One-sided games against overmatched opponents rarely produce good soccer and good feelings, yet that's what Hanover's 10-0 decision against Spaulding produced on a sunny Tuesday at Megriman-Branch Field. Twenty-seven players played for the Marauders, and without exception every one of them contributed to a well-played game. Eighteen different players had a shot on goal, and nine different players scored. Four of those got their first Varsity goal. There were nine assists, and none of them was recorded by a player who scored. The quality of the goals was uniformly good. There were no garbage goals, no opposition mistakes. Every one of them is worth describing.
Eleven seniors started the game for Hanover, and they wasted little time in controlling possession. After a five-minute stretch of good movement, Peter Burnham had the first look at goal, hitting a hard shot that drifted left past the upper left corner. David Stoffel and Pat Osborn both hit short shots straight to the keeper, and then at 11:28 Will Blinkhorn dropped one of the nicest dimes of the day, chipping a perfectly-weighted lead pass into the path of Osborn, who finished clinically for his second goal of the season. Shortly afterwards, Stoffel ripped a left-footed rocket that clanged off the upright. A free kick in the Hanover end gave Spaulding their first opportunity, and they nearly cashed in, although Mark Kimani missed an unmarked far post header. A minute after that, Stoffel doubled the score, finishing well on a nice through ball from Charlie Adams.
The scoring pace quickened after several substitutions. Blake Palmer scored the first of a brace, a near post header on a corner kick from Adams at 24:30. Twenty seconds later, Palmer scored again, with Eli Stack sending him in alone. Goalkeeper Addison Bigelow got his hands on the shot, but it bounced off the far post and in. Three minutes later Adams teed up another corner kick and found Kyle Doucette for his first Varsity goal after several near misses in recent games. This sort of thing might come in handy.
Adams was hustled out of the match, never to return, in an effort to keep the score down. 97 seconds later, Nathan Subrahmanian, who had come on for Adams, collected his first goal of the year, with another good assist from Stack. Following a brilliant run down the right, Jacob Kubik-Pauw earned his first Varsity assist with a pass to Amane Matsuoka for a 12-yard shot for his fourth goal of the season.
With a 7-0 halftime lead, the Marauders were nevertheless determined to play hard at both ends, and in particular get a clean sheet. Kubik-Pauw pricked up where he left off five minutes after the interval, threading the ball to Archer Judd, who proved that his elevation to the squad was merited. Judd calmly dangled a defender and buried a shot for his first Varsity goal. The firsts continued. Ten minutes later, Henry Bernard justified his selection for the second this the season. making several threats before a solo run got him dragged down in the box. With all of the speed and subtlety of Enelow going for the GU, Toño Correo grabbed the ball and march to the spot, hammering the penalty kick for his first Varsity goal. There was one more box to tick before time expired, and with minutes to play Bernard collected his sought-after point, setting up Brendan Brigham for his first Varsity goal.
At the other end, Andrew Enelow earned his first Varsity shutout. It was well-earned, with several second-half saves demanding full attention. Enelow's diving save to his left on a long but well-taken bid from talented Mike Moore on the 70th minute was noteworthy, as was the quality of his kicking game and communication.
The Marauders are now 11-2 and tied for second in NHIAA Division One play, following Manchester Central's 3-2 loss to Bedford. There are three games left to play in the regular season, and they are all challenging. Hanover will need no motivation returning to Pinkerton on Thursday, after the rain clears. They will train Wednesday at Dresden at 2:00, before the rain comes.
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