Saturday, October 3, 2009

Soccer Teams Give Back to the Community

Hanover soccer players are in the midst of a busy week of public service work. At last Wednesday's JV and Varsity games, the Marauders sponsored their fourth annual Food Drive for the Haven, and in conjunction with the Lebanon players and parents collected four car loads of foodstuffs for the the Haven's food pantry, which serves dozens of Upper Valley families in need of regular assistance to kep their families fed. Senior Sam Gest and Junior Hayden-Pressey Murray completed the deliveries the next day, minimizing the workload for the Haven staff.

On Sunday afternoon, more than 40 Hanover soccer players (both boys and girls) and field hockey players will be participating in the Lebanon CROP Walk. The Communities Responding to Poverty program raises money for hunger relief programs both locally and throughout the world, and is recognized as a charity that dedicates a very high percentage of the money raised to the actual recipients of the aid. Hanover athletes have been collecting tax-deductible contributions and pledges for the past several weeks, and will continue that process through tomorrow's walk and in some cases afterwards. For the past three years, the Hanover contingent by itself has averaged almost $4,00 in contributions. On Sunday, all of the participants will gather at Colburn Park in Lebanon (Registration begins at 12:30) and join in a 5 kilometer walk to symbolize their solidarity with people around the world, many of whom need to walk at least that far just to feed their families. The Lebanon CROP walk has a goal this year of $20,000.

Participants who have not yet signed up may so so on-site on Sunday, and bring a contribution with them. Those interested in contributing to support this effort may contact any Hanover varsity soccer player for information.

The Marauder soccer players will be collecting donations of the Upper Valley Humane Society at their Tuesday night home game against Kearsarge, and will be joining with the girls' team for another food drive next Saturday during Homecoming. Stay tuned for details!

Reserves Split Games with Stevens and Coe Brown

The Marauder Reserves played back to back games against strong opposition Friday and Saturday, exhibiting some of their best soccer of the season. Hanover lost a well-played 2-0 game on the road against the Stevens Junior Varsity on Friday, and returned home Saturday to beat Coe-Brown 1-0 on Merriman-Branch Field.

Playing for the first time on turf against Coe-Brown, the Reserves were hoping for some fireworks, but instead the spacious skies greeted them with ample waves of rain. Persevering in the precipitation, Hanover played an airtight game defensively and demonstrated a cohesive passing attack. Rocket Robert Wild collected the Marauder goal midway through the first half with a blast that beat the Coe-Brown goalie on the near post. Forwards Alex Brown, Daniel Slayton, David Whiteand Michael Yukica kept up the pressure for the rest of the game, backed by solid center midfield play from Tor Hathaway, Nick D'Orsi, Sawyer Brooks and Beckenbauer-in-waiting Oren Wilcox.

In addition to Wild, the play of the wing midfielders was superb. Mitch Curry hit a monster free kick that barely cleared the crossbar, and James Choi provided a lot of energy. In the end, it was the defenders who earned top billing. Zach Estes was a monster in the middle, abetted by Bei Dai. Ethan Wilcox played one of his best games of the season, winning a number of one on one battles, and Daniel Wilson was a rock on the right side. Ryan O'Rourke collected a ho-hum shutout, ably fielding whatever came his way.

The Reserves continue their home stand next week with a Wednesday match against Lebanon, and a Friday contest against Thetford. Both games kick of at 4:00 p.m.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Game Time Change For Bow Games Oct. 10

The kickoff times for next Saturday's Varsity and JV games against Bow have been changed (again). Both games will kick off at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, to be followed by the girls' games. The JV game will be on the grass field, and the Varsity game will be on the turf.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Freshman Game Highlights Thursday Soccer Schedule

Thursday's soccer schedule will feature the second Class of '13 Classic, starring every member of the freshman class in a match kicking off at 3:30 on the HHS grass field. The North-South rosters will remain fundamentally unchanged. Freshly-laundered scrimmage vests will be provided, and warm clothing is recommended. All upperclassmen on the Varsity, JV and reserve teams will have the day off. Varsity and JV will resume practice on Friday, and the reserves will head to Stevens.
Coach Grabill will be available during the freshman match for individual meetings.

