Junor Varsity Enjoys Two Easy Wins Against Memorial and Nashua North

The Junior Varsity had two easy outings at midweek, beating Manchester Memorial on the road on Tuesday by a score of 5-0, and returning home on Wednesday to defeat Nashua North 10-1.

At Memorial, the Marauders scored four times in the first half to take control of the game. Goalkeepers Owen Brooks and Harry Olszewski and their defensive mates shut down the Crusader attack.  Robbie Murdza got the scoring started at the 21 minute mark with the sliding shot, assisted by Jack Hazard.   Then the boys were rolling.  Yedne Atkins scored what would be his first of four goals over the two games, and Hazard converted from the far post, deftly receiving the Peter Huizenga cross.  Peter then sent his second assist over to Atkins to make it   4 – 0 at halftime.

The lead  increased after intermission, with Dan Healy scoring from the outside from a David Siegne feed.  Final score, 5 – 0.  Hanover, as the team ran their record to 7 – 3, and prepared for a game against Nashua North less than 24 hours away.

Returning home on Wednesday, Hanover won their fourth straight game, beating Nashua North 10-1. The win was their their sixth in their last seven matches. .  Coach Callanan tried to stop the action early against the clearly outmatched visitors, and most of the Hanover players, while still playing hard soccer, moved the ball without fighting to score or the score would have been more lopsided.  

Opening the game, Yedne Atkins sent a barrage of shots to the net.  Then Dan Healy started the scoring, when George Geraghty sent a beautiful high bounder near the net that the streaking DanMan poked in for the first of what would be many goals for the home team.  Yedne followed with a one touch goal, making up for a lack of power with precision, down and away from the helpless keeper,  and it was 2 – 0 Hanover.

A penalty kick was awarded to Nashua when it looked like it might matter,  and the shot from the spot found home for the only visitor goal of the afternoon, and the only score of the two games in two days.  This was a result of the constant outstanding play at midfield, improving defense, and good goalkeeping on the few shots that Hanover faced..  The midfield play of Jack Hazard, Dan Healy, Griffin Johnson, Jensen Dodge, David Seigne, George Geraghty, and Casey Starr is the real backbone of this streaking team.  They defend and attack, depending on their role and the flow of the game, but they set a tough line to get past.  When the opposition does succeed and squeak through, the back line is increasingly good at ending it and clearing the ball before decent shots can occur.  It was a team defensive effort Tuesday and Wednesday, led by Jack Pattision, Lucas Adams-Blackmore, Addison Wanner and Sam Ives. 

Keepers Owen Brooks and Harry Olszewski were rarely called on, but did their good work when needed.

There was too much scoring to describe them all.  Here’s the list beyond those already mentioned.

            •  Jensen Dodge, assisted by Luke Messersmith

            •  Griffin Johnson, again assist from Messersmith

            •  Casey Starr

            •  Yedne Atkins (2^nd Goal)

            •  Robbie Murdza, from Dan Healy

            •  Jack Hazard, from Inigo Panos

            •  Messersmith for the last two, assisted by David Seigne and  Casey Starr

The boys are on fire, winning in bunches, but face a real challenge on the road (again) Friday against a strong Pinkerton squad.  We will be short a few important players, but the depth of the team and the continual equal playing time should make up for any absences.  Our record now stands at 8 – 3.  As Coach Callanan said, the team has come together at just the right time.  

Reminder:  The bus for the Pinkerton game will depart at 12:15.

Friday and Saturday Games Close a Busy Week

The busiest week of the season will end with a flurry of matches involving all four teams.  On Friday, the Varsity and JV will play back to back games at Pinkerton Academy in Derry.  The bus will leave at 12:15.  Please note this time, and share it with your teammates.  The Varsity game will start at 3:30, and the JV game will follow on the same field.

There are several containers from Tuesday's Varsity or JV snacks that were left on the bus.  These will be available for pickup at departure time on Tuesday.

The Reserves will play Mount Royal at 4:30 on Friday at the Dresden Fields in Norwich.  Players are responsible for providing their own transportation to and from the game.  Players should plan to be at the field at 3:30.

The Freshmen will not practice on Friday. They will play at Keene at 11:00 on Saturday at the Keene High School Field.  The bus will leave at 8:30.

None of the HHS teams will practice on Saturday or Sunday.  The Varsity will practice on Monday at 3:00 p.m. on the HHS turf field.  The Varsity and JV will host Winacunnet High School on Tuesday at 4:00.

Reserves Rally to Tie Kimball Union, 2-2

 The Marauder soccer blog has been fortunate to have several guest scribes and correspondents.  We're delighted that this post was penned by Reserve Captain Arturo Johnson, who does a superb job describing today's stirring comeback by the Marauders, who rallied from a two-goal deficit to tie Kimball Union, 2-2:

Upon arrival, the skies were blue and sunny and warm, but as the match drew to a close, the clouds loomed overhead, and a chill ran through the air, perhaps telling the orange-shirted opposition that Hanover is back. And we're better. And we'll take anything you throw (or kick) at us and send it back just as strongly. That's what we came to do and that's exactly what we did. As soon as the game started, Kimball Union was on their toes. None other than the infamous Henry Pletcher dashed down the field straight into a one-on-one with the unlucky but determined Jo Glock. Pletcher dodged Glock and sent the ball straight into the back of the net, a goal-scoring technique which he showed off again a few minutes later, much to the dismay of the Marauders. However, we weren't going to let them get away that easy. Later in the half, in fact, to follow that up, none other than the twinkle-toed Benny (Benito) Gantrish sent the ball soaring through the air over the heads of the despairing Kimball defense line. The ball never touched the ground. Tenzin Tashi was positioned and ready to give it all he had, which he showed when he landed the ball with a textbook chest trap, and down onto his foot. The KUA keeper could only look on as Tashi's kick (from 2 feet away) blasted past his arm, bringing Hanover Reserve once again to another decisive one-goal away matches. 

