JV1 Beats Nashua South 2-1 in Overtime

 Hanover JV1 squared off with Purple panthers of Nashua South in a thrilling game. Hanover would start off on the right foot and were completing passes to feet throughout the pitch and finding lots of time as South looked to hold their shape. Hanover nearly found the open score in the 4th minute when Joseph Umwizeye had a line breaking pass that Augie Krawitt found hop off his foot just wide of the goal. Hanover would keep its pressure on that end earning several corners in a row. Shortly thereafter, Hanover would capitalize on one. In the 8th minute Ian Smith drove a corner toward the front post and had the ball bounce out to Ian Press who switched the play to the left side, right at Veer Patel. Patel would line it up and hit a first time volley that took an arcing path right into far side netting, putting Hanover up 1-0. Hanover continued their play in the South end, but found that South was more than willing to play long balls deep for transition. Peter Jorgenson was equal to the task and made sliding tackle that saved a potential dangerous cross in. Alas, Jorgenson was injured on the play and did not return. This meant bigger roles for Sam Loesher and Davey Tolliday as the game progressed. South seemed to fancy the boot and chase tactic which kept Hanover chasing back into its own end. South’s striker would convert on a ball out of the middle third played through by their center midfielder, tying the score at 1-1. With the game now squared again, Hanover kept working their style of play shifting their CM group side to side and looking to switch the ball through the middle and into the attacking third. Liam Worden would have one of these switches to Aidan Bradley near the end of the half that was crossed in by Bradley but eaten up by the keeper. The half would end square at 1-1.

The second half was played with much of the same efforts from both teams. Hanover continued to recognize where the space was available, wide on the wings in the attacking third. In the 52nd minute, Patel would play a cross that just barely flew over Soren Stettenheim making a center run, while Ian Smith, well positioned took one touch before driving the ball with a hard strike near post but the keeper was equal to the task. Soon thereafter in the 57th, Umwizeye found a gap in the Panthers' back line the Smith ran onto, but  he narrowly missing the far post with his first time strike, feeling the pressure on his back. Christian Blix played an exceptional second half in goal, controlling three high free kicks, not giving any thought of a rebound for South. Ethan Munson continued his recent rock solid play of keeping Hanover out of danger by standing up the Panthers' striker and putting it out quickly to allow Hanover’s center midfield group to make recovery runs to fill in defensively. In the final seconds of regulation, Hanover would yield a corner to South, but once again Munson was equal to the task and cleared it the middle third for full time.

However, Hanover was hungry and clamoring of “overtime” resounded from the squad. It didn’t take much convincing before the coaches and officials agreed to two five-minute periods of golden goal overtime. South would find themselves with the best chance of the first five minute period, catching Hanover looking to layer its tackles too much on the 18 where the ball was slid in behind for the Panthers' right wing. Fortunately for Hanover, he would put it well wide of the goal mouth. The second overtime also gave another high level chance for South when a loose ball off a corner was well struck but it was cleared off the six yard line by Munson, right in front of a sprawling Blix. Just two minutes later,Hanover’s pressure would earn them a corner that would prove to be all they needed. Ian Press took the corner kick and drove it hard just above the six where a streaking Stettenheim had his defender pinned to his back shoulder. Stettenheim dipped his head and flicked the oncoming kick just inside the back post for the game winner. Hanover JV1 played well and earned their result through and through, yet all the while remain hungry for the next one, next Saturday at home against Portsmouth.