Hanover took a giant step in their playoff push Saturday, beating a determined Oyster River side 2-0 to advance to the NHIAA Semifinals next Wednesday. The Marauders broke a scoreless tie in the second half with two Eric Jayne goals, and stifled the Bobcats with a dominating defensive display.
Next up for Hanover is a rubber match in the Semifinals with Lebanon, which advanced to the final four with a penalty kick shootout victory over Souhegan. Wednesday's match at Stellos Stadium in Nashua will kick off at 4:00 p.m.
Hanover owned a clear edge in play in the first half, outshooting Oyster River 7-1 and limiting them to one half-field shot on goal. As has been the case all season, the Marauders turned up the heat in the second half, creating several sure shots at goal before Jayne converted a penalty kick at 59:45, and then followed up three minutes later with one of his best goals of the season to put the game away.
Stefan Dyroff was credited with only three saves on the day, but he more than earned his shutout with the save of the season midway through the second half, when speedy Stephen Luna got behind the Marauder defense and went in along on goal. Dyroff came off his line with perfect timing and made a great save on Luna's low, hard shot, denying Oyster River's only real chance at a critical time. Shortly thereafter, Jayne was hauled down in the box by Bobcat keeper Adam Goodwin after he had been skinned by the Hanover skipper. Goodwin sustained a possible concussion on the play, and needed to be replaced by Oyster River backup goalkeeper Rye Morrill. It hardly mattered. Iker Casillas could have been in goal and he wouldn't have been able to stop Jayne's thunderous spot kick. It looked for all the world like had been practicing penalties these last few days.
The goal was celebrated throughout Merriman-Branch Field, but particularly by Daniel Hazlett and Joe Carey, who had each knocked sitters over the bar earlier in the half.
Hazlett had been played into a wide open shot by Forrest Pratt, and seemed more interested in taking over Hayden Pressey-Murray's P-lot supremecy that he did in tucking the ball past Goodwin. Carey missed from even closer range on a great run into the box, but none of that mattered few minutes after Jayne's penalty. Ben Harris tracked down a highball cleared out of the Oyster River area, killed it with the sort of expertise that will see him playing serious college soccer next year, and laid the ball across the box to Jayne, who scored one of the nicest goals of his career inside the left post for an insurmountable 2-0 lead. Jayne now has 14 goals on the campaign, and no Hanover player in 50 years has ever engineered back-to-back seasons that rival his. Clutch? He has eight game-winning goals on the year.
Taking a short rest on the bench as the clock would down and Oyster River unraveled, Jayne could only marvel as Harris' superlative performance, and he was right. His passing and shooting aside, Harris was an amazing ball-winner. His ability to hold a ball in traffic and spark the offense was a major difference between the two teams, and one that the Bobcats couldn't answer.
Before the game was won with Jayne's goals, it was won with defense. Dyroff was outstanding off his line, and his booming punts made a huge difference on the afternoon. Matt Barth and Robin Smith were titans in the center of the park, winning ball after ball in the air, and defending closely in the box while never diving in.
They combined for a spectacular sequence in the second half when Oyster River striker Alex Hennessy worked deep into the box, standing him up and denying him any opportunity to create a shot. Aided and abetted by 80-minute stalwarts Connor Bentivoglio and Hayden Pressey-Murray, the Hanover defense has now limited the opposition to five total shots on goal and zero (0) corner kicks in the last two matches. Hanover's scoreless streak in tournament play now extends back six games. Going back a bit further, Hanover has recorded shutouts in sixteen of their last seventeen playoff games. Must be something about seeing your breath in the air that makes the Marauders hard to score on.
"I honestly think that we are getting better with every game we play", commented Coach Grabill. "We are still learning how to anticipate each other, and we are still learning the importance of communication all of the time. Out maturity has been wonderful. We don't get rattled when the games get tight, and we don't let ourselves get upset in the face of adversity."
Next up is a serious challenge. The Marauders will face a fired-up Lebanon team that is on a roll after upending third-seeded Souhegan in their home park. The Raiders certainly have no fear of Hanover, having beaten them two of the last four times they have met. This will be their first meeting in post-season competition since the 2006 NHIAA Finals, when the Marauders prevailed 1-0 on a fluke goal in overtime of a replay game following more than 200 minutes of scoreless soccer. Perhaps you will need to look elsewhere if you want high-scoring soccer on Wednesday, but if it's excitement and entertainment you want, you had best find a way to Stellos Stadium on November 3rd.
It's amazing how a questionable call can make a team unravel. Unfortunately that penalty was a 50/50 call which changed the nature of this game. All too often the referees make calls that end up changing the outcome. It would have been much better to have won this game without this happening.
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