Hanover's long season-opening road trip came to a satisfying conclusion on Friday, as the Marauders shook off an early goal and dominated Winacunnet en route to a 3-1 victory. The win was their third straight, helping them start the campaign on top of the Division One standings with a 3-0 record. Hanover now takes a week off to rest and then prepare for their home opener next week against traditional foe Manchester Central.
Determined to start strongly, the Marauders nevertheless surrendered an early goal to a much-improved Warrior squad. After Hanover had enjoyed an edge in possession, Winacunnet got possession in the Marauder end and made the most of their opportunity. Impressive midfielder Freddy Schaake came roaring out of the corner on the baseline and hit a perfectly-angled pass to streaking striker, who deflected a dribbler inside the far post for a 1-0 lead.
The rest of the half was all Hanover. Luke Messersmith and Henry Kahl made things dangerous on the wings. Messersmith had a close range shot blocked, and Jake Acker was ruled offsides after he had converted a free kick feed from Adam Pikelny. Fifteen minutes into the match the Marauders subbed their strikers, and it didn't take long for the switch to bear fruit. Counterattacking from a rare Winnacunnet foray into the Hanover end, hard-working winger David Seigne hit a perfect through ball to a streaking Charlie Adams. By now, you should be able to figure out how this ended. Adams shrugged off a hard challenge from the last defender, bulled past onrushing goalkeeper Dominic Styles, and popped the ball into the net to tie the game. It was Adams' third goal in as many matches, and confirmed for the Marauders the sneaking suspicion that this freshman is capable of playing far beyond his years. Hanover had stayed calm despite their early deficit, and Adams' goal ignited them.
Eight minutes later, the Marauders took the lead for good. They were awarded a corner kick, and had to wait a bit as several more Marauder subs switched on and off. As standout senior back Simon Kahan came on for Will Smith, the latter trudged off the pitch with his back to the incipient corner kick. Coach Grabill met Smith at the touchline and whirled him around, and said "watch your buddy!" Will thus had a great view as his buddy Jake Acker met Casey Starr's corner kick with a far post header and placed the ball back inside the opposite post for a 2-1 lead.
The Marauders dominated the second half, and did so by utilizing every one of the 24 field players on the roster. Hanover got off to a great start with the front line of Liam Collins, Bauti Gallino and Nico-Mayo Pushee. It was the first varsity experience for the latter two, and they justified the faith placed in them. Both had great opportunities to score, as Collins, Sam Strohbehn and Will Smith made some magic on the left flank, generating cross after cross.
Hanover maintained momentum when the starting strikers jumped into the game at the 10-minute mark, and less than three minutes later they grabbed a third goal when Sam Strohbehn served a corner kick into the box and Casey Starr redirected it off the far post and in for his first goal of the season. The Marauders kept coming. Strohbehn saw his close-range shot smothered by Warrior keeper Styles, who came off his line bravely. Will Smith hit a great shot from just inside the penalty area that forced Styles to make another good save.
In came another wave of subs, and Hanover's domination (verified by the high-tech stats recorded by Everett Logan and promulgated on-line by Joe Pych) continued. Sander Macaulay showed well at striker, getting a good shot on goal and more importantly possessing well with his back to the goal.
Alvaro Cooper showed excellent ball control and presence of mind at center midfield. Dillon Bradley was a force at left wing, combining well with running mate Elias Zinman. Ben Sobel was a strong presence at sitting center mid, contesting every 50-50 ball in the air, and sneaking into the Warrior penalty area to get his head on the ball there as well. Griffin Johnson hit a great first-time shot with his left foot. Hanover's final assault on goal was memorable one. Sam Pych was in for a brief stint at left back so that Simon Kahan could re-live last season's game at center back, and Pych had instructions to get forward. He soon found the opportunity to make one of his patented charges though the opposing defense, and ripped a shot that caromed off the left post. The rebound went right to Mayo-Pushee, with a golden chance to atone for two earlier close misses. Atonement will come soon enough, but it was not to be this day. Nico's close-in shot managed to gain altitude as quickly as an Elon Musk SpaceX rocket, and with the same success.
The Marauders are most certainly a work in progress, but they are a 3-0 work in progress, with three good results on the road against quality opposition. They deserve their Labor Day rest, and will re-convene on the HHS turf this Monday at 3:30 to start preparations for Manchester Central. Only Central has been the Division One Finals as many times (twice) in the last four seasons as Hanover. Hanover and Central are the only two teams to have been to the semifinals more than twice in that stretch. These are the two programs that set the standard, and they meet next Friday in the home opener for the Marauders at 4:00. Get there early to get a good seat.
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