The Freshman team played well against two of the stronger teams on their schedule on Monday and Tuesday, losing by identical 4-1 scores to Bedford and Pinkerton.
At Bedford on Monday, Sam Pych scored early in the game on a beautiful run from midfield, but the Bulldogs countered with a brace, and then added two more in the second half despite improved Marauder play. Henry Kahl, Brook Leigh, Ben Ralston-Daniel, Jasper Meyer and Alex Benton worked tirelessly at midfield.
On Tuesday the Marauders traveled to Pinkerton minus the services of midfield maestros Sam Pych and Henry Kahl, the latter suffering from a Quiddich injury inflicted by an opponent from Slytherin. Goalkeepers Graham Penfield and Lincoln Adam kept the game close, and Caleb Putnam timed a beautiful run off of an Adam punt to cut the score to 2-1 midway through the second half. Pinkerton finally wore the undermanned Marauders down, scoring a pair of late goals. Benjamin Parrado was stellar at midfield for Hanover. David Wilson, Harris LaRock, Daniel Pinigin, Azor Goodwin and Kezar Berger worked hard to hold off the relentless Pinkerton attack.
The Freshmen will have a regular practice on Wednesday at 3:15 (sorry for the confusion on the blog schedule - no repeat scrimmage with the JV girls), and again of Thursday. There will be no practice on Friday. The bus for the game at Keene on Saturday will leave at 8:30 a.m., and kickoff is at 11:00.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Marauders End Three-Week Drought, Beating Memorial 3-0
Although they had played well enough to win in each of their last three matches, the end results for the Marauders had been a tie, followed by two losses. They had not won since Sept. 16th at Salem, and that's a long stretch for any team. Thus it was quite a relief for Hanover to play superb defense and get timely scoring at the same time, beating Manchester Memorial 3-0. The Marauders had kept the faith during the drought, and worked hard to focus on improvement, and not results. Against Memorial, that improvement manifested itself in a sweet shutout by Konrad Mitchell and his crew of dedicated defenders, and three good-looking goals.
Tuesday's game was Hanover's third road game in a row, but the Marauders made themselves right at home on the vast expanse of field turf at Chabot-McDonough Field at Memorial. They dodged a huge bullet in the first five minutes of the match, when Memorial star Santiago Rodriguez worked free for a shot at the top of the Hanover penalty area. The curving drive was headed for the upper left corner, but Mitchell launched into a full-out dive to his right, and flicked the ball over the bar.
That shot ended up being Memorial's only one of the first half, as the Hanover defense buckled down and denied the Crusaders, led by center backs Luke Strohbehn and Max Greenwald. The Marauders also got a boost from junior Tim Alibozek, who filled in at right back for ailing Cian Kelly and gave his team 60 minutes of airtight defense.
Hanover began to dominate at midfield, led by the troika of Asa Berolzheimer, Jonah Levine and Ian Caldwell, and they slowly began to draw a bead on the Memorial goal. A thrust down the left flank by Jamie Dinulos gave the Marauders a corner kick, and they unveiled a play they had been working on for the past week, and had polished to perfection at their Monday evening practice session. Berolzheimer and Dinulous worked a short corner kick that allowed Jamie to work free on the baseline, and he shot a short-range centering pass into the mixer. The ball popped loose to Ian Caldwell, and Bucket made no mistake, ramming the ball home for a 1-0 lead.
Throughout the first half, the Marauders went to their bench frequently, with Henry Allison spelling Avery Kravitz on the right wing, Noah Kahan working well up top in place of Seth Stadheim, and Josh Wallace and Jake Acker getting time in the middle of the park. Hanover earned four more corner kicks and made them dangerous, with Acker hitting a potent pair. Even though they didn't score, Hanover stayed on the front foot and set themselves up for a dominant second half.
The Marauders made good on their perpetual promise to themselves to come out strong after the interval, and ended up outshooting Memorial 10-1. It took a while for concrete results, but Hanover was knocking on the door from the outset. Stadheim ripped a centering pass from the left side that was intercepted by Crusader goalkeeper Ray Ripaldi. Dinulous worked free on a left to right run that resulted in a high, hard shot that Ripaldi saved superbly. Allison broke free on the right flank and ripped a shot that caromed off the right post. Will Smith and Chris Powell were poised for the rebound, but it was scooped away by a defender.
