JV1 Beats Merrimack 3-0

 The Hanover JV took to the road once again to face Merrimack at the beautiful Back River Sports complex. Much to the JV’s surprise, they found out upon arrival not only would they be playing on turf but would also be playing on the larger of the two fields. 

Sporting a changed formation of a 4-4-2,  Hanover found itself linking passes early on. Ian Press played a quality number 10 position linking, back with the midfielders during his initial stint. Veer Patel, playing excellent width, had several runs in behind the defense, one led a quality shot by Press inside the 18 the went just wide of the far post. On the ensuing goal kick, Merrimack’s keeper duffed it straight to Sam Calderwood who took a touch towards goal before slotting it near post just in behind the onrushing keeper to put Hanover up 1-0 in the 8th minute. Hanover would continue its quality play with pressure from the front and Ethan Munson being a vocal leader organizing the back. Wing backs Jackson Watts and Cam Forbush both made their presence felt making reads and tackles to keep the ball in the attacking third. As Hanover would roll out its subs, the quality of play would not fall off. The team had a number of good chances throwing it into the mixer as the first half continued. Soren Stettenheim continues to seemingly have a magnet in his head for the ball and drove a cross from Aidan Bradley that had been punched by the keeper just over the bar. On two similar plays no more than three minutes apart, balls thrown in to the mixer found Liam Worden’s feet putting the first one over the bar and the second hitting the right upper 90. Stettenheim also created a gap, pulling two defenders with him near the top of the 18 then playing a through ball, splitting their backs finding Nick Reiss running on with only the keeper to beat; unfortunately Nick was blown for off sides as he finished. Before the end of the half Henry Werner would play an excellent left footed cross to his favorite running mate, Stettenheim, once again put a header just over the bar.

Hanover recognized their advantage from the first half, but also that their only goal was more from the mistake made by Merrimack. They would start with with the grouping that had just ended the half and resumed right where they had left off. In the 42nd, Werner would make an inside run from his left midfield position and Stettenheim would over take his left flank lane. Ever on the same page, Werner drew the outside defender and played Stettenheim with a quality through ball that Soren crushed into the far side netting to put Hanover up 2-0. These two would collaborate on yet another goal in the 48th. Aidan Bradley played a cross to the back post where Stettenheim with his magnet head found the ball in bounds yet again, but it would seem that it wasn’t strong enough and the ball seemingly glanced off his hand instead and sat on the ground.  There was no whistle.  Werner alertly ran on to it and poked it home to score Hanover’s final tally, making it 3-0. However, Hanover would not be without more chances in the second half. Nick Reiss would find another ball inside the 18 that sailed a yard over the bar; Ian Press had had two strong strikes that went over and wide respectively; Sam Calderwood elevated alongside the Merrimack goalie got a head on it only to have it kicked off the goal line. Immediately following that, Ian Smith started to wind up for the ball cleared off the line only to have it blown down for injury to the keeper and the defensive player who had cleared it off the line; Smith would have one more final chance from a Patel cross that he finessed just wide off his head. Hanover had a combined clean sheet from Wyatt Seelig and Christian Blix who were both quick off their lines to retrieve heavy through balls. An extra shout out to Davey Tolliday playing a double shift at CB today.  Hanover returns to action Thursday with a road trip to Windham.