Hanover took a giant step towards the promised land on Saturday, streaking out of the starting blocks with five first-half goals to beat Merrimack 5-0 in a NHIAA Quarterfinal match before a large and boisterous crowd at Merriman-Branch Field. Hanover advances to the Semifinals on Wednesday, facing Londonderry in a 4:00 match at Stellos Stadium in Nashua. The win was the 11th in a row for Hanover, giving them a record of 15-2-1.
Tim Alibozek scored 16 seconds into the match, setting the tone for an offensive onslaught that produced five goals in the first 33 minutes. Despite clearing the bench for the rest of the match, the Marauders continued to dominate the match and produced a full 80 minutes of attractive, attacking, unselfish soccer that delighted the crowd in Hanover's final home game of the season.
Merrimack won the opening kickoff, and drove a long ball into the Hanover end of the field, where Will Smith met it with a thunderous head, sending it back into the middle of the park, where it connected with Asa Berolzheimer. You can figure out what happened next. Berolzheimer sent the ball to Jamie Dinulos on the left flank, and the senior speedster toasted his defender to a golden brown and centered the ball to Alibozek, who drove it home for the winning goal.
The goal triggered an offensive onslaught that this impoverished scribe will be unable to characterize accurately, given the lack of game film aid. It was one-sided, however, with Hanover eventually amassing a 17-1 shot advantage. Alibozek almost collected his second score at the seven-minute mark, as his header off a short corner centering pass from Berolzheimer sailed just wide. Jonah Levine missed the net on two long drives from the top of the box, also orchestrated by Asa.
Hanover's offense was triggered by stifling midfield defense by the Marauder back four of Caldwell, Pych, Pikelny and Smith, all of whom knew just when the step and challenge the Merrimack attackers at midfield, and when to drop and let the midfield trio of Berolzheimer, Levine and Acker to win the ball, which they did with stunning regularity. Once the ball was won, Hanover would patiently play it away from pressure, switch the point of attack, and reload an efficient offense that attacked from the flanks and ended up with a series of tap-in goals in front of the net.
Jamie Dinulos set up Hanover's second goal at the 15-minute mark, centering the ball to Jake Acker for a great finish at the right post for his seventh goal of the season. Hanover brought in four fresh attacking players midway through the half, and Luke Messermith, Seth Stadheim, Henry Kahl and Marcus Helble continued the relentless attack. Shortly after they entered, Messersmith found room on the left side and centered the ball to Stadheim for a close-range goal, the second time in as many games that this combination clicked.
By this point, Berolzheimer had missed at least three juicy chances to score, and at the 29-minute mark Stadheim took pity on him and set him up with a can't-miss feed, taking a flip pass form Messersmith and centering it to Asa on the left side for his 17th goal of the season.
Amazingly, Hanover now sent in a third wave of attackers, inserting D1 Dan Healy, Griffin Johnson, and Robbie Murdza up top. Not surprisingly, this group took very little time to assert themselves. Hanover was awarded a free kick outside the Merrimack penalty area on the right side, perfect for a left-footed strike. Berolzheimer lined up over the ball, glanced over at the bench, where career lefties Sam Strohbehn, Luke Messersmith and Jake Acker sat, stewing. Beronzheimer had also glanced to his right and noticed Johnson, unmarked, trying his best to look nochaleant. Asa slid the ball to Griffin, who ripped a cross into the goalmouth, and Healy was there to tip it in for his second goal of the season at 32:27. Three distinct offensive units had each created a goal within 33 minutes in a second-round playoff game. That's pretty astounding stuff.
Hanover's second half strategy was complicated, but well-considered. Senior defenders Jack Pattison and Addison Wanner were inserted as attacking wingers, with support from center midfielders Casey Starr, Jack Hazard and Marcus Helble. Although the goal was to have as many players on the field as possible who had not scored yet this season (a total of seven), it was even more important to play smart defense and also honor the game, making unselfishness paramount. Somehow, it all worked.
Hazard and Starr worked relentlessly at midfield, and Starr got a couple of his patented looks from the 18, and even kept a civil tongue in his head, aware that the stands were filled with innocent little tots in their Teletubbie costumes.
Will Smith and Adam Piklelny orchestrated the offense from their advanced defensive positions, and Wanner and Pattison each began strutting their stuff. Addison did great work on the right flank, breaking down defenders with his footwork and centering a number of tantalizing crosses. On the other side, Pattison waged a one-man war on the Merrimack goal. In the space of about 20 minutes, the skillful senior hit four shots that were right on target, and only the excellent goalie play of Tomahawk keeper Derek Staradub kept him off the scoreboard. It was a great exhibition for one of the most improved players on the entire team.
Pattison wasn't the only player who was denied at the doorstep. Staradub made an amazing point-blank save on Healy, who also can lay claim to being the real deal as a Hanover player. Two years ago he was toiling on the Reserves, and through hard work and commitment, he has evolved into a winger who could start for any team in the state. Sophomore Sam Pych was also eager to open his account, and was denied unfairly when he was hauled down in the box and denied a spot kick by situational, "gee, look at the score" officiating. Despite his burning desire to score, Pych exemplified the unselfishness which is critical for a team to be not just good but great, several times passing to open teammates when he could have easily tried to make a play for himself. This is the sort of maturity that is one of the reasons that this talented first-year player has been trusted to start all but one of Hanover's games.
Patrick Logan made three saves, two of them fairly challenging to nail down the shutout, which was preserved by a smart defensive play from center back Simon Kahan, who played his best game of the year in tandem with Lucas Adams-Blackmore.
Next up for Hanover is a rematch with Londonderry in the NHIAA Semifinals, and an opportunity to atone for a dismal defensive performance in a 5-1 loss early in the season. Hanover has played solid defense in 17 of their 18 games, and now they have the chance to show how much they have learned since that disappointing result on Londonderry's small, grassy pitch. Now they return to the wide open field turf of Stellos Stadium, and look forward to having the chance to redeem themselves.
It's not an unfamiliar setting for the Marauders. This is their fourth year in Division One, and they have never missed the Final Four. After last year's bitter loss to Pinkerton in the Semifinals, however, they understand how challenging this can be. All of the pretenders are gone, and the top four teams in the state are set to do battle on Wednesday. They look forward to generating some fan support, aided by the fact there will be a spectator bus heading to Stellos after school on Wednesday.
"This is why we have worked hard since the start of the season, and in many instances since last November, " commented Coach Grabill. "We have improved a lot since the start of the season, and we will continue to work hard in practice this week. I believe that we have a great game or two left in us. This is why we play."
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