Reserves and Freshmen Host Exeter Doubleheader

The newly-named Reserves and the Freshman team hosted a doubleheader on Wedneday against Exeter.  The Reserves had their hands full with Exeter's powerful JV Blue team, as did the Freshmen, who lost a 2-1 decision to a tall, powerful Bluer Hawk freshman team.  Here are the reports from Freshman Coach Willie Johnson and Reserve Coach Erik McEwen.  First, Coach McEwen:

   "Game one was not a soft opening.  This team has a lot of potential, but it is literally getting to know each other.  With only few practices together, and for some their second day of playing soccer it was quite a trial.  Even though the score was pretty rough, there were some highlights.  The veteran squad including Daniel Wilson and Avery Wallis are finding their way in the backfield, and we're showing signs of danger up front with Gabe Loud and Harry Olszewski.  The new players as well are showing some chemistry that could be seen, with Henry Bernard,  and Joe Zhang and AJ Ristino shoring up the backfield.  Andrew Enelow played a brave and very solid game in net, that belied his current stature.  You could say he played twice his size  The first game is behind us and we have the week ahead to start working toward our next game."

Willie Johnson reports:  " The Hanover freshman battled hard against the freshman of Exeter in a tight game. Hanover had early pressure and was awarded a free kick just outside the 18 in the 4th minute after Eli Stack was cleared off the ball from behind. Latham Allison lined it up and struck it solid, but over the bar. Hanover would find themselves playing defense a bit more after that, but center backs Ethan Ross and Noah Pikelny both had head-up  plays to support Carter Auch in net as the Exeter forwards tried to apply pressure. Carter notched three saves on shots and dove to disposes a player in a strong first half. Advancing the ball through the midfield became difficult for Hanover as they gave up much size to Exeter, who played a physical aggressive style of play. The score would remain nil-nil through the half.

The scoring would open up in the 49th minute after a tall Exeter striker was played through the center backs. As Auch came rushing on the striker slid one past him to put the Eagles ahead by one. The same player would net a second in similar fashion in the 55th minute. Hanover rallied despite the deficit and continued their patient possessive play. Amane Matsuoka would take two free kicks from the left side that appeared to be threatening (the first hitting the far post and the second driven just past), but neither one was converted.  Joey Perras would net one to cut the lead in half in the 65th minute. Hanover had great pressure on the Exeter team for the the final ten minutes. A great opportunity came A free kick taken by Judd Alexander landed right inside the 18, where Latham Allison tried to head it past the keeper, only to find him right in front of it. Despite loss it was a strong showing against a strong physical team in a game that felt close the entire way."

There is a slight schedule change for the Freshmen tomorrow and Friday.  They will have their concussion screening on Thursday, not Friday, and will practice on Friday at the regular time of 4:00.  They should report to the Computer Lab Thursday after school, and should be finished by 4:00 p.m.

The Reserves, JV and Varsity will train at Dresden from 4:00 - 5:30.  Players should plan on meeting the practice bus at 3:45 after school.  The bus was very, very punctual today!  There will be a bus from Dresden to HHS at 5:45, after practice is over.

Schedule change:  The Freshman game at Pinkerton next week has been moved to Tuesday, September 6th at 4:30.  The bus will depart at 2:00.  Players should inform their 7th period teachers well in advance.

The Varsity and JV teams will leave immediately after 5th period on Friday for their 4:00 matches at Winnacunnet.  Players must inform their 6th and 7th period teachers tomorrow, and make arrangements to make up and work missed.

Marauders Rally to Top Exeter 2-1

Hanover had every reason to be happy about last week's opening win at Londonderry, winning for the first time on that pitch and avenging last year's playoff loss.  But the Marauders knew that Londonderry was rebuilding, and a shadow of last year's senior-laden squad.  Exeter, Tuesday's opponent, was another matter.  The Blue Hawks had been tabbed as a preseason top four team, and had won their opener 9-0.  They had a strong center midfielder back from an Academy stint, and one of the top goalkeepers in the division.  Thus, when Hanover rallied from an early deficit to dominate the second half and win the match 2-1 on a scintillating goal by Charlie Adams, they had reason to feel good.  They are still putting the pieces in place and know that they can be better, but they have pocketed a pair of road wins against quality opponents, and school hasn't even started yet.

