HANOVER AND LEBANON BATTLE TO A CLASSIC DRAW
Hanover and Lebanon added another chapter to their amazing soccer history Tuesday night, battling to a 1-1 draw that entertained a huge crowd at Merriman-Branch Field. Hanover dominated statistically and took a 1-0 lead into the last 10 minutes of the match, but Lebanon took advantage of one of their very few scoring opportunities to tie the game, and neither team could dent the net in overtime. Both head into the postseason as threats to advance to the later rounds.
Lebanon showed no fear in the early moments of the match, and while their forays into the Hanover end produced no shots, it was clear that they were determined not to sit back in their own end. As the half continued, however, Hanover turned up the heat, and produced a number of scoring chances. The Marauders actually hit the woodwork four separate times, with Casey Maue, Matt Wetherell and Angus Kennedy (twice!) connecting with the upright or crossbar. Finally, Casey Maue connected, taking a nice pass from Eric Barthold on the left flank and patiently working for a short range shot in the 34th minute.
Hanover kept the pressure up in the second half, and only some outstanding saves by Lebanon goalkeeper Andrew Kelley kept the Marauders at bay. Kelly made a dazzling dive to his right to knock a laser from Matt Wetherell out of the corner, and denied Barthold several times. Cal Felicetti had a near miss from close range, and a deflected header by Eric Jayne drifted wide. Lebanon counterattacked effectively several times, and it took some first-rate tackling by Sam Peterson and Trevor Barlowe to blunt several dangerous Raider forays. Hanover goalie Ben Harwick did a nice job blocking a hard drive by Esteban Estrada that represented the first actual shot on goal by Lebanon.
As the ten-minute mark approached, the Raiders struck suddenly. A silly foul gave Lebanon a free kick outside the Hanover penalty area, and leading scorer MacKenzie Higgens lifted a superb free kick into the box, beyond the reach of Harwick but perfectly in the path of a streaking Merhawi Wells-Bouge, who headed it into the right corner to tie the match. Neither team mounted an effective attack as time wound down in regulation, and the match headed into overtime. Amazingly, this became the fourth game between the two teams to go to overtime in the space of a calendar year.
Hanover regained the offensive initiative in overtime, outshooting the Raiders 4-0 and coming heartbreakingly close in the second 10-minute session when Barthold broke in alone on goal, only to be denied by a sprawling save by Kelly at close range. Raider Coach Rob Johnstone played his “happy to tie” card in the last minute, making a substitution to kill the clock, and the match that began on a warm autumn afternoon ended on a frosty night under the sliver of a waxing harvest moon.
There were several unique aspects to the match. Lured by both history and the sheer attractiveness of the match, the crowd was estimated at over 750, making it the largest in Branch-Merriman field’s young history, including all three Hanover home football games. The crowd came bearing food, and the successful food drive for the Upper Valley Haven will no doubt become an annual event as the Marauders continued their relentless effort to combine great soccer with good citizenship.
Speculation about playoff matchups is a dangerous endeavor. However, there are some intriguing possibilities suggested by elementary bracketology. The Marauders look likely to nail down the number one seed with win Friday at Monadnock, and if the Raiders win at Kearsarge they will end up fifth in the NHIAA standings. If both teams win their first-round fixtures, Lebanon will probably earn a road trip to Oyster River, and it’s possible that Hanover might host Souhegan for a rematch of their rousing regular season game. Say for a minute that the Marauders can hold off a determined Saber side, and Lebanon pulls off a road win at Oyster River, That would mean a semifinal matchup between two foes who would be meeting for the tenth time in three years. That would be unprecedented in NH high school soccer history, but only fitting between two rivals who have somehow redefined the meaning of that word. Caution, sports fans. That is risky speculation, and there is a long way to go. For now, as a special season draws to a close, it’s fun to speculate before the hard realities of this cruel game impose themselves. On to the playoffs!
