Kingswood Summary

HANOVER BOYS BEAT KINGSWOOD 15-1 TO REACH 10-0

The Hanover High boys defeated a depleted Kingswood High team 15-1 on Tuesday, improving their record to 10-0 and stretching their undefeated streak to 37 games. The Marauders scored seven goals in the first 21 minutes of the match, signaling the departure of all ten starting field players for the remainder of the match. The reserves did well to maintain the integrity of the match, and both teams handled a difficult situation with respect for the game.

It didn’t take long for the disparity between 9-0 Hanover and 2-9 Kingswood to manifest itself. Kevin Dade tapped in a centering pass from Yosef Osheyack at the three-minute mark, and six minutes later replicated the deed with a similar pass from the right side authored by Ben Rimmer. Not all of Hanover’s succeeding goals were as mundane. A minute after Dade’s second goal, senior Oscar Eriksson hit a lovely lead pass from deep in midfield to send Henry Caldwell in alone for a clinical finish. Three minutes after that, Lou Gemunden hit a long cross to Dade at the far post. Continuing his mastery of the air, Dade rose and met the ball, heading it back to the opposite post for a Caldwell tap-in. Ben Rimmer lashed in two goals a minute apart before twenty minutes had elapsed, with Eriksson and Osheyack claiming the helpers. At this point, all of the attacking starters had a seat. Dan Remillard knocked in his first career goal for a 7-0 lead at the 21-minute mark, assisted by Ben Harris, and the remaining starters departed.

After ten minutes to find their rhythm, the reserves began to make their mark. Hayden Pressey-Murray blasted in a short side shot for his first goal, and then strikers Miles Peterson and Isaiah Fariel took turns setting up a goal for each other. It was nice symmetry for the two training partners.

Kingswood wasn’t able to muster much in the way of a counterattack, but an individual effort by C.J. Rousseau early in the second half resulted in a bad angle shot past Stefan Dyroff in the Marauder goal and the Knights were on the scoreboard. Not all of the Kingswood players were taking the match as seriously, and when their fill-in goalkeeper tried to dribble the ball beyond his penalty area, he was dispossessed by Roland Stanzel-Hermann, who then tucked the ball into the vacated net. A few minutes later, senior Andrew Holzberger collected his first career goal with an outstanding shot, assisted by Trey Rebman. Holzy then turned playmaker on the left flank and set up classmate Jake Harris for his first two career markers, one of them a highlight-reel volley, converting a superb cross.

There was still some suspense left in the match. Rhys Cyrus, who played the last 20 minutes at center midfield, was thwarted time and again in his mission to score his first goal for Hanover. He had one shot ring off the post, and two others saved off the line by Kingswood defenders. In all, Ryhs had four shots on net that could or should have been goals, but he will have to wait for another day to get on the scoreboard. Ben Harris then rubbed it in by hitting a long shot from a bad angle to account for the final goal of the day.

Although the ambiance of the match was a far cry for the tension-packed Lebanon game which preceded it, both teams nevertheless acquitted their responsibilities as well as could have been expected, and the post-game handshakes largely reflected Kingswood’s appreciation for Hanover’s efforts to keep the score in check. Their coach in particular was complimentary, both in applauding Hanover’s skills and their sportsmanship. Kingswood will have better days.

The next few games will provide some significant challenges. Hanover returns to the road on Friday and Saturday, first traveling to Plymouth for a rematch with a Bobcat squad that fought hard before losing 3-1, and then trekking to Durham for a resumption of the oldest and best rivalry in the state, the long-distance derby with Oyster River. The two teams battled to a scoreless draw last year, and this season’s encounter could be just as tight. Having already played successful successive matches earlier in the season against two tough teams, the Marauders have been well-prepared, and are eager for the opportunities which lie ahead.