Directions to Souhegan High School, Amherst

Turn left to merge onto I-89 S
Continue to follow I-89 S
Take the exit onto Everett Turnpike/I-93 S toward Manchester/Boston
Continue to follow Everett Turnpike
Partial toll road
Take exit 11 toward US-3
Turn right at Camp Sargent Rd
Continue on Amherst Rd
Turn left at Seaverns Bridge Rd
Turn right at Windsor Dr
Slight left at Cross Rd
Turn right at Boston Post Rd
Souhegan High School
412 Boston Post Rd, Amherst, NH 03031

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Put the address of Souhegan High School (listed above) into Google Maps to get directions you can print out.

Reserves vs Coe Brown, October 9

The Reserves battled Coe-Brown to a 3-3 draw, coming from behind twice to do so. Peter Shoemaker, Andrew Flickinger and Sam Hicks scored the goals with Hicks picking up two assists as well. Forest Miller assisted on the all important game tying goal by Hicks.

Help HHS & LHS Soccer Teams support the Upper Valley Haven

On Tuesday October 16 the Hanover & Lebanon Girls and Boys soccer teams will be playing a double header at Hanover High's new turf field. Supporters of both schools are asked to bring a nonperishible food item to donate to the Upper Valley Haven.

Lebanon Girls vs Hanover Girls 4:00 pm

Lebanon Boys vs Hanover Boys 6:00 pm

What exactly is the difference between a Raider and a Marauder?

JV vs St Thomas pictures

Interesting Sign at St Thomas Game

Here is a sign that was posted just above the St Thomas Soccer Field. You can see the "x's" through the names of the teams that they beat this season. Thankfully Hanover did not get crossed off.

HHS Boys Soccer Participates in Crop Walk 2007

The Boys Soccer Program participated in the 2007 Crop Walk on Sunday, October 2007. A total of 33 Hanover High soccer players participated, and contributed a total of $4,023. The initial e-mail from the organizers singled out the HHS players for their effort and enthusiasm.

Varsity vs St Thomas, October 6

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.

Reserves vs Cardigan Mtn School, Sept 5

The Reserves made it seven wins in seven tries in defeating Cardigan Mt 3-0. Sam Hicks, Pete Shoemaker and Will Kermond led a balanced scoring attack. Tri-captain Dan Perovich was a force to be reckoned with in the center of the mid-field contiributing 2 assists and Chris Stephens recorded the shutout in goal.

Reserves vs Coe Brown, Sept 2

The Reserves made their longest road trip of the season Tuesday and returned from Northwood with a 4-1 victory over Coe-Brown. The team was playing their third match in four days and Coach Alloway was not sure how they would respond, especially after playing such a tough game with KUA just 24 hours earlier.
As Alloway suspected might happen, the team came out a little flat but withstood an early push from their hosts thanks to the stellar hands of Goalkeeper Kyle Castillo and the defensive prowess of Tyung Dam, Keegan Dufty, Sawyer Connolly, Matt Caulo and Mason Vogt.
In the 35th minute, Max Woods delivered a through ball to Andrew Flickinger who deposited it into the back of the net for the only goal of the first half.
Coe-Brown came out strong in the opening of the second half and once again the defense for the Reserves rose to the occasion, denying any and all attempts on goal. The Reserves were awarded a PK in the 49th minute, which Sam Hicks drilled into the back of the net for his 11th goal of the season. Six minutes later Tariku Foster played a nice little square pass to Fickinger at the the top of the box and the Tri-Captain balsted it into the left side of the net giving the reserves a 3-0 lead.
Coe-Brown continued their pursuit for a goal and broke through in the 70th minute for their only goal of the day, but a short time later Flickinger feed Peter Shoemaker for a breakaway goal.

JV vs St Thomas, Sept 9

Hanover JV overcame a 2-1 halftime defecit to win 4-2 at St Thomas on Saturday

Article from Dover Newspaper on Hanover vs St Thomas

http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071007/FOSTERS02/710070067/-1/NEWS11

Directions to St Thomas High School, Dover

Turn left to merge onto I-89 S

Continue to follow I-89 S

Take the exit onto I-93 S toward Manchester/Boston

Partial toll road

Take exit 7 on the left to merge onto RT-101 E toward Seacoast/Portsmouth

Take the exit onto Blue Star Memorial Hwy/I-95 N
Partial toll road
Take exit 4 on the left for US-4/RT-16/Spaulding Turnpike toward N.H. Lakes/White Mts.
Keep left at the fork to continue toward RT-16 N/Spaulding Turnpike and merge onto RT-16 N/Spaulding Turnpike
Partial toll road
Take exit 6N toward Dover
Merge onto Dover Point Rd
St Thomas Aquinas High
197 Dover Point Rd, Dover, NH 03820

JV vs Hollis Brookline, Sept 29

The JV beat Hollis Brookline 6-0.

