The Marauders banished any remaining bad vibes from their loss to Bedford with a clinical 5-0 victory at Spaulding on Friday, improving their record to 5-1 and giving them a share of first place in Division One.
Hanover trotted out a completely changed lineup against the winless Red Raiders, anticipating the opportunity to spread out some playing time, and yet maintain quality. Spaulding was not a pushover. They had played some teams closely, and had a reputation for hardworking and physical play. The Marauders nevertheless took control of the match, with center backs Simon Kahan and Roger Danilek shutting Spaulding down at midfield the the trio of Ben Sobel, Alvaro Cooper and Sander Macaulay spreading out the counterattack. Hanover's defense was airtight, but despite several well-taken short corners, it took a while for the offense to roll into gear against a resolute Spaulding defense.
Following a series of substitutions midway through the half, the Marauders continued to probe for openings, and broke through in the 30th minute. Left back Sam Strohbehn broke into the Spaulding end and threaded a pass to sophomore Bauti Gallino, who deftly returned a wall pass that send the Hanover Captain in alone for an easy goal and a 1-0 lead. Moments later Strohbehn almost doubled the advantage when his free kick was saved by Raider goalkeeper Dallas Brown. Jake Acker pounced on the rebound but put his shot over the top.
Although they held a slim 1-0 lead at the half, the Marauders anticipated better things after the interval, and they didn't have to wait long. Three minutes into the second half, Alvaro Cooper teed up a free kick just inside the midfield circle, and lofted it over the Spaulding defensive line. Freshman Charlie Adams was first to the ball and executed a perfect header, over the outstretched hand of Dallas Brown and just under the bar for his team-leading fourth goal of the season.
Adams returned the favor six minutes later, penetrating deep into the Spaulding penalty area and laying off a lateral pass for Cooper, who hit a laser inside the right post for his first career goal and a 3-0 lead. Completely on the front foot, the Marauders continued to press for more goals. Sobel hit a header over the bar, and David Seigne created several chances on the left flank.
Hanover subbed with 15 minutes remaining, and the sophomore class took over. Dillon Bradley and Elias Zinman pulled the strings at midfield, Liam Collins and Nico Mayo-Pushee spread the attack on the wings, and Bauti Gallino made a number of superb runs from his striker position. All Hanover needed was someone to light the fuse. Enter number Ten. Charlie Adams checked back into the game, and the fireworks started. First, Mr. Plays-Older-Than-He-Looks threaded a long pass to Mayo-Pushee on the right flank, and Nico held off and finished expertly to make the score 4-0.
Four minutes later Adams made a twisting run into the box and had a superb opportunity to shoot from close range. Instead, hr squared the ball to a wide-open Gallino, who collected his first varsity goal. Adams finished with a goal and three assists, and has a team-leading four goals and four assists on the season.
Hans Williams, still a threat to set off airport metal detectors with the staples in his scalp from last Saturday's training mishap, got his first varsity start in goal and collected the shutout without needing to make a save. Hanover outshot Spaulding 20-1.
The Marauders get back to the more challenging part of their schedule next Tuesday, returning to the cozy confined of Merriman-Branch field for a 4:00 match against a vastly-improved Nashua South team. With wins over Manchester Memorial and Winnacunnet and close losses to Concord (1-0) and Pinkerton (2-0), the Panthers are a capable opponent.
No comments:
Post a Comment