Marauders Beat Souhegan 1-0 to Return to Class I Finals

The Hanover boys gained the Class I Finals Thursday night with a thrilling 1-0 victory over a determined Souhegan squad. Eric Jayne's second-half goal and stifling team defense gave the Marauders their 11th straight win and fifth consecutive shutout en route to a 15-1-1 record and a Sunday date with Coe-Brown in the Class I Finals at 3:00 at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester.

This will be Hanover's fifth consecutive trip to the Championship game, and they will be seeking an unprecedented fifth straight Class I title. Second-seeded Coe-Brown, now 17-2, defeated last year's finalist St.Thomas 1-0 in overtime to earn their first trip ever to the title game.

Hanover's victory over perennial rival Souhegan was classic playoff soccer, featuring tenacious defense at both ends and a paucity of scoring chances. Souhegan started brightly and had the upper hand for the first ten minutes of the match and threatened several times. Striker James Shelden found himself open of a close-range shot at the 12-minute mark, but swung and missed on a left-footed attempt that dribbled harmlessly out of bounds.

Minutes later, Eric Jayne headed a crossing pass by Matt Barth off the goalpost, and no Marauder was in position to convert the juicy rebound. Hanover gained a decided edge in play as the half continued, but neither team was able to mount a serious scoring attempt before the interval.

It didn't take the Marauders long to gain the upper hand in the second half. With seven minutes elapsed, Trey Rebman made a blazing run down the left flank and hit a pinpoint cross that found Eric Jayne unmarked at the top of the box. Jayne killed the ball with his right foot and quickly found the back of the net with a vicious left-footed strike that gave Hanover a 1-0 lead. Jayne nearly doubled the advantage 12 minutes later, taking a lead pass and nearly chipping Souhegan keeper Chris Champagne, who made a spectacular leap to parry the ball away. Ben Harris was equally dangerous, with the help of a great relief effort by Roland Hermann-Stanzel at center midfield the Marauders kept the pressure on as the clock wound down.

Souhegan made several dangerous counter attacks, one of which was snuffed by Sam Gest, who came expertly off his line to snatch the ball from the feet of Sabre striker Silas Griffith. Late in the game things got even more interesting, as Shelden hit a bad-angle shot off the woodwork from the left side, and then Gest got his hands on a free kick rebound by Jesse Anderson and deflected it over the bar before time finally ran out.

In the end, the deciding factor in the match was Hanover's back line. Dan Remillard, playing superbly despite sustaining a shoulder injury, was immense, tackling efficiently and quarterbacking the counter attack. Gunnar Shaw was dominant in the air, and did an amazing job stepping up to win balls at midfield. Nate Hanna and Matt Barth not only held their own defensively, but also supplied a number of dangerous crosses in their accentuated offensive roles. Barth also stepped up to make a critical tackle in the second half, ending one of Souhegan's most dangerous sequences.

"Making it to the finals is a tremendous accomplishment," commented Coach Grabill. "Some folks don't realize how competitive Class I soccer is, and how many very strong teams there are.
Souhegan is one of the landmark programs in the state, and this win is easily one of the best we've had this season. The team showed a lot of composure tonight, and we got great contributions from a number of players."

Next up is a veteran Coe-Brown team enjoying the best season in school history, certain that they are this year's team of destiny. They are loaded with seniors, many of them top players for the Seacoast club team. They have not allowed a goal since September, and have collected 13 straight shutouts.

The Finals will be played as part of a quadrupleheader at Southern New Hampshire University, wth the Class I kickoff at 3:00. The college is located off Exit 9N on Rt. 93 in Manchester.
More comprehensive directions will be posted in the near future.