Hanover High Boys Soccer 2021

 Hanover faces its most significant game of the season on Monday, playing Manchester Central in the NHIAA Division One semifinals at 4:00 at Stellos Stadium in Nashua.  The winner will play the victor in an intriguing Nashua North vs, Nashua South matchup in the second game of the doubleheader.  The venue is a familiar one for Hanover.  They have played twice this year at Stellos, once when they lost 1-0 to top-seeded Nashua South, and more recently when they staged their miracle comeback against Bishop Guertin. Hanover is also quite familiar with Central, who beat them 1-0 two weeks ago, their only other in-state loss this season.  The top three teams in the state have made it to Stellos,  a scenario that has been looming since September, when Nashua South beat both the Little Green and Hanover back to back.  All three teams are evenly-matched. Logistics:  Hanover will wear white against Central.  The team is dismissed at 1:05, and will depa...

 Hanover played one of its best games of the season at the right time on Friday, combining timely offense with stingy defense to beat Pinkerton 2-0 in the NHIAA Division One quarterfinals.  Hanover got important goals from Oscar and Murphy Hunt,  got big saves from Ty Nolon in goal when they were needed, and saw the game off by dominating territorially.  They now advance to the Semifinals at Stellos Stadium for a showdown on Monday at 4:00 with Manchester Central, a 3-0 winner over Winnacunnet. Hanover's Achilles heel at times has been slow starts, and while this may have helped they gain confidence that they can come from behind, it's not the way to survive and advance in late October. They solved that issue with a wonderful goal in the seventh minute.  Luke Ives got control of the ball deep in midfield and served a perfect ball into the Pinkerton defensive third.  Oscar (who recently had been demoted back to Oscar Miller) made a perfect run to the ball, a...

 Hanover will host Pinkerton Academy of Derry Friday at 4:00 in the NHIAA Division One Quarterfinals. The winner will advance to the semifinals at 4:00 on Monday, held at Stellos Stadium in Nashua.  Hanover (13-3-1) did not play Pinkerton (8-7-2) in the regular season.  The Astros won their first-round game 2-1, beating archival Londonderry. This will be Hanover's last home game of the season, and the last chance to collect non-perishable food items for The Haven Food Pantry.  Collection bins are located at the top of the stairway.

 Hanover will host a quarterfinal NBHIAA Tournament game against upset winner Pinkerton Academy at 4:00 Friday.  Hanover's quarterfinal opponent emerged after #11 Pinkerton's 2-1 victory over #6 Londonderry.   The suggested theme for Friday's game:  "Trick or Treat".  Suggested dress code:  Halloween costumes!  Perhaps everyone should come as Bears, Huskies, Hawks, Trailblazers, and Jalapeños It's the last home game for any Hanover fall team in any sport, and the weather looks favorable.  Here's another reason for everyone to come:  We will be hosting our final Food Drive for the Haven.  We have had wonderful donations of non-perishable food items for the Haven Food Pantry, and this is the final opportunity to donate.  We are particularly interested in having members of the JV1, JV2, and Freshman teams join us for the game and bring food items. Pinkertons's upset win over Londonderry was only one of five first-round games which saw ...

 There will be many ways to characterize the 2021 Hanover season, but "boring" or "predictable" won't be among the adjectives employed.  Fifteen seconds away from the end of their season, Hanover got a clutch goal from Jack Gardner to escape into overtime against Alvirne, and the completed the comeback with a golden goal in the second overtime to beat the Broncos 2-1 and advance to the quarterfinals of the NHIAA Division One tournament. Hanover played well for the entire match and dominated for long stretches, running up a 36-7 shot advantage and collecting 14 corner kicks, allowing only 1 to Alvirne.  However, with 10 minutes to play it took a missed penalty kick to keep Hanover alive, and when Alvirne scored on a counterattack with six minutes left in regulation, things looked bleak.  Hanover stayed composed when it would have been easy to panic or despair, and tied the match at the very end of regulation when Carter Guerin set up Jack Gardner for turnaround m...