But then, of course, the second half was yet to come. And with the promise of the future came the determination and hope that powered the Marauders through that fateful final section. Shots were taken ( mainly by Hanover), defense was powerful ( KUA), and tensions rose until late in the second half (the fourth quarter, I think), after a series of corner kicks that just didn't have the finish they deserved, a rebound. Most of the maroon players were in the box already, but not the unsung hero, Hayden Hatfield. The first-year Hanover defender who has sort of hidden in the shadows so far beat the Kimball player to the ball and booted a perfect arc back towards the goal. I'm not quite sure how it happened, but somehow, after it landed and was jostled about by KUA chests and heads, the ball made its way to Gantrish, who found his way straight to the goal. The Kimball Union keeper came out for the tackle, but Benny was quick ( it's a superpower of his, I'm sure). Before the keeper could blink, the ball shot past him to the left and into that small slit just inside the goal post, the corner where goalkeepers dread. The Marauders cheered and applauded him, and held up their defense until the very end. The Marauders left the field with newly recovered confidence and fire, a wonderful feeling that happens many times after coming back for a tie. Hanover returns to the pasture on Friday for a rematch against Mount Royal Academy, our first opponent of the season.

Groundhog Day: Marauders Beat Nashua North 3-0

When Hanover beat Manchester Memorial Tuesday night, it ended a three-week stretch between wins.  Less than 24 hours later the Marauders have a winning streak, having celebrated their return home to Merriman-Branch field with their second straight 3-0 victory, dispatching Nashua North 3-0.

Last night, the Marauders worked hard to beat a team with a 2-7 record.  Nashua North came to Hanover with a 6-4 mark, and wins over Keene, Alvirne and Salem, and were dominated.  The Marauders did not allow the Titans a single shot on goal, and launched 20 of them at the Nashua North net.  Hanover had seven corner kicks, most of them dangerous, and scored on a corner for the second straight night.  The Marauders are now 7-3-1 and in a tie for 6th in the NHIAA Division One standings.  They are a good win or two away from the promised land of a top four finish with five regular season games remaining.

For the second day in a row, the Marauders scored early in the first half, registering the game-wining goal on a corner kick play.  After two earlier short corners had produced great chances, Asa Berolzheimer launched his 723d corner kick of the season, and his driven inswinger was headed home with shock and awe by Ian Caldwell.  It was his second goal in two games and third of the season.  Not satisfied with one goal the Marauders pressed hard for another.  Berolzheimer had several good looks, including a nice-looking drive on a free kick.  His best bid was  a breakway that was well saved by Nashua South goalkeeper Brett LeBlanc, who came bravely off his line to smother the ball at Asa's feet.  Seth Stadheim had his bad-angle shot save by LeBlanc's face on another desperate dive.

At the other end of the field there was......nothing.  Hanover's back four, intact again with the return of  Cian Kelly to the starting lineup, did an excellent job winning balls at midfield and penning the Titans in their own end, and they generated little offense, no shots on goal, and one corner kick that was easily shooed away.  Once again, the midfield trio of Caldwell, Berolzheimer and Jonah Levine did a splendid job of winning balls, maintaining possession with a series of short passes, and restarting the offense.

Leading only 1-0 after the half, the Marauders were reminded that their typical second-half strength would not come automatically.  They were encouraged to take advantage of their depth and play a high-pressure game, and the strategy seemed to work.   Before the half was over, every healthy field player on the team got some playing time, and Hanover's hustle resulted in an 11-0 shot advantage and a number of golden scoring chances.  Asa Berolzheimer launched five shots, including one that almost made the parking lot.  Twenty-five minutes into the half,  Jamie Dinulos, who had his best game of the season, won a ball on the left flank and played it into the box.  With Seth Stadheim creating confusion in the mixer, the ball fell to the feet of Berolzheimer, who buried it for his sixth goal of the campaign.

There were a number of other good chances.  Noah Kahan, who had one of his most effective outings to day, broke in alone and hit a good left-footed shot that forced LeBlanc to make a diving save.  Henry Allison, for the second game in a row, just missed connecting with a centering pass.  Josh Wallace ripped an inswinging corner kick that would have curved into the far corner had LeBlanc not made a leaping save to tip the ball over the net.  Ten minutes from time, the Marauders notched their third goal of the afternoon, and it was one of the best of the year.  Once again it was Dinulos who created the moment, hitting a sweet cross from the left corner that was headed home by Jake Acker for his second goal of the season.  Dinulos had his third helper in two nights, and takes over the team lead with four.

Hanover has climbed out of a midseason furrow which saw them play well enough, but make enough mistakes to drop potential points.  This two-day stretch has reinforced many of the improvements that they have made over the course of the season.  Their hard work on restarts has begun to pay off handsomely.  They are getting tighter and tighter on defense, and owning midfield.  Now they face a number of challenges that will help them continue to grow, and perhaps improve their playoff positioning as well.  Next up is a Friday road trip to Derry to face Pinkerton Academy.  The Astros are a notch ahead of Hanover in the standings with an 8-3-1 record.  Comparative scores suggest that this match is a toss-up.  Just what the doctor ordered for a Marauder team growing in confidence and cohesion, and eager to prove themselves against top competition.

Freshmen Drop a Pair of 4-1 Matches on The Road

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.

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!

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.