The match started inauspiciously for Hanover.  Four minutes into the match, Exeter midfielder Hunter Smith beat Marauder keeper Patrick Logan to a 50-50 ball, rounded him, and deposited the ball into an empty net.  The Marauders tightened up, and began to find the range on some longer shots as they neared the midpoint of the first half.  Sam Strohbehn ticked the bar on one of his several long range attempts, and they got a lift when Luke Messersmith got his first playing time of the season.

Charlie Adams, who had replaced hard-working Casey Starr at striker, moved back to midfield when Starr re-entered, and tried to feed a ball to him.  It was deflected by a defender and fell to Henry Kahl on the right flank.  The junior winger hit a quick and efficient left-footer that blazed into the upper corner for a remarkable game-tying goal.  With this lifeline firmly in hand, the Marauders never looked back.  Their defense stiffened, with Roger Danilek and Ben Parrado contributing good relief minutes for stalwarts Adam Pikenly and Lucas Adams-Blackmore.  Simon Kahan started at left back and continued his strong play, and then gave way for a short stretch that allowed Will Smith got his first minutes of the season.  Jake Acker was a huge part of the defensive effort, and cleared a sure goal off the line from an uncontested Exeter header from a corner kick.

With a 1-1 lead at halftime, the Marauders had a right to feel pretty confident.  Coach Grabill was a bit crabby at the interval, pointing out several areas which could be improved.  Maybe chastened, maybe just happy to get back to work, Hanover took control right away in the second half, and piled up a shot advantage that eventually reached 11-2.  David Seigne had some offerings from the left flank, where he played his second effective game in a row.  Henry Kahl and Sam Strohbehn were both dangerous on corner kick from their preferred right corner.  Would a goal come soon?

Fifteen minutes into the half, precocious freshman Adams conjured up the answer, creating a goal from almost nothing.  Taking control of a ball in the left corner, he beat a defender to a spot on the baseline, took a step to his right to increase his angle by about seven degrees, and ripped a laser against the grain and inside the near post to give the Marauders a 2-1 lead.

Hanover did their best to hold the lead in the best way, continuing to press the offense.  Casey Starr hit a wonderful turnaround shot that forced Blazak to make a spectacular diving save.  Adams came out of the corner again and hit a high, bad-angle screamer that Blazak blocked. Luke Messersmith his a couple of very encouraging shots from his customary spot on the left side.  Fresh legs kept shuttling in and out.  Dillon Bradley and Elias Zinman both played well at midfield, keeping ball-winning stalwarts Jake Acker and Sam Strohbehn fresh.

Exeter kept working hard, and made several forays into the Marauder end, forcing center backs Sam Pych and Lucas Adams-Blackmore to make a number of tackles and blocks.  Pat Logan came of his line superbly, and in the dying minutes first Pych and then Adam Pikelny made superb tackles in scary one-on-one situations to ice the win.

In the dying minutes of the match Hanover should have had a third goal.  Adams broke into the Exeter box on a three-on-one counterattack, and had both Messersmith and Strohbehn to his left. The trio connected with each other, passing and then over-passing, and finally Messersmith launched a shot that smacked the crossbar, hit Blazak in the back of the head, and nearly crept over the line as time expired.  It was a comical coda to a great second half, and it left the Marauders in an enviable position.

There's more work to do in the near future.  Hanover's back on the road on Friday, heading to the foggy moors of Winacunnet High School in Hampton for a 4:00 match on Friday.  Several Marauder attacking players are chafing to make their debuts, and this match, approached with the proper professionalism, may provide that chance.

Junior Varsity Rallies to Defeat Exeter 4-3

The Marauder JV won another highly satisfying road game on Tuesday, rallying from a 3-1 second half deficit with a three-goal burst in a five-minute span to earn a 4-3 triumph.  Exeter jumped out to a quick lead in the fourth minute of play, as a long throw-in led to an open shot that beat Hanover goalkeeper Harris LaRock.  The Marauders tied the game at 1-1 ten minutes later as Lincoln Adam's header off of a corner kick was saved by the Exeter goalie, and the rebound fell to Colm Seigne, who headed home his first goal of the year.  Exeter regained the lead in the 35th minute, when a breakaway was saved by LaRock, but the rebound was converted.