Finally, with ten minutes to play, Noah Kahan slotted a well-deserved insurance goal, taking a lead pass from Avery Kravitz and burying the ball to Ripaldi's left. Kahan sprinted to the corner flag and some (less mature) hopes were high for an epic cele, but (fortunately) he had second thoughts at the right time. Hanover had played nine games without a yellow card, and now that streak stretched to ten. Two minutes from time, Jake Acker slid a lead pass through the middle for Chris Powell, who sauntered in on a slo-mo solo run and collected his first career goal.
The Marauders will have little time to celebrate. Having dispatched a talented team with a losing record, they now return home for a Wednesday game against a vastly improved Nashua North team that has beaten Salem, Alvirne and Keene. Now 6-3-1, Hanover has a chance climb back into the upper reaches of a Division One logjam in the standings. It will take one of their best games of the season, but they are more than capable of doing this, having kept their heads during a stretch of tough sledding. Stay tuned!
Tuesday's game was Hanover's third road game in a row, but the Marauders made themselves right at home on the vast expanse of field turf at Chabot-McDonough Field at Memorial. They dodged a huge bullet in the first five minutes of the match, when Memorial star Santiago Rodriguez worked free for a shot at the top of the Hanover penalty area. The curving drive was headed for the upper left corner, but Mitchell launched into a full-out dive to his right, and flicked the ball over the bar.
That shot ended up being Memorial's only one of the first half, as the Hanover defense buckled down and denied the Crusaders, led by center backs Luke Strohbehn and Max Greenwald. The Marauders also got a boost from junior Tim Alibozek, who filled in at right back for ailing Cian Kelly and gave his team 60 minutes of airtight defense.
Hanover began to dominate at midfield, led by the troika of Asa Berolzheimer, Jonah Levine and Ian Caldwell, and they slowly began to draw a bead on the Memorial goal. A thrust down the left flank by Jamie Dinulos gave the Marauders a corner kick, and they unveiled a play they had been working on for the past week, and had polished to perfection at their Monday evening practice session. Berolzheimer and Dinulous worked a short corner kick that allowed Jamie to work free on the baseline, and he shot a short-range centering pass into the mixer. The ball popped loose to Ian Caldwell, and Bucket made no mistake, ramming the ball home for a 1-0 lead.
Throughout the first half, the Marauders went to their bench frequently, with Henry Allison spelling Avery Kravitz on the right wing, Noah Kahan working well up top in place of Seth Stadheim, and Josh Wallace and Jake Acker getting time in the middle of the park. Hanover earned four more corner kicks and made them dangerous, with Acker hitting a potent pair. Even though they didn't score, Hanover stayed on the front foot and set themselves up for a dominant second half.
The Marauders made good on their perpetual promise to themselves to come out strong after the interval, and ended up outshooting Memorial 10-1. It took a while for concrete results, but Hanover was knocking on the door from the outset. Stadheim ripped a centering pass from the left side that was intercepted by Crusader goalkeeper Ray Ripaldi. Dinulous worked free on a left to right run that resulted in a high, hard shot that Ripaldi saved superbly. Allison broke free on the right flank and ripped a shot that caromed off the right post. Will Smith and Chris Powell were poised for the rebound, but it was scooped away by a defender.
Finally, with ten minutes to play, Noah Kahan slotted a well-deserved insurance goal, taking a lead pass from Avery Kravitz and burying the ball to Ripaldi's left. Kahan sprinted to the corner flag and some (less mature) hopes were high for an epic cele, but (fortunately) he had second thoughts at the right time. Hanover had played nine games without a yellow card, and now that streak stretched to ten. Two minutes from time, Jake Acker slid a lead pass through the middle for Chris Powell, who sauntered in on a slo-mo solo run and collected his first career goal.
The Marauders will have little time to celebrate. Having dispatched a talented team with a losing record, they now return home for a Wednesday game against a vastly improved Nashua North team that has beaten Salem, Alvirne and Keene. Now 6-3-1, Hanover has a chance climb back into the upper reaches of a Division One logjam in the standings. It will take one of their best games of the season, but they are more than capable of doing this, having kept their heads during a stretch of tough sledding. Stay tuned!
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Marauders Swallow A Tough Pill in 1-0 OT Loss to Keene
The Marauders should have known that it would be a tough afternoon when they walked across the Keene High field prior to their game on Friday. Many had been on that same pitch a year earlier, and recalled a lush, smooth, emerald-green pitch. But as they made their way to their bench, they trudged through large patches of dead grass, loosely scattered on stretches of dusty dirt. Now, playing on a second-rate field didn't cause Hanover to lose 1-0 on a sudden-death goal in the second overtime. There were plenty of concrete reasons for the Marauder loss to a confident, senior-stacked team that was unbeaten at home. But it was nevertheless symbolic of the afternoon. The field, the fans, and other variables that cannot be commented upon in a blog of this high journalistic caliber, all made for a dreary day at the office.
