HANOVER BEATS LEBANON 2-0 IN TITLE REMATCH
Hanover stretched its season-opening unbeaten streak to seven games Tuesday with a methodical 2-0 victory over archrival Lebanon. The rematch of last year’s Class I finalists lived up to its billing, featuring a tightly-contested match in front of a large crowd at the Raider pitch. Goals by seniors Eric Barthold and Casey Maue midway through the match provided more than enough of an edge for Hanover, which held a significant edge in play, outshooting their hosts 18-2.
Hanover-Lebanon games are always close contests. The two teams have played eight times in the past two years, and three of those matches have gone to overtime. Both teams have established themselves as title contenders in the early going, with Lebanon lugging a 5-1 mark into the match, and Hanover entering with a record of 5-0-1, having allowed no goals.
Hanover put the pressure on early in the match, and shots by Angus Kennedy and Yosef Osheyack forced Lebanon goalie Andrew Kelly to make a pair of sparkling saves. Osheyack just missed connecting on another close-in shot, and Aussie Cyrus got in clean on a breakaway but put his shot over the top. At the other end, the Marauder defense kept the home team completely bottled up. Lebanon had no shots on goal throughout the half, and their two corner kicks were parried away by Ben Harwick and the back line of Cal Felicetti, Matt Wetherell, Sam Peterson and Trevor Barlowe. Angus Kennedy and Cyrus were doing a superb job at midfield, repeatedly wining balls and stifling the Raiders.
Hanover struck for the only goal they would need with four minutes to play in the first half when a long throw-in from Ben Rimmer skidded through the box and found Eric Barthold just inside the 18 with enough time to volley home a first-time shot inside the far post.
It didn’t take the Marauders long to double the lead in the second half and put the game on ice. A nice combination of passes four minutes into the half put Osheyack through on the right side of the Lebanon penalty area, and the junior striker laid a perfect ball back to a trailing Casey Maue, whose laser shot tucked into side netting past the far post. The 2-0 lead looked pretty solid, given Hanover’s continuing territorial edge.
The Marauders had several other chances to increase the lead, but a Matt Wetherell header on a perfect Rimmer corner kick misseed the target, and several other shots were also off the mark. Hanover got a nice boost in the late going thatnks to the fresh legs of Henry Caldwell and Kevin Dade up front, and midfielders Lou Gemunden and Paul Burchard. All four played excellent soccer, and helped close the match out on a high note.
Two long shots by Lebanon near the end of the match forced Ben Harwick to make his only two saves of the day, putting the lid on Hanover’s seventh straight shutout, and raising their record on the young season to 6-0-1. Next up for the Marauders is a home match at 4:00 on Thursday against Plymouth.
