The Freshmen had to wait more than a week to resume their game schedule following their big 3-2 win over Concord, but they showed that had made good use of the intervening time, beating Merrimack 3-0 in the steady rain at Dresden. It was actually a great day to play. The temperature was moderate, with no wind, and the Dresden pitch was firm and played beautifully. The young Marauders took full advantage, playing their best game of the season. They created more than two dozen scoring chances, created a number of patient, multi-pass buildups, and switched the point of attack like pros. The defense was outstanding. The attacked the ball without diving in, worked in pairs to win countless balls at midfield, and kept a tall, talented team off the board. Two weeks ago Merrimack scored twice against Hanover. The improvement was obvious. Ty Nolon had several good saves too earn his best clean sheet of the season. He had a superb game with ball at his feet, and directed traffic in the back.
It didn't take Hanover long to shake off the rust accumulated during their long hiatus. Off the opening kickoff, the ball was played to starting right midfielder Jack Blaisdell. Blaisdell expertly toe-poked the ball to Jack Gardner, and Gardner raced past a defender on the right side, beating goalkeeper Max Montgomery to the far post. The Marauders settled into a back and forth game, creating a number of good looks through midfielders Ian Smith and Simon Taenzer, and wingers Berkeley Chamberlain and Liam Worden. Merrimack countered with long balls to their tall, speedy wingers, but they were contained by defenders Own Smith, Jackson Watts, Ethan Munson, Cam Forbush and Wyatt Sklarin. Hanover got another boost when Jack Stadheim, Will Taylor, Jack McGrath and Alex Brackett checked in, and they doubled the lead at the 20-minute mark on a steal and breakaway by Gardner. Hanover was getting excellent play from wing defenders Tom Mosdal and Kevin Choi, whose support of his wing midfielders and ability to handle a pass out of the back really opened up the game.
The rain continued into the second half, but Hanover was waterproof. The continued to press the attack, understanding the importance of the next goal, to be scored. Hanover earned a ton of corner kicks throughout the half, and made many of them dangerous. Better position play by wingers will continue to help. The Marauders cashed in on a corner sixteen minutes after the interval, with Soren Stettenheim corralling a loose ball in the box and threading a shot that tucked inside the right post for a 3-0 lead that took the steam out of Merrimack. Many of Hanover's best attempts followed. Cam Bonner showed the he was well-suited to play striker. He was hard-working, resourceful and creative in the box, getting his head on a corner kick, and hitting a wonderful left-footed volley. Theo Joseph was effective all day on the flank, and now know what an absolute sitter looks like up close. Auggie Krawitt showed everyone what effective wing play looks like stretching the field and playing dangerous balls into the box.
Back in the Hanover end, Nolon continued to orchestrate the defense like Leonard Bernstein conducting "West Side Story", dominating his box with excellent judgment off his line.
The Marauders will practice at Dresden with Chris Dawes (lest we forget why they are improving so much in their possession game) on Tuesday and then re-deploy for a Wednesday afternoon game against Keene at Dresden.
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