Both Hanover and Keene walked away from a scoreless first half figuring that they should have scored. A Blackbird forward whiffed on a sure sitter at the far post, and Hanover knew they had dodged a bullet. It wasn't an isolated play. Keene outshot the Marauders 7-6 in the half, and forced Konrad Mitchell to make five saves. In six previous games, he'd made eight. Some of these were strong ones, too, played that forced him to come off his line and dive at the feet of the 'Bird attackers.He also made a sweet plan on a dangerous, swerving corner kick.
Hanover had their moments, too. Asa Berolzheimer had three cracks at the net, and none better than a free kick outside the 18 that he crashed off the crossbar. Nevertheless, it was scoreless at halftime, and it remained scoreless in the second half. The tide turned a bit, however, as the Marauder started turning up the heat, outshooting Keene 5-2. Luke Strohbehn, snooping near the far post after a corner kick, nearly missed hitting the goal we all know is coming. Jamie Dinulos started working his wizardry on the left side. Ian Caldwell made a classic Bucket run deep into the box, but came up empty.
Through all of this, Hanover kept their composure as the braying Keene fans insured that the school sportsmanship award would head elsewhere this year, the home team dove in late, and the guys in gold looked more like iron pyrite. Their reward: the prospect of playing up to 20 minutes of golden goal overtime as the sun set on the Scripture Field dustbowl. The Marauders wanted it more in the first extra time period. Keene talisman John Dupuis got one decent shot on Mitchell, but otherwise it was all Hanover. Andrew Kazal launched two long bombs from the left flank, and the second of these forced topnotch Blackbird keeper Evan Lagerberg to make a diving leap to tip the ball over the bar. On the ensuing corner kick, Ian Caldwell nearly headed home the goal we all know is coming.
The teams traded places for the second 10-minute overtime, and Hanover went back to work. The Marauders got two looks on free kicks but could not execute, and then it all went South. Keene got possession, and on a quick counterattack Nicholas Richter played Kylan Strong into space and on a breakaway. Strong took full advantage, drilling a shot into to corner for a goal that was the apotheosis of Keene, and perhaps the high water mark of their season.
Hanover took it hard, but stayed classy, even to the extent of offering their spare chocolate milk to their conquerors. It wasn't their happiest afternoon of the year, but there were no rips in the fabric of the team. Win only once in four games? First-world problem. The lads cranked the tunes on the bus and screeched into the night. You'd think so many SoarThroats could be more tuneful, but whatever.
It's a busy week for the Marauders, who travel to Manchester Memorial on Tuesday, and then return home the next day for a match with North (they beat Keene!). The finish the week on Friday with a road trip to Pinkerton Academy. At 5-3-1, Hanover's hoping for some points by the time they cash in their four-day weekend.
Both Hanover and Keene walked away from a scoreless first half figuring that they should have scored. A Blackbird forward whiffed on a sure sitter at the far post, and Hanover knew they had dodged a bullet. It wasn't an isolated play. Keene outshot the Marauders 7-6 in the half, and forced Konrad Mitchell to make five saves. In six previous games, he'd made eight. Some of these were strong ones, too, played that forced him to come off his line and dive at the feet of the 'Bird attackers.He also made a sweet plan on a dangerous, swerving corner kick.
Hanover had their moments, too. Asa Berolzheimer had three cracks at the net, and none better than a free kick outside the 18 that he crashed off the crossbar. Nevertheless, it was scoreless at halftime, and it remained scoreless in the second half. The tide turned a bit, however, as the Marauder started turning up the heat, outshooting Keene 5-2. Luke Strohbehn, snooping near the far post after a corner kick, nearly missed hitting the goal we all know is coming. Jamie Dinulos started working his wizardry on the left side. Ian Caldwell made a classic Bucket run deep into the box, but came up empty.
Through all of this, Hanover kept their composure as the braying Keene fans insured that the school sportsmanship award would head elsewhere this year, the home team dove in late, and the guys in gold looked more like iron pyrite. Their reward: the prospect of playing up to 20 minutes of golden goal overtime as the sun set on the Scripture Field dustbowl. The Marauders wanted it more in the first extra time period. Keene talisman John Dupuis got one decent shot on Mitchell, but otherwise it was all Hanover. Andrew Kazal launched two long bombs from the left flank, and the second of these forced topnotch Blackbird keeper Evan Lagerberg to make a diving leap to tip the ball over the bar. On the ensuing corner kick, Ian Caldwell nearly headed home the goal we all know is coming.
