Laconia Summary

HANOVER HAMMERS LACONIA 4-0 IN PLAYOFF PREVIEW

In a match billed as a preview of a possible late-stage playoff game, the Hanover boys beat a good Laconia side 4-0 on a rainy Tuesday night at Merriman-Branch Field. Henry Caldwell and Kevin Dade each scored twice in a well-played contest that was much closer than the final score suggests, courtesy of three goals in the final nine minutes. Until then, only Caldwell’s first half strike separated the two teams on the scoreboard, despite a significant disparity in offensive opportunities.

Laconia entered the match with a record of 12-1-1, having suffered that lone 3-1 defeat at Hanover’s hands more than a month ago. The Sachems were well-coached and very competitive, and they pressed the Marauders to be at the top of their game. Hanover responded with a withering offensive attack and a stifling defensive display that created a 32-2 disparity in shots and a 9-0 margin in corner kicks. Laconia goalkeeper Justin Wirth was brilliant in defeat with 16 saves, and Rhys Cyrus was not called upon to make a save in chalking up the tenth shutout of the season for the Marauders, now 14-0-1 and unbeaten in 42 consecutive matches.

Statistics can be deceiving. The match was much closer than the numbers indicate. After the normal settling-in period when most of the game was contested at midfield, the Marauders began knocking at Laconia’s door. Henry Caldwell clanged a shot off the crossbar, and then Kevin Dade’s close-range rip was denied by a good save form Wirth. Thirteen minutes into the match, Hanover struck paydirt when Nate Hanna hit a hard serve into the box that was misplayed by a Laconia defender. The ball fell to the feet of Caldwell, who lashed his ninth goal of the year into the net for a 1-0 lead. The Marauders continued to press throughout the first half, but were unable to increase their advantage. Nate Hanna saw a hit long shot tipped over the crossbar and out by Wirth, who also saved another header by Caldwell.

Hanover was doing a good job keeping the Laconia attack at bay, and as the half wore on it was increasingly hard for the Sachems to get the numbers forward needed to support striker Arso Kuridza and Will Salta, who were significant offensive threats. Salta sailed a long shot goalward in the early going, but was otherwise kept at bay by the midfield defense of Trevor Barlowe in particular. Mike Tecca and Dan Remillard keyed an equally strong backline effort that kept Kuridza bottled up.

Heading into the second half, the Hanover lead of 1-0 looked fairly frail. The wet weather conditions not only held attendance well below certain optimistic pregame estimates, but it also raised the specter of a single bobble in the box that could knot the score. The Marauders were implored to attack even more energetically, and they responded. Both Caldwell and Dade had good bids denied in the early going, and Hanover pounded away. Dade launched an amazing total of eight legitimate shots in the half, and Caldwell wasn’t far behind with five. Nevertheless, it took another thirty minutes of steady pressure before they broke through. Just when the coach was questioning the wisdom of going without a single sub for the entire match, the Marauders broke the game open with three goals in the final nine minutes.

Dade got it started, finishing a sweet sequence that began with a throw-in from Ben Rimmer which was volleyed by Lou Gemunden to Dade, whose header was almost as nice as the one he authored eight hours earlier in activity period. Hungry for more, he hammered home a rebound after Hanna’s long shot from the left flank was blocked but not cleared. After a hard foul on Rimmer at the edge of the box, the Marauder Captain responded appropriately, lofting the ensuing free kick to Yosef Osheyack, whose header was saved to the feet of Caldwell, who lashed it into the back of the net for his tenth goal of the season. The assist was Rimmer’s 12th of the campaign.

The win moved the Marauders into a first-place tie at the top of the Class I standings with St. Thomas Aquinas, also owners of a 14-0-1 mark. Each team has a match remaining in the regular season, and if both sides do the expected on Thursday, it’s likely that the top seed in the Class I Tournament will fall to the Marauders, who have a better record against tournament teams. First things first. Merrimack Valley comes calling Thursday for a 5:30 match, and the Pride, winners in five of their last six contests and holders of a 10-4-1 record, are fighting for a first-round match at home. The resulting match should be another playoff-quality affair, hopefully with fewer raindrops and more fans.