Hanover Beats Kearsarge in Season Opener

The Hanover boys opened the 2009 season with a well-played 3-1 victory over a spirited Kearsarge team under the lights in North Sutton Tuesday night. Eric Jayne scored twice and Gunner Shaw headed home a big insurance goal while the defense stifled the home team. Leading 1-0 at halftime, the Marauders turned it on in a strong second half, outshooting Kearsarge 13-3 while exercising a strong territorial edge.

The first half was spotty, with most of the action at midfield. Both teams managed a few long-range shots, but these were mostly exploratory until the duo of Jayne and Ben Harris jumped back onto the match with 12 minutes to play after a brief respite on the benchin favor of speed demons Jonathan Fenton and Isaiah Fariel. Right midfielder Forrest Pratt hit a looping cross into the Kearsarge box that looked harmless until Jayne ghosted in front of Cougar goalkeeper Brett Bascom and gently redirected the ball past him for a 1-0 lead that held until halftime.

The second half was scintillating, and it didn't take long for the action to heat up. One minute in, Joe Carey sent Jayne in clean on a breakaway, and his shot five-holed an advancing Bascom, only to clatter off the inside of his ankle and go over the endline for a corner. Minutes later, Harris looked like he had a clear path to goal, only to be roughly taken down by.....Jayne.
Oops.

Cruising along with a 1-0 lead and patiently hunting for a second score, the Marauders hit a bump in the road when Kearsarge was awarded a free kick 12 yards out of the penalty area. Cougar center back Noah Marsh thumped a decent shot on goal that was blocked by Hanover
netminder Stefan Dyroff, who couldn't control the rebound. Kearsarge striker Jerel Ward outraced everyone to the ball and slotted it home, and the match was tied.

This was the opportunity that Kearsarge needed to re-insert themselves into the game, but Hanover's resiliency was equal to the task. Barely two minutes later, Joe Carey hit a long ball
toward the Cougar goal, and the shot short-hopped Bascom, who spilled it right in front of the lurking Jayne. The junior striker expertly controlled the ball and pulled it away long enough to dance to his left and rip a shot into the open net for a 2-1 lead and a dagger in Kearsarge's collective hearts. There were still twenty minutes left, but everyone save for a vocal assistant coach knew that it was game over.

Eight minutes later, it was academic. Hanover gained another corner kick, and Pratt did what he does best and nailed a far post Exocet that Shaw headed perfectly into the net for a 3-1 lead.
Some of the best offensive moments of the night followed, as the hungry Marauders pressed for more. Jayne hit an amazing cross field pass from the right touchline at Hayden Pressey-Murray, who one-timed it to Harris who one-timed a dangerous shot that just missed connecting. Late in the match, Harris lofted a free kick over the Kearsarge defense and into the path of Jayne, and again the connection barely missed.

In the meantime, the Marauder defense continued its game-long airtight performance. Shaw and Dan Remillard were dominating in the air, and made several critical tackles in the box when even a small mistake would have yielded a goal. Nate Hanna took care of business in his own end, and looked very dangerous moving up the left flank. Matt Barth's performance looked far more mature than might have been expected from his first varsity start, and played anumber of balls with confidence and precision.

Joe Carey and senior newcomer Aaron Segura were tireless at midfield, providing the key connection between the defense and attack, and winning more than their share of 50-50 balls in heavy traffic.

The Marauder Junior Varsity also had an auspicious opening, defeating their Kearsarge counterparts 4-1. Chris Harwick opened the scoring in the first half, and Eli Connolly potted a pair before the interval to give the Bananas a 3-1 lead at halftime. Connor Gordon added the final tally in a match that saw every player get good playing time. Rookie defender Ben Manning was very impressive in his debut, and fellow frosh Zach Taylor turned a few heads with
a rocket from 35 yards that just cleared the crossbar.

Both teams return to action on Friday, hosting Merrimack Valley at 4:00. The JV will play onthe HHS grass field, and the Varsity will be on the rug. Merrimack Valley is no stranger to Merriman-Branch Field, having played three times there in a two-week stretch last October.
After losing 1-0 to the Marauders late in the regular season, the Pride beat Lebanon 4-2 in a first-round NHIAA playoff match before losing 1-0 to the Marauders in the quarterfinals.

"The win over Kearsarge was a good start, and it gives us something to build on," commented Coach Grabill. "Merrimack Valley will be a stern test. They are coming in here with no fear, and have high hopes for their season this year. It should be a great game."