Marauder JV Dumps Undefeated Lebanon 1-0

The Hanover Junior Varsity set the tone for a victorious day of soccer on Merriman-Branch Field Wednesday, securing a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Lebanon to avenge their 3-0 defeat last week and issue the visiting raiders their first loss of the season. Zach Taylor's long-range shot at the 65 minute mark gave the Marauders the only goal they needed, and they made it stand up with cohesive passing, timely defense, and a little bit of luck.

The skillful Raiders had the upper hand in the early going, twice smacking the woodwork behind or over Alex Woods in the Hanover goal. Much to his credit, Woods also made several excellent saves, and the defensive back four of Daniel Osheyack, Ben Manning, Connor Schoen and Jay Mobilia operated with skill and confidence. Hanover slowly began to assert itself with excellent midfield passing, with Chris Harwick and Zach Taylor doing an outstanding job of distributing the ball, and Keegan Gantrish and Peter Bensen working hard on the wings. Ryan Brigham and Ian Strohbehn were equally energetic on top, as was Alex Dodds.

The game was scoreless at halftime, and remained that way well into the second half, with Andrew Brown spelling Woods in goal and showing excellent judgement off his line on several occasions. The spectre of a scoreless draw began to loom, but with fifteen minutes to play the Marauders worked the ball into the right corner, where Dodds played the ball back to a trailing Taylor. The imposing Lyme-ite lofted a dangerous ball toward the far post,and whether he intended it as a cross or a shot is immaterial. It was well-struck and purposeful, and it sailed over Lebanon's star freshman keeper Austin Mansell and settled into the far side netting for a 1-0 lead. Both teams threatened several times in the closing minutes, but Hanover's poise prevailed, and they emerged victorious with their best win of the season. Now 8-1, the Marauders will return to actionnext Tuesday with a home game against Kearsarge, coached by HHS graduate Chris Geraghty.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Marauders Snap Lebanon Streak With a 4-2 Win

Hanover played its best soccer of the season on Wednesday, taking complete control of their match with unbeaten Lebanon with three goals in the first 27 minutes, and dumping the 8-0 Raiders from the ranks of the undefeated with a resounding 4-2 victory in front of a large crowd at Merriman-Branch Field. In avenging their only loss of the season, the Marauders continued to click offensively, receiving a hat trick from junior Eric Jayne and a devastating header by Captain Dan Remillard. With 19 goals in their last five games, Hanover has shed its early-season scoring woes.

Lebanon entered the game with impressive credentials, having allowed only one goal in eight games. They were the only unbeaten and untied team in Class I, and their overtime win over the Marauders last week placed them firmly on top of the division pecking order. Hanover was respectful of the quality of the opposition, but showed early in the contest that they were prepared to shake up the standings. After a typically unsettled opening five minutes, Jayne put his mark on the game with a big-time goal, settling a long cross from Nate Hanna and turning on a dime just outside the 18, finding just enough space to launch a left-footed laser past a sprawling Jimmy Kane in the Lebanon net for a crucial 1-0 lead.

The Marauders continue to attack confidently, and had the Lebanon attack completely bottled up, thanks to the strong fullback play of Hanna, Remillard, Gunnar Shaw and Matt Barth, who had his best game of the season. Midway through the half, Hanover doubled the lead,taking advantage of a Raider miscue. Sean Gemunden hit a long cross from the right side that sailed through the hands of Kane, and Jayne was in the right place at the right time to bundle it into the goal for a 2-0 lead. Seven minutes later the Marauders made Lebanon pay for a silly foul well outside the penalty area. Hanna launched one of his patented driven free kicks, and Remillard made hours of patient practice pay off with a far post header that emphatically upped the advantage to 3-0.

To their credit, Lebanon continued to battle, and pulled a goal back less than three minutes later when Cooper Hardy's free kick sailed into a crowd in the Marauder penalty area and found its way past a diving Sam Gest. Unfazed, Hanover reasserted the dominance that resulted in a first-half shot total of 10-1, with Ben Harris and Joe Carey launching hard shots that Kane managed to stop.

