Varsity Boys Win a 2-0 Showdown With Windham

 Hanover faced one of its toughest tests of the season this far, and came away with a solid 2-0 victory over defending state champion Windham. The win vaults Hanover over the Jaguars and into third place in the NHIAA Division One standings with an 8-2-1 record.  Windham, which had lost only to unbeaten Nashua North, drops to fifth with a 7-2-2 mark. 

Hanover took control of the match early, gaining a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute on Eric Ringer's fifth goal, and then doubling the lead only two minutes into the second half on Oscar's fifth goal.  The Hanover defense was organized and effective, and closed out the match to nail down the win.  Somewhat surprisingly, Hanover outshot a listless Windham squad 18-5, and were in control the entire time.   

Hanover arrived on time, and warmed up crisply and effectively.  The Windham team filtered onto their bench late, and warmed up with no real sign of energy or intensity.  It was hardly surprising that Hanover immediately took control of the match.  Almost all of the match was played in the Windham end.  Five minutes into the match, Oscar hit a shot from the right side of the penalty area labeled for the upper left corner, forcing a leaping save by Jaguar goalkeeper Kyle Gschwend.  On the ensuing corner kick by Eric Ringer, Oscar headed over the bar.  Hanover persistent work earned another corner three minutes later, and after Jacob Kubik-Pauw's driven in-swinger  was boxed around, Jack Ross hit a shot across the face of the goal that slid past the right post. Ringer hit a hard shot high over the post in the tenth minute.  Finally, four minutes later, Kubik-Pauw found room on the left flank and launched a hard, cross that missed Oscar in the center of the goalmouth (whiff?  dummy?) and connected with Ringer at the far post.  The Hanover Captain, back after sitting out the previous game with an ankle sprain, made no mistake, crushing the ball into the net for a 1-0 lead that was never threatened.

Hanover kept the shots coming.  Midway through the half, Becket McCurdy his a good shot from the top of the box that forced another Gschwend save. Ryder Hayes had a good look, and Jack Gardner had his now-patented flick header that sailed wide.  By the end of the half, Hanover held a 13-1 lead in shots, and had four corners to none.  Ty Nolon ventured to the edge of his box to collect a few balls played through, but was never tested.

The coaches warned Hanover that Windham would come out harder in the second half, but after a  modest incursion into the Hanover end in the first minute, Windham allowed a killer second goal two minutes after the interval.  Jacob Kubik-Pauw dribbled to the top of the box, broke through a tackle, and hit a shot toward the goal.  Oscar, flashing laterally through the box, saw the ball bounce off him and fly, redirected, into the open net.  There was a lot more soccer to play, but Windham was in deep trouble.

With a comfortable cushion, Hanover continued to play excellent team defense. Senior flank defenders Luke Ives and Connor Hamlin were superb the entire game, and Owen Smith, making his second start as a replacement for the injured Palmer Okai, was very strong in the middle. Alex McGrath played very well in a relief role at center back.  Windham tested Hanover several times, but the team tackling and clearing were equal to the task.  Ty Nolon was challenged only once in goal, but it was a huge test.  Windham striker  Braeden Manti got loose in the box for a testing shot that Nolon saved beautifully, diving to his left.  It was a big-time save, and it basically clinched the win.

Hanover had a few more bids to increase the lead, one on a shot wide to the right by Zach Tracy,  another on a two-on-one break on a counterattack that fizzled, and finally on a true sitter for Murphy Hunt that somehow missed, resulting in a final corner kick.  By then, it was down to clock management, and before long the whistle sounded to close out an important win.  It wasn't  beauty contest, but it was a victory for Hanover because the were better prepared and worked harder against a very good team.  Windham looked bad, but it was because Hanover made them look bad. 

There is much more work ahead,  beginning next Thursday with a 4:00 home game against a god Londonderry team.  Hanover's win puts them on track for a good finish to the season, but they will need to continue to be better, one day at a time. They were better against Windham.