Hanover opened the NHIAA Division One Tournament on a high note, defeating Spaulding 6-0 to advance to the quarterfinals. The Marauders shrugged off the rainy weather and dominated the game on Senior Night, taking a 3-0 first half lead with an all-senior lineup, and racing to their tenth win in a row, the longest winning streak in Division One this year. Hanover will face Merrimack, an upset winner over Timberlane, in a Saturday Quarterfinal match at 2:00 p.m.
Senior Captains Jamie Dinulos and Asa Berolzheimer paced the attack, scoring all three first half goals between them. Dinulos got Hanover on the board midway through the half, sliding home the rebound of a free kick by Brolzheimer. The assist on the play was this 18th of the season, seeing a new Marauder record and surpassing the old record of 17 established in 2005 by Ben "Bones" Mackinnon.
Berolzheimer collected his 16th goal of the season with 10 minutes left in the half, taking a one-time pass from left winger Dan Healy and motoring in on goal. Healy wasn't done, and two minutes later he centered a ball across to the goalmouth for Dinulos, who stuffed it home at the right post for his 11th goal of the season.
The all-senior lineup worked well from the opening kickoff, and almost produced a goal in the first minute, when center forward Robbie Murdza raced onto a bounding ball ahead of Red Raider goalkeeper Nick Day, sending a blooping shot toward to empty net. The shot was cleared off the line at the last minute, but notice had been served. Jack Hazard had a superb game at holding midfield, winning ball after ball and connecting on a number of passes. Hazard had a dangerous shot form the top of the box, as did Ian Caldwell, who blasted a long shot over the bar from well beyond the penalty area.
Senior Jack Pattison made his first start at left back and looked right at home, acquitting his defensive responsibilities well, and getting forward well. Addison Wanner was equally adept at right back, and nearly collected an assist when his centering pass nearly connected with a streaking Berolzheimer near the end of the half.
After a ceremony at halftime to honor all of the seniors from both teams, creating a number of Kodak moments for the Marauders, Hanover started an all-underclass lineup after the interval and went right back to business, putting constant pressure in the Spaulding end of the field. Seth Stadheim got things going four minutes into the half, streaking down the left flank and centering a ball for Casey Starr, who made no mistake in jamming home his second goal of the season. Three minutes later the Marauders got a sweet assist from the right side, with Sam Strohbehn driving a sweet right-footer grasscutter into the box for Stadheim, whose shot was partially saved by Day. The ball was on the way over the goal line but Luke Messersmith made sure, pouncing on it ahead of a defender and notching his second goal of the campaign.
Will Smith nearly collected his first goal of the season ten minutes later, heading a corner kick over the bar. Strohbehn blasted a long shot over the bar on a free kick, and Marcus Helble got a great look from the edge of the box, blasting a shot into Day's breadbasket. Fourteen minutes before the end Helble got another bite of the cherry on a rebound in front of the net and made no mistake, notching his second goal of the year. Connor Edson went the distance in goal for the Marauders, making two second-half saves to earn his fifth clean sheet of the season.
Although Hanover had no problem with the steady rain which fell throughout the match, they will be looking forward to a drier day on Saturday, when they host Merrimack in a Quarterfinal match. The 10th-ranked Tomahawks upset seventh seed Timberlane in a penalty kick shootout. The Marauders haven't played Merrimack in the past two seasons, but have taken note of their five-game win streak to start the season, their 1-1 draw at Concord, and their two wins over a good Timberlane team.
"There's no need to look beyond Saturday," commented Coach Grabill. "Merrimack is coming in here on a roll, and we have already seen that upsets can happen to anyone at this time of the year. We'll continue to work on what got us here, and continue to see if we can make improvements at both ends of the field. It's encouraging that we have more than half a dozen players who are very confident that they can finish when given the opportunity, and that depth gives us a great edge. Goals are at a premium during tournament time, and I like our chances to score big goals at the right time."
The Marauders will celebrate the season with all of the teams in the program on Friday night, and then celebrate Halloween on Saturday. All spectators will be invited to attend the match in costume, and there will be a number of prizes for best costume in three age groups (12 and under, high school/middle school, and parent/adult). Kids under 12 will have the opportunity to do some trick or treating, and also collect donations for UNICEF. (Google them - it's a good cause!)
Speaking of good causes, the Marauders collected a lot of food for the Haven, including a generous donation by Spaulding, which brought nearly 50 pounds of food with them for the Haven. It was a classy move by the visitors, and set the tone for a good match on a rainy October night.
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