Exeter increased their lead early in the second half on a far post finish and held the 3-1 advantage until there were less than 20 minutes left to play.  Christo Dragnev got things started in the 63rd minutes, controlling Sawyer Hanlon's clinical chip over a defender and finishing clinically for his fourth goal of the campaign.  Two minutes later Lincoln Adam, celebrating his return to the midfield, cracked a shot to the upper right corner, and the match was tied at 3-3. The Marauders weren't done.  Two minutes later Dragnev carried the ball to the end line and hit a crossing pass that was converted by Pedro Gallino for his first high school goal.

The Marauders tightened their defense in the final 12 minutes of the match and came away with a satisfying second win of the season.  Hanover outshot Exeter 14-6.  Dragnev led the way with four, and Blake Palmer and Seigne each tallied two.  LaRock collected his second win with three saves.

The Marauders take to the highway again on Friday for the long trek to Winnacunnet.  Kickoff is at 4:00, and the bus departs at 1:00.  Players will need to contact their 6th and 7th period teachers on Wednesday or Thursday.  Wednesday training is at 2:30 at Dresden, and players are responsible for their own transportation

Exeter Games Start Well For Hanover; Reserve Roster Named For Wednesday

The first pair of matches against Exeter High School went well for Hanover on Tuesday.  Both Varsity and JV trailed in their matches, but rallied for wins. The Varsity beat Exeter 2-1 on Charlie Adams' second goal in two games.  The JV erased a 3-1 deficit and beat Exeter 4-3.  Pedro Gallino tallied the game winner.  Look for reports on these games in subsequent blog posts.

On Wednesday the Freshmen and Reserves will get their turns, as both team host Exeter at 4:30 at Dresden.  The team busses will leave HHS at 3:00.  Upperclassmen on Reserves may drive directly to the game with parental permission.  Reserve players will report to the Cafeteria after school to receive their uniforms.  The 35 players listed below will receive uniforms, although several players have not cleared eligibility yet and will not be able to play.  This includes those who have showed up in the last two days without prior notice.

The JV will  practice at Dresden immediately school, at 2:30.  There will be no bus, and players are responsible for their transportation.  The Varsity will practice on the HHS turf from 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.

Looking ahead:  The Freshman team will have their concussion screening after school Friday, instead of practice. They will report to the Computer Lab after school, and be finished by 4:00.

The following players will receive Reserve uniforms tomorrow:

Liam Abbate
Matthew Alibozek
Kezar Berger
Henry Bernard
Joseph Brennan
Lucas Brock
Caleb Calloway
Charles Chen
Tage Colberg
Aidan Connolly
Andrew Enelow
Daniel Felde
Malachy Flynn
Hayden Hatfield
Christopher Lee
Gabe Loud
Max Lutz
Sam Lutz
Deveon Martin
Alex McDevitt
Oliver Minshall
Harry Olszewski
Andrew Parker
Jackson Ray
Wilson Rimberg
Aidan Ristino
Alex Roth
James Roth
Tenzing Rumrill
Eric Seltzer
Dimitri Somoff
Theo Sparks
Ian Surat-Mosher
Avery Wallis
Daniel Wilson
Joe Zhang

Communications: The Blog and Coaches' E-Mails

Monday was an excellent day for team organization, as all four squads trained in anticipation of matches with Exeter on Tuesday and Wednesday.  The Varsity and JV will play at Exeter High School on Tuesday, with simultaneous 4:30 matches. The bus will leave at 1:30.

On Wednesday, the Freshmen and Reserves will host Exeter at the Pasture at 4:30.  The team busses will leave HHS at approximately 3:00.  I'll be there to help make sure that our first day of bus transport goes smoothly.  This would be a great day for all freshmen on both teams to try and start the practice of getting some school work done in the cafeteria (home base for the 2020s) or the Library.  Get a snack after school and stretch, and then hunker down for 45 minutes and read a chapter, solve a problem, translate a few paragraphs.

