Hanover opened the soccer season on a high note at home, sweeping a pair of tight contests with perennial power Exeter. Exactly 117 students from 1200-student Exeter tried out for soccer, and the cream of that crop came to Hanover to open the season. The JV1 squad earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory on a Zane Schiffman back post post finish on a Jack Ross free kick, earned by an Oscar Miller run. Hanover started the match on the front foot, and pressure by Eric Tysinger, Isak Larusson and Pierce Hamlin nearly created a goal. Zane Schoffman nearly got a front post finish on a Derek last corner kick in the sixth minute.
Exeter had several great chances to score, and a pair of superlative saves by Jack Maynes midway through the half kept the Marauders from surrendering the lead. Hanover played composed, intelligent soccer in the second half, and made the lead stand up. As the physicality of the match increased, Hanover kept their cool as the opposition earned a pair of yellows. This was a good win for Coach Willie Johnson and the JV1s.
The Marauder Varsity faced a typicality strong Blue Hawk side, skillful, aggressive and confident With a large crowd on hand for the 6:00 tilt, the Marauders overcame a slow first half and took control of the match, never trailing en route to a 2-1 victory. Will Blinkhorn and Charlie Adams scored within a minute, and a strong defense led by Senior Captain Kyle Doucette slammed the door on Exeter.
Hanover controlled the match in the first half, but their long stretches of possession never amounted to much in the way of dangerous scoring chances. Eli Stack created a couple of good opportunities, forcing goalkeeper Dylan Firmin to make a strong save off his line that left him shaken up. Amane Matsuoka had a good-looking shot blocked following a corner kick. Charlie Adams slid a long free kick past the far post. Exeter had fewer scoring bids, but showed that they could be dangerous with a pair of shots that forced saves from goalkeeper Joey Perras.
It was clear from the outset of the second half that the Marauders had taken things up a notch. Ten minutes after the interval Charlie Adams burst into the attacking zone and slid a pass to Eli Stack on his left, Stacks's shot was saved by a charging Firmin. Five minutes later, Stack burst out of the corner in the penalty area and was hauled down by a defender with a clear path to the goal. Play continued. Both Amane Matsuoka and Blake Palmer were giving Exeter a number of challenges on the wings.
With a decided edge in play, the Marauders got a further boost with a bunch of substitutions at midfield. David Stoffel, Will Blinkhorn, Brian Brigham and Toño Correa all gave Hanover the time and space to create a number of shots. The Marauders took a 1-0 lead in the 68th minute, following a corner kick from the left corner. The rebound fell to Blinkhorn at the top of the box, and the senior midfielder struck a great ball that found the side netting inside the left post. It was a suitable reward for a great preseason. Less than a minute later, Adams showed a bit of brilliance, with a run through midfield that twice saw him tip the ball inches ahead of a lounging defender. Bursting free into the box, Adams was hauled down for a no-doubt penalty kick, and cooly converted the spot kick to double the lead.
The Marauders, who had played superb individual and team defense, did a nice job continuing the Exeter attack, although the Hawks pulled a goal back with four minutes remaining. Quinn Pjhillips made a great run to the edge of the box, and Perras came well off his line to meet him at the top of the penalty area. Joey made the save, but got an unlucky bounce as the ball rebounded 10 yards further out to midfielder Mason Casassa, who volleyed the ball 30 yards into the vacated net. Exeter never threatened after that, however, and the Marauders ran out the clock on a valuable home win.
Both teams will return to action on Thursday with 4:00 home games on the grass and the turf.
Wednesday's schedule is a full one, culminating with the 7:00 Parent/Player meeting. The JV1 and JV2 training sessions scheduled for 3:00 at Dresden are subject to the weather, with thunder storms scheduled for that time slot. Stay tuned. If rain cancels these sessions, the JV2 will still meet at the high school after school to receive uniforms for their Thursday home game.
The 4:00 Varsity training session on the turf and the 5:30 Freshmen scrimmage with the Varsity Girls on the turf are very likely to take place as scheduled. Both Varsity and Freshmen should wear white (or gold) training gear. Freshmen should meet at the turf at 5:00.
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