Varsity vs Hollis Brookline, Sept 29

HANOVER BLANKS HOLLIS, MOVES INTO FIRST

The Hanover High boys capitalized on two early goals and superb defense from the back four to defeat Hollis-Brookline 2-0 and move into the NHIAA Class I penthouse with a 9-0-1 record. Bow’s loss to Oyster River Friday night opened the door for the Marauders, who responded with a Homecoming win to stretch their scoreless streak to ten games.

Hollis came into the game with wins against Souhegan, St. Thomas and Lebanon on their resume, and showed no signs of being intimidated by their hosts. Five minutes into the match, Cavalier midfielder Riley Rogers found some room in the Hanover box and hit the crossbar with his shot. Riley’s brother Ryan was first to the rebound, but Ben Harwick smothered his shot to quell the threat.

Properly chastened, the Marauders went to work and produced two goals within 30 seconds to take the lead. Eric Barthold gave Hanover a 1-0 lead at the 9:22 mark, lashing home the rebound of a Yosef Osheyack shot that came as the culmination of a long cross from the right flank from Lou Gemunden. Hollis kicked off but barely touched the ball. Ceding possession right back to the Marauders. Angus Kennedy worked loose at the top of the penalty area for a searing shot on goal that Cavalier goalkeeper Sean Hamilton slowed, but was unable to stop. As the ball seeped past him, Osheyack swooped in and got the final touch for his ninth goal of the season and a 2-0 Hanover advantage.

Hanover’s lead might as well have been 22 goals the way the back four of Matt Wetherell, Cal Felicetti, Sam, Peterson and Trevor Barlowe were playing. They kept their shape magnificently, cleared crisply and accurately, and prevented Hollis from getting even a look at goal. The stifling Marauder defense was enhanced by the dominating midfield presence of Kennedy and Aussie Cyrus, who pressured well, won dozens of balls between them, and adroitly switched fields to help the home team maintain a huge margin in possession in playing time.

In the meantime Hanover held onto their two-goal advantage in the best way possible, patiently probing for a third score. Matt Wetherell headed wide on a Barthold corner kick before the first half was history, and several second half attempts came even closer, notably a Ben Rimmer volley from another Barthold serve that was saved magnificently
by Hamilton in the Hollis goal. Henry Caldwell also came close but was denied by the daring Hamilton, and Eric Jayne missed connections on a tasty opportunity in a goal-mouth scramble.

Hanover held a 9-1 advantage in shots in the second half, although the one Hollis bid was a dangerous-looking strike by Riley Rogers that Ben Harwick read well and handled professionally in the waning minutes of the game to put the cap on the Marauders’ tenth straight shutout.

Hanover’s successful homestand winds down Wednesday when the Marauders play host to Stevens at 4:00 p.m., a prelude to next Saturday’s showdown with Saint Thomas, lurking just behind Hanover in third place. “We’ll worry about St. Thomas when the time comes,” cautioned Coach Grabill. “For now, Stevens is our most important game, and they will have our full attention. We played well today, but there are plenty of aspects of our game that we can improve. We’ll be working hard to get better.”

Reserves vs KUA, Oct. 1

The Reserves came from behind to defeat KUA 4-3 in a very physical hard fought game. KUA struck first and the Reserves found themselves trailing an opponent for the first time all year. Tri-Captain Dan Perovich converted a PK in the 19th minute to even up the score, but the tie was shortlived as KUA quickly pulled ahead by virtue of a nice breakaway. In the 30th minute, Sam Hicks scored the equalizer on an assist from Austin Sumanis. Two minutes later Sumanis bullied his way past several KUA defenders and feed Hicks again for the go ahead goal. Not to be outdone, KUA came back and scored sending the game into a 3-3 tie at half-time.
The Reserves came out fired-up in the second half applying a great deal of pressure on their opponent which resulted in what turned out to be the winning goal. Hicks, delivering a beautiful cross, connected with Will Kermond who one touched the ball into the back of the net for his first goal of the season.

