Freshmen Rally to Beat Concord 5-4, Remain Undefeated

The Hanover freshmen went to Concord on a soggy afternoon for a rematch of our home game with them last Saturday.  They had three or four unfamiliar players on their side this time; they were big, strong, fast players who changed the complexion of their team.  Nonetheless, we went up a goal early in the game when Andrew Rudd alertly tapped home a rebound off of a low, hard shot from Gavin Munson that the Concord keeper couldn't handle.  But Concord answered right back with three goals in quick succession.  Henry Steffen was in good position for all three, but Concord's talented forwards put the balls out of reach.  The rest of the first half was a stalemate as the field got sloppier and the play became disjointed on both sides.


We went into the half down 3-1 -- this was the first time we had trailed in a game all season, so it offered us a chance to face some real adversity and stage a comeback.  We asked the boys to play more directly in the second half, since time was not on our side and it was hard to control the ball on the slick and muddy field.  We pulled one goal back in the early minutes of the second half when Sam McDonnell was rewarded for his persistence and knocked home a loose ball in the penalty area.  But with our defenders pressing forward, Concord found more space in our end and one of their speedy forwards broke free and beat Henry Cotter to the far post to make the score 4-2.  Now our backs were against the wall, so the two Sams began to press forward more and the extra pressure on Concord's back four was more than the Tide could handle. We tied the game with goals from Sam Ames and Andrew Rudd, and then the game took on a fast and furious pace as both teams were playing for a game-winning goal.  

The officials were letting the boys slug it out without many whistles during the final 15 minutes.  Time and time again, on the right side Jai Gregory, Teddy Abbate, Ben Thaler-Wellborn, Lionel Ndong, Ezra McGinley-Smith, and Wynn Bushell connected to push the ball downfield and launch a few dangerous shots towards goal. On the opposite side, Sebastian Bujarski shut down Concord's attack throughout the second half. We got very good minutes from Gus Thompson, Isaac Novosad and Dan Rush while our reliable midfield of Joseph Glass, Diego Lee, Alex Orsino, John Scherer, and Schuyler Clapp (when not playing up top!) put in productive, gritty shifts to keep Concord from establishing much momentum.  Sam McDonnell scored the game-winner with about 12 minutes to play by slipping a shot past the sprawling keeper after a frenzied scramble in the penalty area.  This was a well-earned and inspiring come-from-behind victory that demonstrated the team's resolve and competitive spirit.  We have a full week off now before our next game -- this will allow us to regroup and recover after playing three games in five days.

One tough injury of note today: Noi Larusson twisted his knee and may have to sit out for an extended period -- we will miss his presence at the top of the team.

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