Varsity Beats Londonderry 2-0; Fourth in a Row Moves Them Into Third

 The Varsity boys had a happy homecoming after three on the road, scoring twice in the second half to see off a good Londonderry team.  Hanover heated up in a scoreless first half, dodged a bullet early in the second half, and then outshot the Lancers 16-3 and pulled away for a well-earned victory, their 4th in a row.  Hanover is now 9-2-1 and sits solidly in third place in NHIAA Division One, with several more challenging games lying ahead.

Hanover went ahead in the 50th minute on an Oscar penalty kick, and then iced the game on Jacob Kubik-Pauw's second goal in three games.  There were a number of other close calls for Hanover in the half, while in the meantime the solid team defense and midfield possession denied Londonderry any chance to claw back into the game.

Hanover started solidly, and almost took a 1-0 lead 10 seconds into the game, when Kubik-Pauw raced down the left flank and into the box, striking a hard shot that barely missed the far post.  Londonderry countered in the second half when standout midfielder Tyler Kraft hit a hard shot after a free kick, forcing Ty Nolon to make a save and scramble to cover the rebound.  Hanover came close on their first corner kick on a dangerous ball through the box, and had another good look on a turnaround shot by Oscar that didn't miss by much.

Hanover's restarts were working well, and in the 26th minute a free kick by Eric Ringer made it to the back post where it found an unmarked Jack Ross, who put his shot over the crossbar from close range. As the end of the half beckoned, Hanover turned up the heat, and had three great chances in the last two minutes.  Eric Ringer had a free kick on target that was tipped over the bar by goalkeeper Jason Reilly.  Kubik Pauw hit a dangerous free kick that once again just missed connections at the far post with Jack Ross.  Finally, a rebound following a corner kick made its way to Murphy Hunt at the top of the box, but he sprayed his shot wide.

Hanover had every reason to feel confident coming out of the halftime interval, but first they needed a world-class save by Ty Nolon to keep them from trailing. After Londonderry created a dangerous chance following a corner kick that resulted in a shot wide of the goal by Christian Levantowski-Correa, they created another opportunity that should have been a goal.  Indecision by four Hanover defenders created a loose ball situation and a foul. The ensuing free kick created a scramble in the sun splashed box, and striker Devin Sen found himself all alone facing Nolon from six yards out. He hit a hard shot to Nolon's left, and the junior keeper made a miraculous save, going full-out horizontal and getting both hands on the ball, pushing it onto the post and out.  Hanover was lucky not to be behind.

Thus chastened, Hanover went to work, and ten minutes into the half, they got the crucial first goal.  Oscar got played into the attacking end, and carried the ball into the penalty area.  A defender challenged him, and Oscar did what he's been doing for a decade, going down with a shriek. For the first time this season, Hanover was awarded a penalty, and Oscar made no mistake with the spot kick, rolling it accurately to Reilly's left as he stood and stared at it, and was 1-0.  As is sometimes the case, that opened the floodgates. 

Soon afterwards, Murphy Hunt his the post with a shot following a free kick.  Two minutes later, Connor Hamlin hit a long free kick that forced Reilly to tip it over the bar.  Three minutes later, Carter Guerin, who had four shots in the second half alone, hit a shot from the right side that clanged off the post.  The rebound fell to Will Guerin on the left, and his low, hard shot was saved by Reilly.  A few minutes later, a rapid-fire sequence saw hard shots by Carter Guerin and Jack Gardner.  Somewhere in there were a header by Beckett McCurdy, and two good shots by Ryder Hayes. 

Finally, with ten minutes to play, McCurdy hit a long lead pass out of his own end that sprung Kubik-Pauw on the right flank.  Londonderry goalie Reilly came off his line but was easily beaten to the ball, and Kubik-Pauw rolled it into the net for his second goal of the season.  Ty Nolon made one more good play off his line in traffic a minute later, but the Hanover defense was otherwise not tested in a quiet final nine minutes, several highly-deserving subs got some well-deserved playing time.

Hanover had a significant challenge awaiting them, traveling to Dover early on Saturday for a 10:00 match  against the hottest team in the state.  The Green wave have won nine games in a row after starting the season 0-3, and some of the victories, such as a 1-0 effort against Manchester Memorial, have been quality.  Dover will be fired up, their tiny little pitch will be difficult, and Hanover will need to be at their best to keep their own modest little streak going. They should be equal to the task.

Hanover will train Friday on the HHS grass field from 1:30 - 3:30.