Reserves vs Cardigan Mtn School, Sept 29

The Reserves defeated Cardigan Mt. 6-0. Sam Hicks scored 2 goals in the first ten minutes on assists from Alex Jurado and Dan Perovich. Tri-Captain Andrew Flickinger, still feeling the effects of an injury which has kept him out of action for the first 3 games, replaced Hicks and scored 2 goals of his own in limited duty. In the 40th minute Pete Shoemaker pounced upon a misplayed goalkick, split several Cardigan Mt. defenders and depostited a nifty leftfooted bomb into the net from just outside the box giving the Reserves a 5-0 lead at the half.
The team used the 2nd half of the game to work on ball control. Mid-fielders Perovich, Ryan Collins, Alex Jurado and Eric Jurado moved the ball around the pitch beautifully. Sam Hicks scored the final goal of the contest, with an assist from Austin Sumanis, to earn his second hat-trick of the season

Varsity vs Stevens, Wed. October 3, Time Change

The varsity game vs Stevens High School has been moved from 4pm to 6pm on Wednesday, October 3.

The junior varsity game is still scheduled for 4pm.

2007 HHS Soccer Program Books

The 2007 Hanover High School Soccer Program Books have been published. Initial copies were available at the Girl's home game yesterday and will be available at the Boy's home game today (Sept 29).
Copies will be provided to each team (by the end of the week - Oct 5), so that each family will be sure to get a copy. If for some reason you do not get a copy and would like one, please contact your son's coach.
The program is also posted online - see the list of links on the right hand side of the blog page.

Finally, please take note of the local businesses that have supported the HHS Soccer Program by advertising in the book.

JV vs Monadnock, Sept 26

The Hanover Junior Varsity cruised to a 13-0 victory over Monadnock on Wednesday afternoon. If anyone has more details please send them along.

Varsity vs Monadnock, Sept 26

HANOVER HANDLES MONADNOCK 7-0 TO STAY UNBEATEN

The Marauder varsity earned a one-sided 7-0 victory over a road-weary Monadnock squad Wednesday, improving their record to 8-0-1 and maintaining Hanover’s nine-game streak of scoreless games.

Wave upon wave of Marauder strikers rained 36 shots on or at the Husky goal, while the Hanover defense held the visitors without a shot on goal. Six different players scored, and some of the goals were worthy of a highlight reel.

It took a while for the Marauders to get on the scoreboard, but Hanover’s patient probing began to bear fruit, the stream of goals was a steady one. Eric Barthold got the home team on the board in the nineteenth minute, heading home a long cross from overlapping left back Sam Peterson for his sixth goal of the season. Two minutes later, Henry Caldwell collected the first of his two goals on the day, hitting a ripper off the left upright from outside the penalty area. The third goal of the half came with less than three minutes left on the clock, and it was a carbon copy of the first. Peterson, who has become increasingly devastating with his overlapping runs down the left flank, hammered another long cross across the face of the goal, and junior Yosef Osheyack met the ball at the back post and hammering a header into the side netting for his team-leading eighth goal of the season.

Switching sides for the second half did little to diminish the bombardment of the Monadnock goal. Six minutes after play resumed, Cal Felicetti notched his first goal of the season following one of Hanover’s thirteen corner kicks. Lou Gemunden had hit one of his patented rockets across the box, and after it was knocked around, it fell to the feet of Felicetti, who had drifted to the top of the 18. Acting like the striker he claims to be, he chipped an unstoppable one-timer into the upper left corner for a 4-0 advantage.

The starting strikers found their way into the match after twenty minutes had elapsed, and shortly afterwards Casey Maue collected his fourth goal of the season, taking a nice feed from Osheyack and working free for a turf cutter into the far corner. It was time to sit the starters again, and in came Caldwell and Eric Jayne, just in time to notch a few more goals. Everyone in the match at that point was playing some of the best soccer of the day, unselfishly moving the ball. Aussie Cyrus characterized this sort of play, and after moving at will through the Monadnock defense, he dished a sweet pass to Jayne, who finished clinically for his fifth goal of the season. Six minutes later (and less than a minute from time), Caldwell collected his second goal of the day volleying home a wonderful cross from Gemunden off the left upright. It was Lou’s fifth assist of the season, tying him for second on the team. Ben Harwick and Sam Gest shared the season’s ninth shutout without seeing a shot.

Hoping to find stiffer resistance from a Hollis-Brookline team that has beaten both Lebanon and Souhegan, the Marauders continue their homestand on Saturday. Kickoff is at noon.