Players and parents have not been reading the Blog daily, and that's a mistake.  There are concrete updates every day.  I don't mind answering e-mail queries from everyone, but it's all right there on the blog.

Reserve Coach Erik McEwen and I have been meeting every day to discuss the Reserve roster, and we will be ready to suit a team up for Wednesday. That may not be the final group, but it will be close.  We have not heard from a number of freshmen and upperclassmen who expressed interest, even recently, but have not shown up or communicated.  We can't chase after you, and we have no shortage of interested parties.  If you have decided not to play, please communicate this.  Common courtesy.

Tonight, I mailed the first in a regular series of Coaches' E-Mails.  This is Varsity Assistant Brett Wanner's idea.  He has encouraged all of the coaches to send an e-mail message to every player, discussing their take on a weekly theme.  This week's theme, for instance, is "the art of the pass".  Brett sent along his thoughts, and the players will be hopefully hearing from other coaches later in the week.  Friday is my regular day to contribute.

Brett has also asked the Varsity and JV players to contribute soccer "pearls of wisdom", and will be processing and redistributing these later.  He believes that our players can benefit from spending time reading and thinking about aspects of "the beautiful game".

The last line of Brett's Coaches' e-mail is a link to a cat video on Youtube.  Tomorrow, if you hand me a slip of paper with the phrase "cat video" written on it, I will hand you a bag of Skittles.  Do not share this information with players who have not read the blog.  Do not tell your teammates how you got Skittles. Just hand me the slip of paper, take your Skittles, and let them wonder what happened.

Practice and Game Schedule Aug. 29 - Sept. 5

Monday, August 29

Varsity Training – HHS Turf                                                                          5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

JV, Reserve, Freshman Training at Dresden                                                    4:00 – 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday, August 30

Varsity/JV at Exeter -  Bus Departs 1:30                                                         4:30 p.m.

Reserve and Freshman Training at Dresden                                                    4:00 – 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, August 31 – First Day of School

Practice Bus Departs for Dresden                                                                   2:45 p.m.

JV Training at Dresden                                                                                   3:30 – 5:00

Freshmen and Reserves Vs. Exeter at Dresden                                               4:30 p.m.

Varsity Training – HHS Turf                                                                          4:30 – 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, September 1

Practice Bus Departs for Dresden                                                                   3:45 p.m.

Training for all teams at Dresden                                                                    4:00 – 5:30 p.m.

Friday, September 2

Practice Bus Departs for Dresden                                                                   3:45 p.m.

Training for Freshmen and Reserves at Dresden                                             4:00 – 5:30 p.m.

Varsity/JV at Winacunnet – Bus Departs 1:00                                                4:00 p.m.

Saturday/Sunday September 3-4

Labor Day Holiday -  No training

Monday, September 5

Varsity Training – HHS Turf                                                                          3:30 – 5:30 p.m

Varsity Team/Parent Barbeque at Huntley Meadow

Big Week Ahead: Hanover vs. Exeter on All Fronts

The week ahead is full of important events for all of the teams in the program, highlighted first and foremost by the first day of school on Wednesday.  Nothing is more important to us than having every player get off to a good start in school, and establish a productive routine.  This is the week where we begin a schedule that includes training and games at Dresden, and we'll be working hard to make sure that our bus transportation schedule (with a new contractor) works well.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, all four teams in the program will take on their counterparts from Exeter High School, one of the few school in the state that has comparable numbers.  On Tuesday, the Varsity and JV will travel to Exeter for 4:30 games. The bus will leave at 1:30 sharp.  On Wednesday, we will host a doubleheader at Dresden, with the Freshmen and Reserves hosting their Exeter counterparts at 4:30.  The team busses will leave HHS at approximately 3:00.  The Freshman and Reserve schedules have bounced around a bit this week, but Wednesday's games are now locked in.  The Reserves will have two days to get their roster sorted out for the Exeter match on Wednesday.  Because we know what their roster will look like, we anticipate that the majority of the playing time in this match will go to the Seniors and upperclassmen.  There will be many games that will feature a primarily freshman lineup, but this one will feature the older players.

The remainder of the week will feature practice for the Freshmen and Reserves, leading into the Labor Day weekend.  The Thetford match listed for the Reserves will be played at a later date.
The Varsity and JV team will play at Winnacunnet on Friday.

