Hanover accomplished most of its goals Tuesday in a match at Brady that they won by the score of 5-0. Most importantly, they got a result, and in doing so solidified their hold on sole possession of first place in NHIAA Division II play. At 10-0-0, they are the only unbeaten, untied team in the league, and one of only two boys' teams in the entire state.
Of lesser significance, but nevertheless laudatory, Jayne scored his 10th goal of the season and the 43rd of his career, putting him alone as the all-time Hanover goal scoring leader. He broke the record of 42 held by Bob Dow, Class of '66, who was on hand for the occasion and one of the first to congratulate him. In addition to being one of the best players in New England, Jayne is also one of the hardest-working and most self-effacing. The scoring record means a great deal less to him than leading the team to a shot at the NHIAA title. It was nevertheless a special moment, and it was handled with class in every way.
Another very significant goal for the Marauders was playing well. They knew that in facing a winless Bishop Brady team, there might be pitfalls. Playing an undermanned and inexperienced opponent can sometimes diminish the level of play and lead to bad habits. Happily, Hanover didn't let this happen, and managed this feat while 25 different players got significant playing time. They settled in and created some nice soccer, which helped the Brady team play well, too. Missions accomplished.
The match started with Alex Woods making his first varsity start in goal, Brendan Barth and Roland Herrmann-Sanzel playing the first 60 minutes at center midfield, and
exemplary sesniors Alex Dodds, Keegan Gantrish and Adam Kline-Schoder also on the pitch for the opening whistle. The Marauders were well-served by all of the above.
Most notable in the early going was Brendan Barth, who played flawlessly. He helped control play in the middle, won a lot of balls in the air, and kept the ball heading in Jayne's direction. One of his passes found paydirt in the fifteenth minute, and Jayne was unerring with a rip into the back of the net for his record-setting goal. To have it come early on was incredibly gratifying, and he took a spot on the bench with several senior stalwarts who were sitting this one out so that their deserving teammates could make the most of their minutes.
Hanover kept pressing, led by good attempts from midfielders Herrmann-Stanz and Kline-Schoder, cheered on by fellow hyphen Pressey-Murray. Matt Barth had a couple of looks that bordered on the unseemly, and may have hastened the advent of the reserve back four. With ten minutes to play in the half Pedro Celaya took a pass from Isaiah Fariel on the left side of the box, turned to find room to his right, and hit the Goal of The Year, a Diego Forlan-like drive that screamed towards the upper right corner and at the last minute dipped into the upper 90 like a Luke Skywalker rocket shot into the exhaust portal of the Death Star. Ka-boom!
In the Marauder end, the back four did a find job tackling and snuffing shots, and Alex Woods made a fine leaping save to earn his half of the clean sheet. Andrew Brown took over in the second half and was equally tidy playing behind the Pepto-Bismol quartet, who actually played steadily amidst the episodic rain showers. The collective shutout was well-deserved.
Unsurprisingly, Hanover turned up the heat offensively in the second half, firing 17 shots to Brady's one, and possession soccer. Brendan Barth opened his account with his first varsity marker in the 60th minute, flipping a Keegan Gantrish free kick into the upper corner of the net. Ben Harris benefitted from some nice work on his behalf by Daniel Hazlett, tipping in a great feed from the right baseline. Ian Strohbehn, who had earlier made a meal of another Hazlet golden helper, ripped in a rebound from a fumbled corner kick from Trey Rebman, also his first varsity goal.
With Merrimack Valley's Monday loss to Goffstown, Hanover stands alone at the top of the D2 table. They will have to work hard to defend that lofty perch in the weeks to come. Next up is Lebanon, coming to Merriman-Branch field on October 12th at 7:00. Circle the date on your calendar. Get there early. Bring some canned goods. Aloha. Out.
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