Hanover Loses Extraordinary Sudden Death Penalty Kick Shootout in Title Game

 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.

A match of this quality and excitement deserves a careful, detailed writeup, which will be coming soon in this space. Your editor has a very early wakeup call before a long day at work on Saturday, and it's so late it's early.  Thank you for your patience in waiting a day before you hear the amazing details of an instant classic, unique in the long annals of Hanover Soccer history.


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