Central Beats Varsity Boys 1-0 in Playoff Preview

 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 even first half that saw Hanover grow into the match and threaten right at the end, Central scored five minutes into the second half.  Dylan Schuff from the Little Green played a bounding ball into space on the right side of the Hanover box, and Junior Mawette beat Ty Nolon to the high ball, heading it over him and into the vacated net.

For the next 35 minutes, Hanover dominated the match in every respect, but could not find the equalizer.  They had a lot of good looks, especially because Central kept fouling, and giving away free kicks.  Central's behavior was abysmal.  Being competitive is all and good, but the trash talking and gamesmanship was frustrating to watch.  Every free kick, they would kick away the ball, which is a clear violation.  It was never sanctioned, never carded.  Yet through all of this, Hanover played with composure, perhaps knowing that during the latter rounds of the playoffs, the officiating tends to be a bit better.

Hanover's best chance came only seven minutes after the Central goal.  Oscar was played in alone on goal, and had to composure to position himself for a great left-footed bid, which was saved by goalie David Hood, who had robbed him on a similar play in the first half. Both Eric Ringer and Jacob Kubik-Pauw did a great job creating chances on the flanks, and the midfield trio of Becket McCurdy, Zach  Tracy and Ryder Hayes were superb at controlling the ball at midfield, changing the point of attack, and keeping the play in the Central end.

Even as the clock ticked down under ten minutes, Hanover stayed composed and created chances.  Murphy Hunt made a decisive run into the box and deflected a ball just wide of the right post.  Jack Ross came close to a corner kick at the far post.  One of these days......  

One of many bright spots in the match was the work of three substitute defenders for Hanover.  Alex McGrath, Jack McGrath and Noah Winchester were all thrown into the heat of battle on short notice, and all performed admirably.  Alex and Jack in particular did a great job making accurate and decisive passes to help trigger the offense.

The loss drops Hanover's record to 10-3-1.  That puts them into a tie for 4th place with Concord. With Nashua South, Manchester Central and Manchester Memorial ahead of them, there are five teams vying for four spots. Hanover, which beat Concord head to head, had their fate in their own hands with two games left.  They need only to to focus on their own games, Tuesday at BG and Thursday on Senior Day with a home finale against Winacunnet.

Finally, the very good news about the game.  First, the crowd:  The police estimate was over 350.  It was one of the biggest gatherings at any Hanover home game in years.  They were enthusiastic, and they maintained the high standard asked of them by the administration.  Their support was huge, and greatly appreciated.  The Lyme ballboys were awesome.  The food drive for the Haven was very successful, netting over 100 pounds of food for the Haven food pantry.  The Grassroot Soccer benefit was equally successful. So far, with some fundraising scheduled to occur the team has raised over $1,000.

Losses like this are temporary, and if the lessons can be learned, they can help Hanover be better down the road.  This is a team build for the long haul, and there and a number of opportunities still awaiting.