The teams traded places for the second 10-minute overtime, and Hanover went back to work. The Marauders got two looks on free kicks but could not execute, and then it all went South. Keene got possession, and on a quick counterattack Nicholas Richter played Kylan Strong into space and on a breakaway. Strong took full advantage, drilling a shot into to corner for a goal that was the apotheosis of Keene, and perhaps the high water mark of their season.
Hanover took it hard, but stayed classy, even to the extent of offering their spare chocolate milk to their conquerors. It wasn't their happiest afternoon of the year, but there were no rips in the fabric of the team. Win only once in four games? First-world problem. The lads cranked the tunes on the bus and screeched into the night. You'd think so many SoarThroats could be more tuneful, but whatever.
It's a busy week for the Marauders, who travel to Manchester Memorial on Tuesday, and then return home the next day for a match with North (they beat Keene!). The finish the week on Friday with a road trip to Pinkerton Academy. At 5-3-1, Hanover's hoping for some points by the time they cash in their four-day weekend.
Game and Practice Schedule Oct. 6-11
Game and Practice Schedule
Oct. 6-11, 2014
Monday, Oct. 5
1:30 p.m. Freshman bus departs for Bedford
3:30 p.m. Varsity Film Session in Room 250
3:40 p.m. Practice Bus Departs for Dresden Fields
3:40 p.m. Practice Bus Departs for Dresden Fields
4:00 – 5:30 Regular practice for JV and Reserves at Dresden
4:00 p.m. Freshman Game at Bedford
7:00 p.m. Varsity Practice at HHS turf.
Tuesday, Oct. 7
1:45 p.m. JV and Varsity Bus Departs for Manchester Memorial
2:00 p.m. Freshman Bus Departs for Pinkerton
3:40 p.m. Practice Bus Departs for Dresden Fields
4:00 p.m. JV Boys Game vs. Manchester Memorial
4:00 – 5:30 Regular practice for Reserves at Dresden
4:30 p.m. Freshman Game at Pinkerton
5:30 p.m. Varsity Game at Manchester Memorial
Wednesday, Oct. 8
2:45 p.m. Practice Bus Departs for Dresden Fields
3:00 p.m. Reserve Bus Departs for KUA
3:15 – 4:45 Regular practice for Freshmen
4:00 p.m. JV
and Varsity games vs. Nashua North
4:30 p.m. Reserve Game at KUA
Thursday, Oct. 9
3:40 p.m. Practice Bus Departs for Dresden Fields
4:00 – 5:30 Regular practices for JV, Reserves and Freshmen at Dresden
4:30 – 6:00 Varsity Practice at Dresden Fields
Friday, Oct. 10
12:15 p.m. JV and Varsity Bus Departs for Pinkerton
3:30 p.m. Varsity Game
at Pinkerton
4:30 p.m. Reserve Game
vs. Mt. Royal at Dresden
5:00 p.m. JV Game at
Pinkerton
Saturday, Oct. 11
8:30 a.m. Freshman Bus
Departs for Keene
11:00 a.m. Freshman Game at Keene
Looking ahead:
Tue. Oct. 14 Varsity and JV Games vs. Winacunnet 4:00
Saturday, October 4, 2014
JV Keeps Rolling With a 3-2 Victory at Keene
The Hanover JV team won again with a dominance that was not
indicated by the final score. The
sophomore squad started the game, but in the beginning, the intensity of the
Manchester Central game earlier in the week was lacking, and both teams came
out flatly. Eventually the Blackbirds
began to mount some runs as they used speed to get behind the maroon
defenders. Alvaro Cooper provided a
needed spark at midfield, and the shots that Keene launched were easy saves or
sailed off the mark without any real danger of converting.
The junior group substituted at the 20 minute mark, and the
tone of the game immediately changed. Constant attack and pressure from our
boys led to great saves from the outstanding Keene goalie, Nate Taylor, but one
bounced back to the Blackbird center back who kicked the ball the wrong way for
an own goal which started the Hanover scoring.
