Hanover Beats Concord 5-1 to Open The Season

Hanover opened the 2021 season in impressive fashion, scoring early and often to beat longstanding rival Concord 5-1. They jumped out to a 3-0 lead after 18 minutes on a goal from Oscar Miller and a brace from Murphy Hunt, and played tight defense for 79 minutes, winning at Memorial Field for the first time ever in franchise history. Hanover had an inkling from summer play and inside scouting reports that they would be the better team, but they took the challenge seriously and left nothing to chance. They dominated the first 10 minutes, and broke through six minutes after the opening whistle. Becket McCurdy, who was a force at midfield throughout the match, slotted the ball to Oscar, who held off a defender and deposited a close range left footer past Tide keeper Max Leahy for a 1-0 lead. Hanover was keeping things tight on defense, with an all-senior back line that caught Concord offsides several times, indicating their ability to step together. The strength of Palmer Okai and Jack Ross in the middle gave flank defenders Connor Hamlin and Luke Ives the opportunity to get forward and support the offense. Hanover kept pressing, and found some success on the wings through Eric Ringer and Jacob Kubik-Pauw. The latter busted a move on a defender on the left side that broke his ankles (not really, credulous readers! Figuratively!) Kubik-Pauw was just getting warmed up, celebrating a return from a sprained ankle. 14 minutes into the match, K-P got loose on the left baseline and sent a ball across the face of the goal that a charging Murphy Hunt reached at the right post with a full extension, doubling the score. Three minutes later, Hanover was given a free kick in Ringer range, and the Senior Captain hit a dipping shot that handcuffed the Tide keeper, creating a juicy rebound for Hunt, who started his run early and was wide open to pop the rebound into the empty net. A 3-0 lead after only 18 minutes gave Hanover an opportunity to relax, but they didn't take the bait. They kept pressing on offense, and came close to scoring again when Oscar's header off a free kick was on goal, and forced a good save. Concord's occasional forays into the Hanover end were rebuffed, and their one free kick was blocked expertly by a well-formed wall. Hanover's subs played well, and their fresh legs kept Concord at bay. Zane Schiffman celebrated his birthday will his best play of the entire summer on the right flank. Jack Gardner was a tireless force up top, and Will and Carter Guerin each collected two shots on goal. At halftime, Hanover had a 13-0 advatnage in shots at goal. The challenge of playing well in the second half was well met, although Concord created an early chance that forced Hanover goalie Ty Nolon off his line to make an important stop. The ball was boxed around before Palmer Okai calmly cleared to end the threat. Soon enough, Hanover was camping out in the Concord end, and after nine minutes, a clumsy foul game Ringer another free kick opportunity, and this one he deposited inside the right post, another in a series of masterful strikes he has authored. Concord, by the way, was fighting hard. They are a well coached team that will be far stronger by midseason, and they created a chance that forced the Haonver defense to clear the ball ove the endline, granting the Tide their only corner kick of the game. They took full advantage. Jacque Tunguru served a perfectly-weighted ball to the far post, and Jimmy Rutikanga rose high to head the ball home. It was a well-taken goal, although it could have been better contested. Remember, we said 79 minutes of good defense. Undaunted, Hanover returned the favor. Once again Hanover's strong bench gave then a territorial edge. Eleven minutes after the Concord goal, Jacob Kubik-Pauw took a throw-in from the left side that found Carter Guerin loose in the box, and the sophomore center mid worked free for a well-placed shot that gave Hanover their final 5-1 advantage. The final minutes gave several Hanover players the chance to register their first Varsity game time. To some of us, that's a big deal. Some of us feel it's an honor to wear a Hanover uniform, and to some of us getting into the game, even for a few minutes, is important. So congratulations, Jack McGrath, Ben Woods, Sean Smith and Owen Smith. More where that came from. Now Hanover comes home, and Tuesday night they host Exeter at 6:15 on the Merriman-Branch turf, and for the first time since 2019, HHS students, younger players, and local fans can see the team at work. It could be a lot of fun. We're eager to see who shows up!