight to Berolzheimer in his favorite part of the field, and he punished the mistake with another decisive strike, his fifth of the young season.

Hanover then flaunted its depth, with Chris Powell, Will Smith and Reilly Decker reprising their good work against Exeter, and Adam Pikelny and Marcus Helble making their varsity debuts.  More from them sooner rather than later.  Adam showed his defensive grit with an excellent one-on-one duel against a Londonderry striker only yards from his goal.  Konrad Mitchell kept his focus in goal, managing the match and making a sparkling play on a loose ball, diving headlong to punch it out of trouble.

The NHIAA Division One season is one-quarter over.  Only one team is unbeaten and untied.  The Marauders are alone at the top of the table with a 4-0 record, having played increasingly well against three perennial powers.  Now they return to their secret lab at the Pasture to tinker on every aspect of their game. 'We've played well enough to earn some good results," commented Grabill, "but we know we can play better.   We have to eliminate simple mistakes, communicate better,  be more patient with our buildup, and just learn how to play better together.  We are so much better than we were three weeks ago, but we have a long way to go".

Next up on the schedule is a road trip to Nashua to play an improved Nashua South squad at 2:30.  Their road trip will continue the following Tuesday with a match at Salem.  "One game at a time," cautioned the rapidly-aging Marauder mentor. "One game at a time."