The Hanover JV1 team would have the chance to compete in the Roger Desmarais JV boys soccer state tournament this past Sunday for the first time since 2018 (2019 being cancelled due to rain and 2020 due to COVID). The lads took to the bus at 6:25 slated to play their first game of group play at 8:50. Upon arrival just before 8:00, the team was met with a brisk cold morning with frost still covering most of the fields. The team slowly got dressed for the first game vs Dover and many opted to leave their sweats (shirt or pants) on to maintain some warmth as they played. Watching the resolve of the Winnacunnet vs. South match end in a 0-0 draw, Hanover was hopeful with that result knowing that it could be possible to advance with a win and two draws.  The first game vs. The Green Wave of Dover had some spot starts by Marco Rodreguiz, Joseph Rudd, Sayan Bhattacharya, with coach Willie looking to get everyone a start during group play. Hanover would lose the coin flip and be stuck on a ...

 For the 45th year on a row, Hanover will compete in the NHIAA playoffs, beginning on Tuesday at 3:00 with a game against Alvirne High School.  Hanover (12-3-1) is seeded third.  If they win, they will host a quarterfinal match on Friday, time TBA.  Tuesday's game will be played, rain or shine.  We're still looking for a few members of the Freshman team to volunteer as ball boys for the match.  Come to the field immediately after school if you are interested. The uniform return process got off to a slow start on Monday.  We are hoping that all JV1, JV2 and freshman players return their game and practice uniforms to the Atrium as soon as possible in the clearly-marked bins. There is open soccer in the Gym Tuesday during Activity Period.

 The Varsity is ready to begin their second season, beginning the NHIAA Tournament with a first-round playoff game on Tuesday.  The playoff brackets will be released Monday morning.  It is likely that Hanover will be seeded third, and host #14 Alvirne.  The default game time listed by the NHIAA is 3:00, and this will also be finalized Monday morning.  It is likely that the game will be played rain or shine.  We are looking for pop-up tents to borrow for both teams to use on the sideline. The team has requested the practice slot between 3:15 and 5:00 on the turf Monday.  They will practice rain or shine. We would like to have four hardy, dedicate ball runners for the match.  Please contact Coach Grabill if you are interested. Because of the rain forecast, we will not be running our food drive on Tuesday. All players are invited to the regular indoor soccer session in the gym Tuesday during Activity Period. IMPORTANT:  Monday and Tuesday are un...

  After its cancellation in 2020, the Concord High School Freshman Boys’ Soccer Tournament was back in action for 2021! Eight teams from across the state—Bedford, Concord, Dover, Exeter, Manchester Memorial, Londonderry, Winnacunnet, and, of course, Hanover—converged on two slanted, bumpy, and slick fields at Rundlett Middle School. But the pitches wouldn’t put a damper—or pause—on the play. Each field hosted a group of 4 teams, all of whom would play each other in a total of 6, 35-minute matches. Hanover was wheels up at 6:55am, which was the second Saturday in a row where the entire team was on time for an early bus departure. (Not the only way history repeated itself today.) We arrived shortly after 8am, with Concord and Manchester Memorial playing the opening match of our group on Field A. Right at 8:35am, the whistle blew to end their game (2-1 in Concord’s favor), and it blew once again at 8:40am for our kickoff against Winnacunnet. The weather was cold and gray. A hazy mist ...

  THe Hanover JV2 Boys ended their regular season with a thrilling 0-0 match at Cardigan Mountain School. It was a crisp and cold morning, but we were greeted at Cardigan by a beautiful field, the sun peaking over the treeline... and a working scoreboard! A picture-perfect end to the season. The boys started play this morning knowing full-well that their opponents were a well-drilled, hard to beat team. This meant that the team spent a majority of the first half within the safety of their defensive shell. On a few occasions, the speed and skill of Jason Adinortey, Patrick Donegan, and Alex Brackett was able to push us into the attacking third, though a strong Cardigan backline managed each attack confidently. Just about twenty minutes into the match, Trevor Lichtenstein played a clever ball to midfielder Christian Blix. Blix's first touch set up his shot, and his second touch blasted a 30-yard shot towards the bottom corner, but Cardigan's keeper moved his feet exceptionally we...