The Marauders knew that the first few minutes after halftime would be critical, but after less than five minutes it was Jayne who would again stake his claim as Man of the Match, taking a lead pass from Gemunden and threading past two flailing Lebanon defenders before burying his third goal of the game for a 4-1 lead. It was the first three-goal game for a Hanover player since Yosef Osheyack turned the trick against a pathetic Con-Val side in 2007. To do the deed against such a highly-rated opponent only adds to the luster of the accomplishment. With ten goals on the season, Jayne is on target to challenge the likes of current Bentley University scoring ace Jimmy Alexander, who notched 20 goals in 2005 en route to pacing the Marauders to the first of their four straight Class I titles.

Once again Lebanon reminded the home team that they are every bit as good as their record, striking back five minutes later when Avery Hymel found room in the penalty area and hit a shot to Sam Gest's left that the senior netminder slowed with an acrobatic dive but couldn't keep from trickling over the line. Once again, the Marauders showed their collective resilience by dictating the pace for the remaining thirty minutes of the game. A steady stream of Hanover attackers made their way into the Lebanon end of the pitch, and only bad luck and Key's stellar goalkeeping kept the score the same. Kane robbed Nate Hanna with a sensational dive to his left on a scorcher from the left flank. He also thwarted Aaron Segura on a well-taken free kick, and lucked out when Isaiah Fariel hit a sitter high and right from close range. Hayden Pressey-Murray came close to duplicating the header that he had hit against Bishop Brady 24 hours earlier.

Lebanon managed a few long-range shots that were gobbled up by Gest, but the confident clearing by Shaw, Remillard, Hanna and Barth made any thoughts of a comeback by Lebanon academic. Hanover got good relief performances by midefielders Forrest Pratt and Trey Rebman, and closed the books on a win that boosted their unbeaten streak to three and their record to 7-1-1. Already sitting second in the Class I Heal Point standings prior to the match, the
Marauders reaped a point bonanza with the win, and should remain firmly camped in sewcond place behind St. Thomas, the sole remaining unbeaten team in the division.

Hanover will be off until next Tuesday when they host an improved Kearsarge team that has seven wins already and losses only to the Marauders and to Lebanon. Following that, they will entertain Bow at 5:00 on Homecoming Saturday, another team well established in the top five with a 7-2 record. Success in these contests will go a long way toward ensuring the coveted quarterfinal home game that means everything to the Marauders.

"May hat is off to every member of this team," commented Coach Grabill after the match. "They never let last week's loss weigh on them, and have continued to improve with every game. This result belongs to all of them. They have worked very hard in practice and demonstrated incredible dedication toward our long-range goals. Now it's October, and it's time to take our game to another level. We are going to be a very hard to team to beat from now on."

Hanover JV Beats Bishop Brady 10-1

The Marauder Junior Varsity enjoyed a one-sided victory over Bishop Brady on Tuesday, outscoring the visitors 10-1 to improve their record to 7-1 on the season. Ryan Brigham tallied two goals, and ten other players got their names in the scorebook. Alex Dodds scored on an assist from Peter Bensen, Daniel Osheyack proved that defenders can find the upper ninety, and Zach Taylor picked the corner on a shot from outside the penalty area. Ian Strohbehn assisted on Brigham's second goal, and Jay Mobilia closed out the scoring in the first half for a 6-0 advantage.

Chris Stephens opened the second half scoring,followed by Drake Greenwood (assisted by Alex Pratt), Jacob LaPoint, and Eli Connolly, demonstrating his superiority over the less-hirsute Sampson.

The Marauders seek to avenge their only loss of the season on Wednesday, hosting Lebanon at 4:30 on Merriman-Branch Field.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Marauders Top Bishop Brady 4-1

Hanover prepared for their Wednesday showdown with Lebanon with a purposeful and attractive 4-1 victory over a determined Bishop Brady team Tuesday at Merriman-Branch field. After conceding the opening goal to the visitors, the Marauders stayed composed and played 70 minutes of outstanding soccer, scoring four goals in a ten-minute stretch from the end of the first half to the beginning of the second. Ben Harris has his second consecutive two-goal game, Eric Jayne tallied his team-leading seventh goal, and Hayden Pressey-Murray opened his account for the season with a goal and an assist. After dozing on Brady's goal, the defense was outstanding for the rest of the way, and every one of the 24 field players got significant playing time.

