The first road trip of the regular season was a successful one for the Marauders, who scored twice in each half to earn a 4-1 victory over John Stark. Four different players scored for Hanover, now 2-0 on the young season.
Hanover got off to a good start nine minutes into the match. A John Stark defender staggered under one of Stefan Dyroff's monstrous punts, and headed the ball backwards over his endline. The Marauders instantly punished the mistake, as Joe Carey headed in Trey Rebman's corner kick for his second goal in two games.
The well-coached Generals stiffened their defense, and although Hanover enjoyed a huge territorial edge (the first half shot totals were 13-0), they didn't score until the half was nearly over. Carey, Ben Harris and Eric Jayne had all created good looks at the goal, with one of Harris longer shots just whistling over the bar. But the insertion of fresh legs gave the Marauders a lift. Keegan Gantrish, Ryan Brigham and Daniel Hazlett were all instrumental in turning up the heat, and with less than two minutes to play Hazlett scored his first career goal, redirecting a centering lass from Eric Jayne to give Hanover an important 2-0 lead.
If John Stark was fazed by the late score in the first half, they didn't show it, pulling a goal back three minutes into the second half with some excellent soccer. A John Stark defender intercepted an incautious pass at midfield and sent the ball deep into the Hanover end. General midfielder Steve Johnstone made a great move to get free on the left baseline, and drove to the goal, drawing a defender and serving a great ball to the foot of striker Josh Morin. Morin his a first-time drive that was labeled for the right corner, only to be denied by a diving save by Stefan Dyroff. Scott Morin was first to the rebound, and drove it into the back of the net to put the home team back into the game.
Now it as Hanover's turn to show composure, and they responded magnificently. Strong defensive play by Robin Smith and Matt Barth put the clamps on any further comeback hopes by John Stark, and the Marauders took the play into their offensive third. Harris, Carey and Jayne all continued their forays, and would eventually tally 21 shots between them. The best of these was a turnaround shot by Harris from the edge of the penalty area that rang off the upright. Their work was rewarded midway through the half on another corner kick. Rebman's drive was headed onto the bar by an onrushing Matt Barth, and the rebound fell to the feet of Ben Harris, who happily opened his account with his first goal of the season, giving Hanover a 3-1 lead that looked and felt safe.
The Marauders then flaunted their depth, as Brigham and Gantrish returned to the flanks at midfield, and Hazlett took over up top. That trio was joined minutes later by the central midfield duo of Roland Herrmann-Stanzel and Brendan Barth, and those five subs put a charge into Hanover's game, creating a number of good-looking scoring opportunities. With six minutes to play, Hazlett squirted by a defender on the left flank and drove to the baseline, hitting a scorching left-footed centering pass that zipper through the goal box before it met Gantrish at the right post for a tap-in and another first career goal. Brendan Barth almost put a cap on the game a few minutes later, just missing a far post header. He spent the rest of the match uttering G-rated invective and apologizing to everyone within earshot.
The final totals saw Hanover outshot John Stark 29-4, and enjoy an edge in corner kicks of 11-0. Those statistics accurately reflect the match, which was satisfying to the coaching staff but less so to many of the players, who felt frustrated that they hadn't played as well as they wanted. That sentiment was admirable, although after two matches it is clear that the Marauders are making progress. Last year after four matches, Hanover had scored six goals. They have ten in their first two this time around, and their defense is getting tigher every day.
That defense will be tested on Tuesday when 3-0 Goffstown comes to Hanover. Having dropped down from Class L, the Manchester-area school has had little trouble in their first three games (having beaten John Stark 3-1), and they will be riding high. "This is exactly the sort of test we need," opined Coach Grabill. "They are a big, strong team with a lot of depth and athleticism. If we can move the ball quickly on them, we should be successful. This will be our toughest test to date." Kickoff is at 4:00 at Merriman-Branch Field.
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