 Hanover JV1 would finish its regular season by playing the Warriors of Winnacunnet on Thursday, winning 1-0. Play would open with a very unusual circumstance. No longer having the protocol of going to midfield to check if players are properly and legally equipped, it was found that both goalkeepers had taken the field without their shin guards in the second minute. The nearside official was kind enough not to administer yellow cards to the respective coaches for this infraction (which is the rule), but rather had both keeps sub out to put their shin guards in. As coach Willie was yelling to put the ball out to allow both keepers to sub back in, Hanover would fling a ball from the middle third into the 18 to test the field player who had replaced the Winnacunnet keeper. He handled the bouncing ball then gave it a punt where it would be put out of play to allow both keepers back in. The two teams seemed matched in their level of play as the game developed further. Ian Press and Jose...

 The Varsity closed the regular season on a high note, beating Winnacunnet 2-1 on Senior Day to finish with a record of 12-3-1.  Hanover is now locked into third place in the NHIAA Division One standings, and will open the playoffs on Tuesday, probably against Portsmouth. They got first half goals from Becket McCurdy and Zach Tracy and player excellent team defense after conceding a goal early in the second half. Prior to the game, the Hanover seniors and their Winnacunnt counterparts were honored at a brief but meaningful Senior Day ceremony.  The Winacunnet seniors were great sports, choosing to remain and honor the Hanover players after they had received their goodie bags and been invited to return to warmups.  The 11 seniors have all made significant contributions to the team this season, and were richly deserving of recognition.  They are:  Connor Hamlin, Murphy Hunt, Luke Ives, Jacob Kubik-Pauw-Pauw, Oscar Miller, Palmer Okai, Eric Rimmer, Jack Ross, ...

 Thursday's Varsity home game with Winnacunnet will give us a chance to honor the seniors on the team (including Manager Eric Tysinger) prior to the game.  We will gather at 3:40 midway through warmups and give each senior the opportunity to present a flower to the parents on hand, giving us the perfect photo op. They have contributed to much to this exciting season, leading in ways large and small.  We are eager to honor them (as well as the Winnacunnet seniors). Once the Senior Day festivities are finished, we will get down to business playing a very capable opponent .Winnacunnet advanced to the Division One Finals last year, and they are 9-5-1 this season.  If Hanover happens to prevail, they will lock down a third-place finish in the D1 standings, guaranteeing then two home games in the playoffs.  Hanover is already guaranteed a home game in the first round on Tuesday, Oct. 26 (most likely at 4:00, but stay tuned Monday when the pairings come out).  If ...

 In one of the more astonishing games in Hanover's long history, the Varsity trailed Bishop Guertin by three goals with 27 minutes to play, and scored eight goals, including five in a five-minute span, to beat the Cardinals 8-3.  The win gives Hanover am 11-3-1 record and all but locks them into a top four spot in the Division One standings, providing they can get a result in Thursday's Senior Day clash with Winnacunnet. Going into the match with Bishop Guertin, a team likely to finish out of the playoffs, Hanover expected to score a lot of goals and play everyone on the team.  That all happened, but hardly to way the anyone might have anticipated.  Hanover started the game flat, trailed after eight minutes, conceded another shaky goal on the 23rd minute, and then after Eric Ringer missed a penalty kick the would have cut the deficit in half, conceded a shocking third goal with five minutes to play, the second by the speedy Rayaan Hameed. Trailing by three at halftim...

  Fresh off their 1-1 draw in one of the best games of the year against  Manchester Central (more notes on that game once coach Willie finds his hands on the NFHS footage, but highlighted by Ian Press’ immaculate free kick goal and two second half saves by Christian Blix), Hanover JV1 would take the road one final time during the regular season with its match at Bishop Guertin in Nashua on Tuesday. The game would have an unusual inauspicious start for the Hanover. BG opened the scoring off a long through ball that the trailing BG striker swooped in on, taking advantage of a level of miscommunication over who was going to clear the ball, and poking it home to give BG the early 1-0 advantage in the fourth minute. Hanover would rebound quickly with a quick one-two combination between Sam Calderwood and Soren Stettenheim that Stettenheim finished with authority over the keeper in the sixth minute. BG would start to take its chances from distance as they entered the attac...