Taylor dove for a great save after Casey Starr led Robbie Murdza, who
shot a screamer that was denied. The pressure
continued, and when Starr came in hard with the ball, the Keene keeper came out
and was called for a hand ball just out of the box. Starr quickly put the ball down with Taylor
still out of position, and fed Yedne Atkins for the second Hanover goal, which
left the goalie twisting to attempt an out of position save which had him leave the contest with an
injury.
Then, Murdza riddled the net against Keene’s substitute
goalie off a Hazard assist for a 3 – 0 lead.
Starting the second half, the a weak clearance was plucked off by an eager Blackbird who dropped it off to
the onrushing striker for the first Keene goal, a give away that made the score
3 – 1.
Shots flew from the Hanover junior group through the end of
the final half, but the Keene starter in the net had returned, and many shots
were rejected, leaving the score without any change until the last minute when
Keene brought things to within one with a relatively meaningless conversion on
a bounding ball, making the final score 3 – 2.
Freshmen Play Great Soccer in 1-0 Loss to Unbeaten Londonderry
The Freshmen showed no rush after a long layoff, playing some of their best soccer of the season in a 1-0 loss at undefeated Londonderry. The Lancers were averaging nearly six goals per game, but the Marauder defense shut them down for almost the entire game. Center backs David Wilson and Ben Parrado helped contain a very fast Londonderry front line, and goalkeepers Graham Penfield and Lincoln Adam played wonderfully.
Hanover had several chances to score in the match, with the best one coming from Brook Leigh, who adjusted his run to take a beautifully angled through ball from Sam Pych to get behind the defender and get a strong shot on goal that was deflected by the keeper. Caleb Putnam also made a good bid, but his strong shot was also saved. The game marked the debut of Harris LaRock as a wing defender, as his hand continues to heal. He made several good challenges to assist the defense.
Now 2-2-3 on the season, the Freshmen return to the rigors of the road on Monday and Tuesday with games at Bedford and Pinkerton.
Hanover had several chances to score in the match, with the best one coming from Brook Leigh, who adjusted his run to take a beautifully angled through ball from Sam Pych to get behind the defender and get a strong shot on goal that was deflected by the keeper. Caleb Putnam also made a good bid, but his strong shot was also saved. The game marked the debut of Harris LaRock as a wing defender, as his hand continues to heal. He made several good challenges to assist the defense.
Now 2-2-3 on the season, the Freshmen return to the rigors of the road on Monday and Tuesday with games at Bedford and Pinkerton.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
JV Beats Central 4-1; Win Number 150 For Coach Callanan
Manchester Central greeted Hanover JV’s with an 8 game
record of 7-0-1, but they ran into a buzz saw of maroon Tuesday, with the Marauders
playing a great game in the 4–1 win that showed determination, great defense, some break
out individual efforts, and the love for veteran coach Mike Callanan, who just seems to know
how much and when to demand more. The win marked Coach's 150th in his ten years as HHS JV Coach.
Dan Healy continued his recent sparkling play with two
goals, the first on a fine cross from Yedne Atkins 10 minutes into the game,
which was followed later in the half by a brilliant cross from Griffin Johnson
to David Seigne for a two goal lead that was never lost. Sander Macauley just missed extending the
lead, pounding the high post towards the end of the half.
Opening the second half, Atkins turned and twisted around to
fight for the ball bouncing loose near the goal, which he sweetly sent home for
a three-goal lead.
The defense played by far their best collective game at just
the right time. Those players rarely get
the individual press that the scorers do, but when they are playing well as a
unit, everyone can relax with a lead.
That being said, particularly strong play was exhibited by Lucas
Adams-Blackmore, Roger Danilek, Inigo Panos, and along with the “you can’t get
past me” mentality of George Geraghty, Casey Starr, and Alvaro Cooper at
midfield, kept Central in check all
evening, except for one scoring run from the Central varsity member at striker,
Zachary Elliot, who shot through the middle to launch one that made it 3 – 1.
As the second half progressed there was a lot of good play
on both ends without any more real scoring threats until Healy raced in for his
second score of the game, striking like lightning for the 4 – 1 lead that held
up for the duration.
Coach Callanan, The Milestone Man, who’s probably seen it all more than
once, talked after the game about the team coming into its own at just the
right time, the work the team will be doing to move the ball better on defense,
and the benefits of square drill for ball control and foot skills. This was a great win at just the right time,
apparently completed with a stop for celebration snack with their coach on the
ride home. This large squad who all play
equal time has their eyes on a positive finish to the season and the
playoffs. The Marauders head to Keene Friday.
Come on down, it’s not that far at all. Let’s root these boys on. Congratulations, Coach!
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