The full schedule for the next two weeks will be published on Sunday evening.

Marauders Open With Bang, Beating Londonderry 2-0

Hanover faced a daunting challenge in their season opener at Londonderry, traveling to a site where they had never won, and doing so without a pair of superb senior starters.  The Marauders rose to the occasion, breaking out of a scoreless halftime stalemate with second-half goals by Sam Pych and Charlie Adams, and depending on depth and excellent team defense to start the year on a high note, beating the Landers 2-0.

Knowing about the extreme drought in Southern New Hampshire, the Marauders feared the worst in terms of field conditions.  They were pleasantly surprised by the lush, green pitch, which validated their week-long preparations on a variety of grassy surfaces.  The match was very even in the early going, with Hanover enjoying an edge in the first 15 minutes, and Londonderry responding with some dangerous chances as the half progressed.  Starting striker Casey Starr had a good look that was just wide, and Sam Strohbehn and Henry Kahl authored longer looks from outside the box.

Londonderry had the best scoring chance of the half, as center midfielder Jayden West broke loose on the right side and made his way deep into the Hanover box before unleashing a hard shot that forced goalkeeper Pat Logan to make a diving save to his right.  It was key moment in the game.  The Marauders felt a bit lucky to make it to halftime with a scoreless draw.  On the other hand, this was the first time that Hanover had ever kept the Lancers off the board in the first half, and they knew that better soccer lay ahead of them.

The Marauder brain trust, having had a chance to see that many of their midfielders and strikers seemed ready for prime time, made the decision to go deep on the bench in the second half.  Before they had a chance to make an moves, though, Sam Pych had given them a 1-0 lead, streaking into the box and ramming home a Henry Kahl corner kick on a play that remarkable reminiscent of his game-winner against Oyster River in last Sunday's scrimmage.

Before long, David Seigne, Griffin Johnson and Sander Macaulay came roaring off the bench and reinforced the territorial advantage that Hanover had already established. Charlie Adams, sitting at center midfield for a briefly ailing Sam Strohbehn, served notice on the Londonderry defense with a long range shot from well outside the box that forced Lander goalkeeper Cam Wheeler to make a leaping save.  The subs kept coming.  First Dillon Bradley and Elias Zinman gave Adams and Marcus Helble a blow in the center of the park, and then defenders Simon Kahan and Roger Danilek started a rotation that gave every defender a valuable opportunity to recover on the bench on an afternoon with temperatures reaching into the high eighties.

Hanover's fresh legs and their composure at midfield allowed them to stretch the field and dominate possession.  The Marauders began piling up a significant shot advantage and threatened repeatedly, particularly through Casey Starr, who barely missed connections several times.  With 12 minutes top play, Hanover put the hammer down on a great goal by Charlie Adams, who took a superb feed from Kahl, raced into a dangerous position just inside the box, and finished expertly to give the Marauders a 2-0 lead that must have looked like 20-0.

The Marauders continued to press.  Jake Acker, who was tireless in his ball-winning role at sitting midfield, nearly found the range from distance, hitting a left-footer that grazed the bar.  Starr, who had a total of six shots in the half, just missed tucking a left-footer inside the far post.  Strohbehn, who recovered to give the team critical minutes, dropped another calling card from the edge of the penalty box.

Londonderry never threatened and the final whistle blew with Hanover enjoying a final shot advantage of 17-8 (12-1 in the second half), and a corner kick margin of 9-2 (7-0 in the second half).
The Lancers are a young team, but with Will Smith and Luke Messersmith out of action the Marauders were also vulnerable, at least until they demonstrated that many of their first-year players were ready to be solid contributors.  It was a great way for a team still in building mode to show how much progress they had made.

A much stiffer challenge awaits next Tuesday.  The Marauders will hop back onto the bus and trek to Exeter, where they face a veteran team eager to avenge last year's 2-0 defeat on the Hanover turf.  Wheels go up at 1:30, approximately two minutes after Simon pulls into the parking lot.

