Freshmen Lose 4-3 to Pinkerton on the Turf

 The Freshman team had two good days of practice after the midweek game at Dover, so the boys were excited to take on Pinkerton Academy and even more excited to be playing on the home turf at Merriman-Branch Field.  Unfortunately, we were missing several players due to prior engagements, injuries, and the long weekend, and this was a key factor in our 4-3 defeat.

Pinkerton scored the opening goal just a few minutes into the contest when a long-range shot got past Henry Steffen in the goal, but we answered back when Sam Ames slotted home a loose ball in the box following a corner kick.  Strong midfield play allowed us to control the tempo of the game, and we were rewarded in the 28th minutes when Joseph Glass found the back of the net after getting on the end of a nice series of passes on the left side of the field.  Pinkerton tied the game before the half when their striker found a gap in our defense and lofted a ball on goal that Henry Steffen wasn't able to handle.  So we went into the half knotted up at two goals each.

The second half was a battle.  Hanover dominated possession and Pinkerton relied on the quick counterattack for their opportunities on goal.  They had good speed at the top of the team, and one of their central players put them ahead 3-2 with a shot from 20 yards out that skipped inside the far post.  But Gavin Munson earned a corner kick after some determined work on the left flank, and the ensuing series ended in an own goal for us after their defense was unable to clear the ball.  

As the clock ran down, Hanover pressed forward, moving to just three backs and an extra player in attack.  We had multiple chances to find the go-ahead goal, but we couldn't find the target. In addition, the Pinkerton goalkeeper made some acrobatic saves to keep us out.  With just six minutes to play, a Pinkerton counterattack led to the game-winning goal -- Henry Steffen got a hand on a low shot, but the ball got across the line.  We fought furiously for an equalizer during the final five minutes, but in the end, we ran out of time.

All in all, we were disappointed to come out on the short end of the score, but we learned some things about what we do well and where we still need some work.  With just two regular season games remaining (Keene HS on Tuesday and away at Exeter next Saturday), we will be hungry to get back to our winning ways after the full squad returns to action.

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