Hanover opened the 2010 soccer season with an efficient 6-1 win over Pembroke Academy on a steamy Monday night at Merriman-Branch Field. The Marauders distinguished themselves at both ends of the field scoring early and generating offense throughout the contest. Hanover's defense was equally strong, allowing only a consolation goal with less than three minutes to play.
Senior Captain Eric Jayne paced the attack for Hanover with three goals and two assists, producing all manner of goals with a dazzling display of virtuosity. Junior Pedro Celaya announced himself with two goals and an assist off the bench, and Senior Joe Carey set aside his shadowy defensive personna long enough to bundle in a goal.
The Marauders took the initiative from the opening whistle, with starting strikers Jayne and Isaiah Fariel causing Pembroke problems in their own end. Fariel had to leave the game five minutes after the start with an ankle injury incurred in a collision with the Pembroke goalkeeper Ryan Murphy. Celaya popped up off the bench and scored the opening goal 6:41 into the game, popping in a rebound after Murphy bobbled a searing bad-angle cross the the right corner by Jayne.
The Marauders continued to press, with Ben Harris coming close on several occasions, and left back Hayden Pressey-Murray showing particular effectiveness in his support of the attack. Just over the midway point of the half, Celaya collected the ball at midfield and sent Jayne sprinting one-on-one with a Spartan back. The Senior striker easily beat his defender and lashed the ball into the left corner for a 2-0 lead.
By now, Hanover was substituting liberally, but the quality of play never diminished. Keegan Gantrish and Adan Kline-Schoder looked strong on the flanks at midfield, and freshman Daniel Hazlett was impressive, narrowly missing on several scoring attempts. Sophomore midfielder Brendan Barth made one of the prettiest plays of the night with five minutes to go in the half, stepping up at midfield to intercept a careless square pass, driving into the attacking third, and dishing a sick no-look pass to Celaya, who took two touches and blasted the ball past a diving Ryan for a 3-0 lead. Defender Matt Barth, a rock in the center of the park all evening, nearly got into the act offensively, narrowly missing a sitter on the goal line after a scramble in front of the net.
The Hanover attack continued unabated into the second half, with even more fresh faces in the lineup. Forrest Watkins made an effective debut at right midfield, showing flair and pace chasing balls down to the endline. Charlie Umland and Evan Greenwald
demonstrated poise and creativity as flank defenders, helping support the offense.
Ten minutes into the half Jayne checked back into the game, relieving senior Alex Dodds, whose whose Varsity debut promised more minutes down the road. Shortly after his return, Jayne got onto the receiving end of a lobbed cross from Matt Barth. Chesting the ball to himself, Jayne found a small space in the box, waited, and hit a sassy chip over the flailing keeper for his second goal of the night. Three minutes later, Jayne fed Joe Carey for his first of many goals this season, and Coach Grabill rushed Ryan Brigham off the bench to replace Jayne before things got out of hand. Too late. Twenty-two seconds later things officially got out of hand, as the Marauders brought the ball straight into the Pembroke box. Ben Harris hit a long cross from the left side that looked as though it would sail harmlessly past the far post. Jayne ghosted in out of nowhere and hit a hard header that beat Murphy near side and high into the roof of the net.
Jayne joined most of the started on the sidelines, and still Hanover dominated. Brigham caused havoc on the left flank,and sophomore Ian Strohbehn showed great touch as both a striker and center midfielder. Crowd favorite Tor Hathaway demonstrated the offensive creativity and athleticism that had earned him a varsity spot during preseason. Roland Hermann-Stanzel was a warrior at center midfield.
Pembroke put up with a lot all evening, and stayed classy and hard-working. They were rewarded in the dying moments of the match when Scott Bernard was given too much time and space at the top of the penalty area and placed a hard shot past Alex Woods, on in relief of underworked starting goalie Stefan Dyroff.
It was a point of pride for the Marauders that of the 28 players on the roster, 27 of them got significant playing time. This underscored the fact that the Marauders may have one of their deepest teams ever.
Speaking of depth, the Hanover Junior Varsity earned a 3-0 decision over a good Pembroke JV earlier in the day. Rocco Linehan's goal was the lone score of the first half, and then the freshman striker continued his hot streak in the second half with his fifth goal in two games. Xavi Tchana also tallied. A number of other first-year players did well, including midfielder Tomas LaPorta and defender Jack Lightbody. Sophomores Duncan Piper and Ryan O'Rourke shared the shutout in goal, backed by veteran defenders Benjamin Manning and Daniel Osheyack. Peter Bensen was a strong presence on the right flank, and junior defender Christian Johansen made an auspicious debut. Coach Mike Callanan did an admirable job juggling his 25-man roster.
Both teams return to action Friday afternoon on the road at John Stark, and then return home next Tuesday for games against Class L refugees Goffstown.
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