Junior Varsity Beats Londonderry 5-2 in Their Opener

The Marauder Junior Varsity had a successful road opener at Londonderry, breaking open a 2-2 halftime tie with three second half goals, and cruising to a 5-2 victory.  Christo Dragnev paced the attack with a hat trick, and Blake Palmer and Sawyer Hanlon added single scores.

Dragnev staked Hanover to a 2-0 lead with a brace in the early going.  Five minutes into the match he beat one defender and then megged the next before beating the goalkeeper to open the scoring.  He was back at it five minutes later, pouncing on the rebound from a Lincoln Adams blast from the left side and crushing a left-footer of his own from the penalty spot to double the score.  Londonderry responded with two goal in the final three minutes of the half, which ended with the two teams deadlocked.

The Marauders didn't wait long to respond, regaining the lead five minutes after the interval on Blake Palmer's first goal of the season, a near-post left footer, with Sawyer Hanlon collecting the assist.
Dragev then completed his hattie with a chip shot that just grazed the outstretched fingertips of the luckless keeper.  Hanlon completed the scoring with a penalty kick after Lincoln Adams was hauled down in the box.  Knowing that the keeper would be expecting a hard shot to the side, Sawyer cleverly hit a weak dribbler up the middle, and his ploy succeeded.

Harris LaRock went the distance in goal, and had a busy day, collecting nine saves.  Dragnev, Palmer and Colm Seigne each had four shots to lead the Marauders in that category.  Will Laycock had only one crack at the goal, but it was a prodigious blast from outside the box.

The Marauders return to action on Tuesday with a road game at Exeter.  The bus will depart at 1:30.

Freshmen Open With A 2-1 Win Over Londonderry Under the Sun

The freshman boys took the pitch for the first time in their high school careers on Friday under the high sun against the freshman Lancers of Londonderry. The game kicked off under clear blue skies and hot weather promptly at 4:30.

Hanover was able to extend early pressure but found many of the through balls and lobbed passes to the middle gobbled up by the Londonderry keeper who was playing high off his line. Londonderry would build on an early counter attack. After playing the ball deep to into the 18 Londonderry pressured Joey Perras, who had it knocked from his grasp. The Lancers netted the miscue in the 8th minute, but the Marauders were not fazed and stayed the course. 

Hanover continued to have a high pressure attack and continued to dominate possession in the attacking third. After being played through by Nick Kim towards the 18, Gray Messersmith was confronted with the keeper only a couple yards in front of him. Gray instinctually tried to play the chip but was just wide of the left post. After realizing the Londonderry keep was playing so far off his line, Hanover worked its attack wider and found more success. Hanover had several great crosses in the in last 15 minutes of the half from Latham Allison, Patrick Osborn, and Carter Auch. Several just went over heads or found feet just to be tackled off the ball before a shot. But their efforts would not be in vain for long. After receiving a throw in about four yards from the corner flag, Eli Bush tossed it on the the foot of Latham, who quickly found Anthony Maynes before the defense had a chance to step. Anthony would dance past two defenders before sneaking one past the keeper into the side netting with his left peg in the 34th minute. Hanover would have another great chance when Patrick found himself with a hard run onto a ball that spurted out to the right. The goalie gave a hard show as he had been, and Osborn drove it hard just over him, but also over the cross bar. The score held at 1-1 at the half, but confidence seemed on the side of the Marauders.

The second half half kicked off much the same way as the first. 'Tonio Correra won possession on the first pass after the kick off, and the tone was clearly set again that Hanover was going to put the pressure on. Hanover would continue to pressure high even when it would seem the keeper would have it. Eli Stack ran circles around his opponents and pestered both the center backs and keeper. Latham, not wanting to be left out, also maneuvered through the defensive line to put a hard shot on net from the right. The peppering continued with a shot from Eli Bush minutes later when he found his left open and struck it with confidence, only to have it saved by the keeper. The feeling was palpable that Hanover was going to convert on one of these attempts. Osborn crossed it in from deep on the right to find the wide flanking Peter Burnham who crossed it back to goal. The keeper made a play to punch it only to have it bounce off the top of the cross bar and find Osborn yet again. Pat promptly played Nolan Gantrish in the middle of the box, and he netted it with ease in the 57th minute. (Never have I seen such a goal!) This seemed to wake the Lancers and made them work to advance play with plenty of long balls. Joey Perras had a very solid second half with five saves, several free kicks and playing way up to put clears right back into our attacking third. The backs were able to hold their line and were even able to draw an offsides call as Londonderry continued to try to play long balls through the middle. Noah Pikelny had one very memorable clear in the waning minutes to keep a Londonderry striker from having a shot in a very dangerous spot. Hanover would hold to a 2-1 victory, that felt well deserved.

