HANOVER TOPS ST. THOMAS IN FIRST PLACE SHOWDOWN
The Hanover High boys rallied to top St. Thomas Aquinas 3-2 in a battle between the top two teams in Class I, cementing their hold on first place and stretching their season-long unbeaten streak to 11-0-1. A spirited St. Thomas side, working on their own ten-game undefeated skein, scored twice in the first half, becoming not only the first team to score on the Marauders, but also the first to take a lead. Undaunted, Hanover quickly evened the score and took control of the match, eventually securing a game-winning goal by Eric Barthold with six minutes to play in the match.
St. Thomas entered the game with an impressive resume which included two wins over neighbors Oyster River, but Hanover struck first when Angus Kennedy settled a cross from Lou Gemunden and ripped a shot from outside the penalty area inside the left post behind Saints keeper Sean Waters. The home side was unfazed, and equalized less than a minute later when defender Matt Harnish hit a long ball out of his own end into the Hanover penalty area, where it was headed home by Ross Suleski.
St. Thomas took as 2-1 lead 25 minutes into the match when a ball played into the Hanover end was misplayed, leaving Taylor MacDonald open for a hard shot past Ben Harwick. It was Hanover’s turn to show composure, and it took them less than a minute.
St. Thomas goalie Waters boggled a ball in the box, and Eric Jayne pounced on the loose ball and buried it to tie the game. It was Jayne’s seventh goal of the campaign, but more significantly his first score not to occur in garbage time. More will follow.
Neither team mounted a significant challenge before halftime, but after the break it was clear that the Marauders had found their game. Taking more time to build the attack in midfield, Hanover assumed a huge territorial advantage, and looked likely to be the next team to score. Casey Maue played one of his best games of the season and was a constant threat in the box, heading one shot just over the bar. The Hanover backs did a superb job of blunting the St. Thomas attacks before they became established, and supporting the attack.
No team had scored more than twice on St. Thomas all season, but with six minutes to play Hanover tallied the game winner. Waters saved a shot by Maue from the right side, and the ball squirted across the face of the goal to Barthold, who slotted it home for his eighth goal of the season. St. Thomas could only muster a few half-hearted attempts to even the score before time expired, and only the final whistle prevented Yosef Osheyack from adding to the scoreline after a well-made counterattack.
“This was a valuable game for us,” commented Coach Rob Grabill. “It was nice to see how we would react to adversity, and our mature response was gratifying. St. Thomas is a quality opponent, and beating them on the road was a real boost for our confidence. We still have several very challenging games remaining, and this will all help us to keep improving as a team, and be ready for the postseason.”
Hanover travels to Fall Mountain Wednesday for a 6:00 game.
