JV2 Ends the Season on a High Note With a 0-0 Draw at Cardigan

 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 well to get down and make the save. From the following corner, Liam Foston then delivered a ball to the diving head of Trevor, but his effort sailed just wide of the far post. Two promising efforts from Hanover gave them the confidence to command a higher portion of the field for the remaining ten minutes of the half.

After a brief half-time speech by "soft-spoken" Coach Bucket, the team was out for the final 40 minutes of their season. This time, we were on the front foot. Just two minutes into the second half, Simon Taenzer found a nice pocket of space on top of the box before curling a firm shot to the far post, somehow the Cardigan keeper shuffled to his left and made a fine diving stop to keep the score level. That would be the last clear-chance for a while as both teams battled relentlessly in the midfield third. Liam Foston had his best match of the year. He was asked to play as a lone, sitting midfielder for the 2nd half. Typically, he is partnered by Trevor Lichtenstein, but as we were desperate to score, Trevor was pushed higher up the field. Foston, along with his defensive line of Paul, Kevin, Blake, and Wyatt, repelled each Cardigan attack with ease for the first twenty minutes of the second half. 

Unfortunately, after twenty minutes, Cardigan found space in our half to shoot, and the shot took just enough of a touch off Ashton's arm for the far-side referee to call a penatly kick. Cardigan stepped up and converted the ensuing penalty, but as soon as the ball hit the net, the referee's whistle blew again. This time for encroachment, nullifying the penalty, and keeping the score at 0-0. This sparked a fire in Hanover's belly. The boys began to flood forward in numbers for the final ten minutes of the match, desperate for a goal. Paul Ashton thought he had the winner 4 minutes from time as a loose ball popped to him at the top of the box. Ashton struck the lining off the ball, but his shot just grazed the top of the bar. Following that chance, Hanover seemed to have a scrum in front of Cardigan's goal every thirty seconds, but the ball would just not bounce our way today. The final whistle blew, Hanover JV2 Boys 0-0 Cardigan.

Though we couldn't find the net, today's performance was a delight to watch. Thank you to all the parents who made the trip to support our Team today. Of equal importance, thank you to all the players for your season-long determination and grit. We worked through challenges on a weekly, sometimes daily basis, but you all always showed-up ready to play and work for each-other. Thank you, thank you, and thank you.

We finished our regular season with a more than respectable 4-3-3 record. (Including FIVE shutouts, major props to Iver).

ALSO, we will be gathering as a team after school on Thursday, October 28th for a final team meal and gathering. We will meet at the patio behind the High School Cafe at 3:15. Parents, I will have them fed and ready to go by 4:15!

ALSO, PLEASE bring all uniforms to school on Monday, washed, folded, bagged and labeled.  There will be a bin near the front desk in the Atrium, on your right as you enter.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The 2021 Hanover Season is Underway!

 Welcome to the 2021 Hanover Boys Soccer  Blog.  As has been the case for nearly a decade, this daily blog is the best way to find accurate, timely information about every aspect of the boys soccer program at Hanover High School.  Posts are written late every night, and are designed to be read first thing in the morning.  We had the idea before "Daybreak"!  (We are perhaps reaching a smaller, more focused audience).  We will provide roster and schedule information, updates about practices and games, and other useful information that will be valuable for all stakeholders, including players, parents, alumni, coaches, news outlets and community members who follow Hanover Soccer.  We will continue to send email updates when we want to reach everyone with breaking news, but will soon discontinue the daily reports.  We ask every player and parent to check the blog every morning.  It's possible to bookmark us, and make the blog a morning habit for the next three months. We have
Read more

We're Back in the DR! The 2022 Trip Diary Begins

 Dear Friends and Supporters of DR Projects - This is the first in a series of Blog Posts for the DR Projects trip in April, 2022.  I'm hiding out as part of the 2019 trip blog because I am not getting along with Blogspot with regard to starting a brand new blog.  We'll make sure that everyone finds their way to this one!  After two successful trips in 2019 (the one chronicled here below and the one led later in the year by Frank Perotti), we had big plans for our next trip in 2020, with the particular goal, of continuing the reading program at the Altagracia elementary school in Cotui.  Everything was in place:  we had seen the curriculum in action, we had two dedicated teachers, and we had a cadre of volunteers ready to take things to the next level.  On a larger scale in the DR, our ally and inspiring role model Juan Valdez, was making significant progress in his visionary goal of helping every underserved child in his country to learn English. It's a critical social jus
Read more

Hanover Season Ends in Championship Final in Penlty Kick Shootout

   Hanover played a brilliant match in the NHIAA D1 Finals, losing to unbeaten, nationally ranked Nashua South in the 11th round of a penalty kick shootout.  Hanover rallied to tie the game 2-2 in the second half and them dominated the two overtime periods, hitting the post late in the second overtime. Nashua South prevailed in the PK shootout to claim their first title, finishing 19-0-1.  They are the first D1 team to be unbeaten since Hanover did it in 2013 with the same record.  The match was played in front of a crowd estimated at more than 2,000 in chilly Stellos Stadium.  The Hanover road crew more than offset the Nashua South home field advantage, and were rewarded by a performance to make them proud.  This was the final match for 11 exceptional seniors. The match began well for Hanover, who recently had made a habit of fast starts.  Despite the pressure and the quality of the opposition, Hanover was on the front foot in the opening minutes.  Thirty seconds iafrter the opening w
Read more