Next up for the Freshmen is a home game on Wednesday afternoon at 4:30, following two training days at Dresden on Monday and Tuesday afternoons.

Opening Day For All Four Marauder Teams

Friday is a big day for the program.  All four teams have opening days of one sort or another.  The Varsity and JV will open their regular seasons with road games at Londonderry High School at 4:30.
The bus will depart at 1:45.  Needless to say, it is in the best interest of every player to obsessively check every piece of equipment throughout the morning.  Every mouthpiece, every sock, every shin pad.

The Freshman team, riding high after a well-played 1-0 victory in their annual derby with the Varsity girls, will host Londonderry at 4:30 at Dresden.  Players should arrive at 3:30.  Hanover is wearing all white.

It's also opening day for the Reserve team, which will have its first practice at Dresden from 4:00 - 5:30.  Every player intending to play Reserve soccer should be there, unless you have been in touch with Coach Grabill or Coach McEwen.  Several have, and have work or family commitments.  But we will be taking attendance, and players who do not attend practices regularly, particularly once school begins, may not be able to continue.  The luxury of high numbers is the opportunity to request accountability.  If you want to play Reserve soccer this year, demonstrate it by showing up, or making sure we know why you're not there.  For now, address your communications to Coach Grabill.  I have been in regular touch with many, some of whom cannot be there.  Not's not an issue.  But if you want to play, err on the side of telling me that.  The players who attended tonight's meeting already have a huge head start in this respect.  You get major points for showing up.

It was wonderful to see so many players and parents at the meeting tonight.  I hope that it was informative.  I need, however, to offer a slight rebuttal to tonight's guest speaker, Coach Linda Muri.
As we heard, she has a wonderful record of success as a coach and as a competitive rower.  She has a degree from MIT.  She was Head Coach of the Harvard men's lightweights.  She has a world record.
I agree with the overall thrust of her main argument.  I believe that it is a positive thing for student-athletes to play multiple sports.  I have never suggested, and never will, that a Hanover soccer player focus on soccer at the expense of playing another sport.  Asa Berolzheimer was an All-American last year, and he played basketball all four years.  Many of our top players on this year's team are not just two-sport players, they are three-sport players.

Beyond that, I agree with the premise that playing multiple sports can prevent repetitive stress injuries, activate a wider range of muscle groups, and prevent burnout.  All this is true, depending on which sports you are talking about.  I've seen the studies.  Care to guess which sport has one of the lowest frequencies of repetitive stress injuries?  Correct.  Soccer.  It's clear why this is the case.  You get stress injuries from playing sports where you do one thing over and over, like pitching a baseball, or working on the same gymnastic apparatus.  Those sports are at the top of that table, as are most sports where you hold onto an implement and swing it:  lacrosse, hockey and tennis rank pretty high.
Please, please anyone -  show me a case study where soccer, even year-round, produces repetitive stress injuries.  Wait, don't bother.  You cannot.

Coach Muri made a big point of citing data from Ohio State Coach Urban Meyer, who described how many of his football recruits played other sports.  Well, duh.  No one could play football year round, given the astronomical rate of injuries:  concussions, joint injuries, fractures.  Even three months of playing football is a questionable decision.  So to use that apples and oranges analogy to somehow infer that some sports are not in any way dangerous to play for several seasons, or even year-round, is ill-founded and disingenuous.

Coach Muri stated that she recruits rowers who play other sports in high school.  Well, duh.  Unless you row at an outlier like Hanover or one of the 60-70K preps, you have no chance to row before college, and a good program cannot depend on the small existing pool of rowers.  So it's truly not applicable to the argument in favor of playing multiple sports.