The first seven minutes of the match were largely at midfield, as a focused Brady squad seemed determined to stay stride for stride with their hosts. Hanover conceded a corner at the eight minute mark and made a meal of the clearance, allowing Matt Bosiak the opportunity to pounce on the ball at close range and dent the net for the first goal of the game. The Marauders then showed considerable poise, letting the match come to them and exhibiting no frustration as the energized Green Giants (that's their nickname, honest!) kept them at bay. A number of scoring attempts by the likes of Nate Hanna, Gunnar Shaw and Jonathan Fenton nearly found the mark before Hayden Pressey-Murray carried the ball deep on the left flank and hit an early cross that found Harris perfectly positioned to nod home the tying goal with a little over three minutes to play in the half. Not wanting to appear ungrateful, Harris returned the favor less than three minutes later, finding room on the right baseline to swing the ball in front for Pressey-Murray's first goal of the season. Coming with less than a minute to play in the half, it was a dagger in Brady's heart.

Hanover wasted little time in the second half administering the coup de grace. Seven minutes into the second session, Nate Hanna picked up the ball in his own half and blew past two defenders, streaking down the left side. The senior co-Captain hit a worm burner across the face of the goal for Harris, who took advantage of the Brady keeper's indecision and directed the ball past him for a 3-1 lead. Less than a minute later Jayne got control of the ball on the end of one of Stefan Dyroff's punts and made room for himself at the top of the box, hitting a low hard shot just inside the left post for his seventh goal, and fifth in the last six games.

The Marauders actually increased their territorial domination as wave after wave of substitute came cascading off of the bench. Isaiah Fariel and Jonathan Fenton, the Alphonse and Gaston of the pitch (look it up), took turns trying to set each other up, eschewing their own agendas to the point of near-absurdity. They promised to do better on the morrow. Brendan Barth and Ross Johnston continued to look at home in the center of the park, covering every inch of the required territory between the eighteens. Chris Tecca continued his bid to be recognized as the most improved player on the squad, and all three of his fellow backs were effective in keeping the second half sheet clean.

Having done exactly what they needed to do as squad, the Marauders can now turn their attention to welcoming undefeated (8-0-0) Lebanon on Wednesday evening at 6:30. Memories of last week's 1-0 loss with a minute to go in the second sudden death overtime are fresh enough, and the stakes are manifest. This match will be an excellent post-season dress rehearsal, and an opportunity to apply six week's worth of lessons. It ought to be a good show.

Players from both sides, parents, and all spectators are reminded to bring non-perishable food items for donation to The Haven. Yet another good reason to hope for the best crowd of the season!

Monday, September 28, 2009

Soccer Schedule Sept. 29 - Oct. 3

Tuesday, Sept. 29


Reserve Practice at Norwich 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.

JV Game vs. Bishop Brady 4:30 p.m.HHS Grass

Varsity Game vs. Bishop Brady 6:00 p.m. HHS Turf


Wednesday, Sept. 30


Reserve Practice at Norwich 3:00 - 4:30 p.m.

JV Game vs. Lebanon 4:30 p.m. HHS Turf

Varsity Game vs. Lebanon 6:30 p.m. HHS Turf

Please bring food items for the Haven to the Lebanon games!


Thursday, Oct. 1


All-Freshman Game 3:30 p.m. HHS Grass

Varsity Practice at Huntley 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.


Friday, Oct. 2


Reserve Game at Stevens 3:30 p.m.

JV Practice at Huntley 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.

Varsity Practice at Huntley 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.


Saturday, Oct. 3


Reserve Game vs. Coe-Brown 12:30 p.m. HHS Turf


Sunday, Oct. 4


CROP Walk at Lebanon - Colburn Park

Register 12:30 p.m.

Walk 1:00 p.m.

Pickup 3:00 p.m.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Soccer Meeting for All Teams Monday

There will be a mandatory meeting for all players and coaches for all three boys' soccer teams Monday after school. Meet at the bleachers outside near the grass field. The meeting will be fairly short. Reserve players will have enough time to catch their bus to practice. JV players who miss the Norwich bus will be given rides to Huntley in time for practice. Players missing school because of Yom Kippur are excused, as are any players who have already been excused from practice for medical or academic reasons. No earth-shattering announcements. This is an opportunity for us to get a lot of business done at a convenient time.

Reserve Practice: 4:00 - 5:30 Norwich

JV Practice: 4:00 - 5:30 Huntley

Varsity Practice: 4:45 - 6:30 HHS Turf