The Marauders began their second season with an efficient and well-played 3-0 victory over 15th-seeded Trinity on Wednesday at Merriman-Branch Field. After a one-sided by scoreless first half, Hanover got three goals in the first 15 minutes of the second stanza to put the game out of reach. Ben Harris and Eric Jayne each had a goal and an assist, and the Marauder defense was dominating. Trinity was held to no shots on goal, and no corner kicks.
The Marauders maintained a high level of play despite playing every healthy player on the roster for at least 10 minutes. Some of the best performances of the day came during "garbage time", which was anything but that.
The morning's rains gave way to brilliant fall sunshine 5 minutes into the match, and the Marauders matched the weather with a bright start. Eric Jayne was, yikes, focused. He launched seven shots in the first half,yet actually never forced anything. The Marauders were camped in the Trinity end of the park, but seemed to have plenty of room, particular on the left side. Although Jayne kept leaving his calling card, it was junior Pedro Celaya who came closest to scoring, ripping a right-footed turnaround just wide of the left post. Roland Herrmann-Stanzel came close with a header, and Isaiah Fariel hammered a shot from the right flank.
Sometimes a scoreless first half can frustrate a team, and inspire the underdogs holding on for dear life. For some reason, that wasn't the case for the Marauders this time around, and they confidently started the second half. It took exactly 23 seconds for Eric Jayne to give Hanover the only goal that they would need, taking a pass from Ben Harris and moving to his right at the top of the penalty area to find room for a drive that tucked inside the left upright. It was Jayne's team-leading 12th goal of the year.
Four minutes later the hard-working Celaya doubled the lead on a carbon-copy goal, receiving a slick pass from Trey Rebman on the left side of the box and working free for a low, hard blast that ripped the back of the net for his eighth goal of the campaign. Eleven minutes later, Harris hit the coup de grace, taking a pass from Jayne and crushing a left-footer from an acute angle that hit side netting inside the right post. It was Harris' 8th goal of the season and Jayne's team-leading 11th helper. Harris' goal was the 22nd of his career, leaving him only one shy of cracking the alltime top twenty of Hanover goal scorers.
Jayne's two points gave him a career total of 65, and broke a tie with Ben Mackinnon at the top of the alltime point scoring leaders. Already the career goal-scoring leader with 45, he can now lay claim to being one of the great Hanover players in the 50-year history of the program. The most compelling reason for that assertion is the knowledge of his teammates that he and Harris would give up every one of those records if it would result in a win for the team, particularly at this time of year. Their unselfishness and self-effacement has been a hallmark of their four years with the program.
The entire Marauder team took care business at the other end of the park, ensuring the team's seventh shutout of the season. All eight backs contributed to that, with starter Robin Smith and reserve Charlie Umland registering notable performances.
Next up for Hanover is a quarterfinal game on Saturday, October 30 at 2:00 in the friendly confines of Merriman-Branch Field. The opponent has yet to be determined, since the first round game scheduled for today between host Coe-Brown and Oyster River was postponed until Thursday. Keep an eye on the NHIAA Web page, and mark your appointment calendar for Saturday afternoon.
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