A final point and I'll clam up.  Guess my game-day competitive juices got flowing a bit early.  I believe it was unfair and even a cheap shot to single out soccer players as examples of bad decision-making in terms of not playing multiple sports.   Hanover soccer thrives with the help of athletes who play multiple sports, but it excels because there are also players who are dedicated to playing soccer year-round.  I will do everything I can as a coach to support them and help them realize their dreams as players.  I will guard their good health and never advise them to do anything that would jeopardize their long or short-term well being.  I will scoff at the inference that playing a single sport will in any way limit them socially.  Show me the studies for that unsubstantiated assertion, Coach Muri.  Can you even show me an I-search on the subject?

Playing multiple sports is a very good idea for many high school athletes, and even most.  But to suggest that this is the only way is incorrect, and I was uncomfortable hearing an otherwise well-qualified college coach suggest this.

Varsity, JV, Freshman Schedules Posted

The start of the season is here!  We look forward to seeing all of you tonight at the Parent/Player Meeting at HHS at 6:30.  Please come to the Auditorium at that time.

I am posting below the current schedules for Varsity, JV and Freshmen.  The JV will play at the same time and location as the Varsity unless otherwise noted.

The Reserve schedule will be released shortly.  We are still trying to add Reserve games to compensate for the anticipated large numbers on the team.

All schedules are subject to change.  There are always schedule conflicts and changes due to other circumstances which arise.  It is always wise to check the weekly schedules posted every evening on the Blog, and also check the Blog daily.

Thanks to all players and parents for your support and flexibility.  Creating positive team experiences for more than 110 students is an interesting challenge, but we are well on our way to doing just that!

See you at the meeting, and on the sidelines!

VARSITY/ JV SCHEDULE

Regular Season

Fri.      Aug.   26      at                Londonderry           4:30 p.m.

Tue.    Aug.   30      at                Exeter                        4:30 p.m.

Fri.      Sept.   2      at                Winnacunnet             4:30p.m.                

Tue.    Sept.    6      vs.               Pinkerton                   4:30 p.m.                

Fri.      Sept.    9      vs.               Central                      4:00 p.m.

Tue.   Sept.  13       vs.               Bedford                       4:00 p.m.

Fri.      Sept.  16      at                Spaulding                   5:30 p.m.  (JV 4:00)

Tue.    Sept. 20       vs.               Nashua South              4:00 p.m.       

Fri.      Sept. 23       at                Merrimack                  4:00 p.m.       

Fri.     Sept. 30       at                Bishop Guertin            4:00 p.m.

Wed.   Oct.  5         vs.               Nashua North              4:30 p.m.       

Fri.     Oct.  7          vs.               Memorial (HC)           4:30 p.m.       

Tue.    Oct.  11       at                Timberlane                   4:00 p.m.

Thu.    Oct.  13       vs.               Dover                           4:00 p.m.       

Sat.     Oct.  15       vs.               Alvirne                          2:00 p.m.       

Tue.    Oct.  18       at                Salem                             4:00 p.m.       

NHIAA Division 1 Tournament

Wed.   Oct.   26      Preliminary Round                           3:00 p.m.  

Sat.     Oct.   29      Quarterfinals                                      2:00 p.m.        

Wed.   Nov.    2      Semifinals  (Bill Ball Stadium)          4:00 /6:00 p.m.

Sat.      Nov.    5     Finals  (So. NH Univ                           7:00 p.m.

		FRESHMAN BOYS SOCCER SCHEDULE
DATE	OPPONENT		HOME	AWAY	TIME
F 8/26	LONDONDERRY		HOME		4:30
W 8/31	EXETER		HOME		4:30
W 9/7	PINKERTON			AWAY	4:00
S 9/10	CENTRAL			AWAY	10:00
TH 9/15	BEDFORD			AWAY	4:00
W 9/21	CARDIGAN MT		HOME		3:30
S 9/24	MERRIMACK		HOME		12:00
S 10/1	B.G.		HOME		11:00
TH 10/6	WINNACUNNET		HOME		4:30
S 10/8	MEMORIAL			AWAY	12:00
Th 10/13	B.G.			AWAY	4:30
W 10/19	SALEM		HOME		4:00
S 10/22	CARDIGAN MT.			AWAY	3:00
FRESHMAN COACH:		WILLIE JOHNSON