  Hanover met Hartford for the third time this season. The first was a 3-0 win for the JV2 boys in early September. The second was a hard-fought 2-1 loss. Both games saw Hanover take a majority of the possession and shots, but Saturday morning at Dresden was a little different. Hartford won the coin-toss and started with the ball. They would then keep the ball for the next thirty minutes, stalled by an occasional foray in the Hartford half by Hanover. The JV2 boys were smart to defend as a team deep in their half and managed to repel most of Hartford's chances. The few shots that managed to get through central defenders Kevin Chou and Paul Ashton were either parrier or caught by young, veteran keeper Iver Skogerboe.  Just after the 30 minute mark efforts on the left flank from Blake Bouchard and Simon Taenzer, linked by midfield handyman Trevor, managed to win a series of corner kicks for their team. The third corner of the series was headed away by Hartford, just to be s...

 Amazingly, we have reached the last week of the regular season, which is also the culminating week for the three subvarsity teams, each of which ends the week with a big event.  The Freshmen and JV2 will spend the first part of the week training, while the JV1 and Varsity each play Tuesday and Thursday.  There's a lot going on!. The Freshmen will have the day off Monday, JV1 and JV2 will train at the regular time at Dresden,  and the Varsity night owls will once again close out the day on the Turf, with a 7:30 - 9:00 session. On Tuesday, the JV1 and Varsity will take to the road to Nashua for games at Bishop Guertin.  JV1 will play the Cardinals at the school field on Lund Road at 4:30, and the Varsity will play at Stellos Stadium, which will be the site of the Division One Semifinals and Finals. Kickoff is at 6:00. All four teams will train on Wednesday, and then Thursday the JV1 and Varsity teams will play their regular season final games against Winnacunnet ...

 In a first for the Freshman team, the bus left 10 minutes before our scheduled departure…yes, you read that right! Every player was dressed, had eaten breakfast, had used the bathroom, and was dropped off outside school exactly when they were supposed to be. Bravo, players (and, perhaps more importantly, parents!). This bodes well for next Saturday’s 6:55am scheduled departure… The approximately 90-minute bus ride south and east through the Granite State allowed us to appreciate the peak fall foliage weekend. We encountered bursts of rain, but our arrival at Exeter saw clear, sunny skies and a moderate breeze. A perfect day to play (assuming you weren’t on the side kicking straight into the wind!). Exeter’s boys and girls 9th grade teams rotate every match in terms of who gets to play on their grass field inside of the track and who gets to play on the new turf field inside of the stadium; today was our lucky day to play on the spacious turf! Exeter’s squad is sizable; normally, o...

 The longstanding tradition of this blog is to always, always write a game story the same day (or night) of the game.  Never, never put it off, no matter what.  Always report the game result, win or lose.  Never mind if it's a night game (and thank goodness in this case it doesn't come after a long bus ride home).  Never mind how early the alarm will ring on Saturday.  Never mind if the Sox bullpen is blowing the lead in the background.  Never mind if the game was exciting and well-played and competitive, while also being excruciatingly frustrating, with marginal behavior by the opponents, and irksome officiating by officials overwhelmed by the moment.  So, here's the story: Hanover hosted Manchester Central, always a team full of talented players.  Central came into the game with a solid 12-1-1 record, with only a loss to Nashua South and a tie with Manchester Memorial in their rivalry game.  Central won the game 1-0.  After an eve...

  HANOVER HIGH SCHOOL BOYS SOCCER GAME AND PRACTICE SCHEDULE OCT. 18-24       Monday,  Oct. 18     3:45                     Busses depart for practices at Dresden Fields   4:00 – 5:30           Practices for JV1, JV2 Freshmen – Dresden   7:30 – 9:00           Varsity Practice –  HHS Turf       Tuesday, Oct. 19     2:05                     Dismissal for JV1 and Varsity for BG Games   2:15                     Departure for JV1 and Varsity for BG Games   3:45   ...