Hanover Beats Central in Penalty Kick Shootout; Plays for the Championship Friday

 There is something unique about playing high school soccer in November.  Not many of the teams are left, and every game is high risk, high reward.  It's time to step up and play your best, showing what you have learned during the long slog of a season that started in August.  Hanover stepped up and played one of their best games against their toughest opponent to date, and followed 100 minutes of scoreless soccer against Manchester Central by winning a sudden death penalty kick shootout.  They now advance to the Division One championship game on Friday, their second trip to the finals in three years.

Two years ago, Hanover won the D1 title by winning three penalty kick shootouts, including one against Central. They understand the likelihood of a shootout, and the value of training for it.  When the moment came after a well-played, dramatic battle with Central, they kept their nerve and rode the sensational goalkeeping of Ty Nolon, who saved four of the eight kicks taken against him, two of the last three in sudden death.  The shootout was gripping and dramatic, and the win was richly deserved.

Both Hanover and Central rose to the occasion, and produced a scintillating game in regulation.  The match began on a singularly beautiful sunny autumn afternoon in front of approximately 25 spectators, and finished on a chilly evening with Stellos Stadium completely packed.  The fans who came for what would be a drab second semifinal were treated to some high drama.  

Notably for Hanover, Palmer Okai started at center back.  It was the first start fir the senior Captain in five weeks, and his presence helped stabilize  the early moments of the match, when Hanover has had a tendency to start slowly.  The shots for the first half were equal at 4-4, and each team had some excellent  looks.  Central's main threat all day was Junior Mawette (yes, he's a junior), who had scored the lone goal when the Little Green beat Hanover 1-0 three weeks back.  Sixteen minutes into the match Mawette got loose for a testing shot on Nolon, who made a crucial diving save.  

Hanover's first decent chance came at the 23-minute mark, when Jack Ross sent a free kick to the right side of the Central penalty area.  Eric Ringer headed the ball across the face of the goal to Carter Guerin, whose header went wide.  Eight minutes later, Carter got hold of a ball at the top of the box and found time to hit a screaming shot that just veered past the left upright.  Three minutes from halftime, Oscar Miller barely lost a footrace to a ball into the box before it was swallowed up by Central goalkeeper David  Hood.

The second half was a carbon copy of the first, with much of the play taking place in the center of the field.  Jacob Kubik-Pauw rolled into the middle from the left flank and skied a shot out to the stadium in the first minute, and two minutes later hit a free kick from the corner that bounced off the outside of the near post. Central was running most of their offense down the left flank, but good defense by the Hanover defenders limited them to longer shots from obtuse angles, like the one Nolon saved off the foot of Junior the junior at the 47 minute mark.  Ten minutes later, Nolon came hard off his line and made a dope play to be first to a through ball.  Hanover was tackling hard, never better than back-to back sliding tackles by Becket McCurdy,  wining possession each time. 

Time is fleeting when you're having fun, and it sped by in the second half, but not before Hanover had one more golden chance with five minutes to play.  Ringer centered the ball from the right, and Oscar Miller headed it across the box to Will Guerin, whose short-range header was saved by Hood. 

Hanover dominated the first 10-minuute sudden death overtime, and almost scored when a shot by Ringer dipped toward the right corner of the goal, where Hood nearly misplayed it before pushing it off theist and out.  The was a small scare late in the overtime when Cedric Ishoboravyose, upright for once after flopping all afternoon, broke in alone on the Hanover goal, clearly offside.  He put the ball into the net as the official raised his flag, and the tight play of the Hanover back line saved the day.  The second overtime was not without drama.  Hood made a nice play to charge out of the goal and snag the ball at Oscar's feet, and Junior threatened in the Hanover end, but his potentially dangerous shot was well blocked.  It was on to penalties, which from the second half one had seemed a likely conclusion.

Hanover shot first in the PK shootout, and buried his shot upper ninety right.  Jair Garcia responded from Central with a hard shot inside the right post.  Jacob Kubik-Pauw send Hood the wrong way, and planted his shot to the left side.  Hanover hopes soared when Nolon dove to his left and saved the shot by Gavin Lins, the Central Captain.  Hood then responded by saving Carter Guerin's shot, but Hanover maintained their advantage when Nolan made a tremendous save to deny Junior Mawette, pushing the shot off the post and out.  Zach Tracy gave Hanover a 3-1 lead with a hard, sure shot to the right, but Central pulled one back when Ishoboravyose beat Nolon to his left.  Oscar Miller had a chance to win it, but Hood made a diving save to his left to deny him, and then Esteban Henao scored and it was all square after five shots each.  It was on to sudden death kicks.  The tension was excruciating.

Becket McCurdy led off for Hanover, and when his shot was saved all Central needed was one successful shot. Nolan saved the day by diving to his left to block the shot by Dino Hurtic.  Connor, who had played an exhausting and superlative game at right back, successfully bottling up Junior, hit an emphatic drive to the upper left side of the goal, and now Hanover was one shot away.  Freshman midfielder Gershom Matimano, a rising star in NH soccer, showed amazing poise, and scored easily. On to the eighth round. Up stepped Owen Smith, one of many unsung heroes of the season.  He stared Hood down and then rolled a shot down the middle as Hood dove right.  Advantage Hanover.  Central's hopes rested on Theo Kantares, and Nolon grabbed the hero's mantle with yet another athletic, diving save.  He was immediately swarmed by a charging mob of his teammates, giving all of the the sort of experience they will treasure all of their lives.  High risk, high reward.

Hanover now has four days to rest, her and prepare for a state championship match against undefeated Nashua South, playing on their home turf.  To a man, Hanover knows that they can beat South.  But making happen against the 19-0-1 Purple Panther will take yet another maximum effort.  It's in them.