Reserves vs Fall Mountain, Sept 24

Playing under the lights and in front of an enthuseastic home crowd, the Reserves came out strong and defeated Fall Mt. 3-1.
Alex Jurado scored first by taking a nice feed from Ty Atkins and burying it in the upper right corner of the goal from 25 yards out. In the third minute of the second half the Reserves stuck again. Leading scorer Sam Hicks found himself on the end of a long pass from Tyung Dam and after beating the goalie buried the ball in the back of the net for his 5th goal of the season. Fall Mt. never gave up and made things interesting by scoring one in the 68th minute, but the reserves came roaring back up field and during a flurry of activity in front of the Fall Mt. goal co-captain Dan Perovich was able to drill home the all important third goal.

Freshmen vs Cardigan Mountain School, Sept 24

The Freshman team beat Cardigan Mountain 1-0. Alex Dodds converted a penalty kick after he had been fouled in the box for the only score. The win avenged an earlier 4-1 defeat to the same Cardigan team.

Reserves at Cardigan Mtn School Jamboree, Sept 22

The Reserves played two thirty minute games, participating in the Cardigan Mt. Jamboree. The first match, against K.U.A. ended in a 0-0 tie. Freshman Graham Miller was in goal and recorded the shutout.
The second game, aginst Cardigan Mt., also ended in 0-0 draw. Kyle Castillo recored his second Shutout of the season.

Varsity vs Plymouth, Sept 20

HANOVER TOPS PLYMOUTH 5-0; STILL UNBEATEN

The Hanover varsity booters defeated Plymouth 5-0 on Thursday to stretch their unbeaten skein to eight, and in doing so recorded their eighth straight shutout. There are more than 160 high school teams in New Hampshire, and only one of them has yet to allow a goal.

Yosef Osheyack scored twice to take the team lead in the goal scoring department, and Ben Rimmer added two assists to top the table in that department. Eric Barthold added his fifth goal of the campaign, and the Marauders also got sweet scores from Paul Burchard and Kevin Dade.

Coach Grabill shuffled the starting lineup, and four players recorded their first varsity starts, including seniors Paul Buchard and Erik Barth, junior striker Kevin Dade, and sophomore goalkeeper Sam Gest. The Marauders got off to a solid start, establishing a large territorial advantage, but they were looking for a spark when five familiar faces entered the game twenty minutes into the half. Five minutes later, Hanover had a 1-0 lead, and was off and running. Casey Maue was the creator of the first goal, working feverishly in the box to win the ball, hold it, and spin past two Plymouth defenders before spotting Osheyack at the far post for an easy tap-in. Less than a minute remained in the half when Barthold’s goal doubled the lead, killing any hope that Plymouth might have harbored.

Osheyack’s second score of the afternoon came six minutes after play resumed when he
Converted the sweetest assist of the day, a long cross from a speeding Ben Rimmer on the right flank. Ten minutes later, Kevin Dade notched his first career goal, heading home a corner kick from Lou Gemunden, who collected his fourth assist of the season. The last goal of the day was a show-stopping crowd=pleaser, a long-distance drive from Paul Burchard that picked the upper left corner of the Plymouth goal. It was his second upper ninety drive of the season.

All throughout the second half Grabill kept looking further and further down his bench for new faces to get into the game, and by the time the match was over 24 different players had entered, with Peter Young and Joe Carey, on loan from the JV, seeing their first varsity action. Only Ben Harwick was a healthy scratch, despite his nonstop assertions about his prowess as a field player. Hanover’s quality of play remained excellent, but the prospect of seeing the scoreless streak snapped was too much for some of the senior starters. Angus Kennedy curled into a fetal position on the bench, and Matt Wetherell nervously peeled chunks of leather from his Predators.

Those fears were nearly realized with minutes to go in the game when a Plymouth corner kick created a scramble in the box, well-covered by goalie Gest. That near miss paled compared to the final close call, a long-distance rocket shot by Plymouth’s Driscoll that was labeled for the back of the net. Gest was equal to the task, preserving the shutout and The Streak with a highlight-reel dive, levitating to his left to tip the ball over the bar.

The Marauders now have nearly a week off before their next home match, a Wednesday matinee against Monadnock, which will be coming to Hanover for its third game in three days. See you on the rug!

Jose Mourinho resigns from Chelsea, Can Hanover hang on to Grabill?

Varsity vs Lebanon, Sept 18

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.

Week of September 17 to September 23 UPDATED

Wednesday, September 19
Meeting for all players – HHS gym 2:05 – 2:20

Varsity Schedule
Tuesday, September 18 @ Lebanon 4:30 pm
Thursday, September 20 vs Plymouth @ Hanover 4 pm

JV Schedule
Tuesday, September 18 @ Lebanon 4:30 pm
Thursday, September 20 vs Plymouth @ HHS Grass Field 4 pm (note updated location)

Reserve Schedule
Saturday, September 22 @ Cardigan Mountain School

Freshman Schedule
Monday, September 17 @ Lebanon 4:00 pm
Tuesday, September 18 @ Cardigan Mountain School 4:30 pm

Please consider carpooling if you travel to watch away games. It is kinder to the environment and cost effective.

Freshmen vs Lebanon, Sept 17

The freshman soccer team defeated Lebanon 4-1 on Monday. Hanover took a 3-0 lead in the first half on a goal by Adam Kline-Schoder and two by Ty Atkins. Alex Dodds scored in the second half for the Marauders before Lebanon got a late goal to spoil the shutout.

HHS Game Transportation Policy

Dear Parents and Players -

I'm writing to clarify the Hanover High School Athletic Department policy regarding transportation to and from away contests.

All players must travel to an away contest on the bus transportation provided by the school. Players may travel home with a parent after the contest, but only with prior approval by the athletic department. This is easily obtained by bringing a note to the Atheltic Department office prior to the contest. The note will be signed (or stamped) by Mike Jackson, and then carried by the student to the game. The only way a coach may release a player is if he/she sees this approved note. A coach does not have the discretion to alter this policy, and should not be placed in the position of refusing a parental request at the game site. All of the players have been aware of this policy since the start of the season. We hope that this notification will clear up any misunderstanding. Feel free to contact Athletic Director Mike Jackson with any questions.

- Rob Grabill

Varsity vs Oyster River, September 15

HANOVER TIES OYSTER RIVER IN SEMIFINAL REMATCH

Hanover helped longstanding rival Oyster River celebrate 50 years of NH high school soccer Saturday with a scintillating scoreless tie that showcased the sport at its highest level. The Marauders dominated the contest for the full 100 minutes, outshooting the host Bobcats 19-4, but could not dent a determined Oyster River defense, led by senior goalkeeper Ty Guarino. Hanover’s record “dropped” to 5-0-1, and Oyster River, again a contender for postseason honors, is now 4-1-1.

The game matched the two premier franchises in the state. No two schools have accumulated more state championships between them, and the rivalry goes back to the earliest years of competition in New Hampshire. That dominance has continued in the last ten years, with Hanover wining the Class I title four times in the last eight years, and Oyster River taking three in a row from 2001-2003, including a victory over the Marauders in the 2003 title game, a replay much like last year’s with Lebanon. It’s a rare year when the two schools aren’t among the last ones standing, and that was certainly the case last fall, as Hanover avenged a l-0 loss in the regular season with a 1-0 victory in the Class I semifinals en route to their second straight title. With that backdrop, it’s easy to see what this early-season meeting crackled with playoff intensity, especially since the match was the centerpiece of Oyster River’s 50-year celebration, and the sidelines were filled with Bobcat alumni and supporters.

It didn’t take the Marauders long to show that their early-season success was well-earned.
They established a distinct territorial advantage, although for the first time this season they were contending with a team with the skill and organization to counterattack. Hanover’s 7-4 edge in shots reflected the flow of play, and Ben Harwick was tested for the first time in goal, rising to the occasion with outstanding judgment in several testing situations.

The morning rain lifted by halftime, and the clearing skies brought a stiff breeze at Oyster River’s backs. Despite this overrated edge, the Marauders increased their pressure on the hosts, and came close to scoring several times in regulation, outshooting the Bobcats 7-0. Matt Wetherell and Ben Rimmer just missed on short-range headers, and Angus Kennedy came close to finding the range on a pair of free kicks. Another factor in Hanover’s edge in play appeared to be superior conditioning. Despite the fact that only one substitute entered the game for the Marauders, they got stronger as the game wore on into the extra sessions after regulation ended.

Hanover also dominated the overtime, outshooting Oyster River 5-0 and just missing on two bids by Josef Osheyack and watching an Eric Barthold bid just roll past the far post.
Both teams concluded the match with genuine expressions of mutual respect and the sense that they would be meeting again.

It’s out of the frying pan and into the fire for the Marauders, who now head to Lebanon Tuesday for a championship game rematch in the first installment of their home and home derby. The Raiders are off to a glittering 5-1 start, with only a 1-0 loss to Class I power Hollis, and the match should be yet another classic.