HANOVER BEATS MERRIMACK VALLEY 1-0 TO REACH SEMIS
The Hanover High boys soccer team used timely scoring and spectacular goalkeeping to beat Merrimack Valley 1-0 in an NHIAA quarterfinal match Saturday at Merriman-Branch Field. The Marauders now move to Stellos Stadium in Nashua on Wednesday to play Oyster River in the Class I semifinals at 6:00 p.m.. The win gave top-seeded Hanover a 17-0-1 record and extended their unbeaten streak to 45 games, tying the all-time Hanover record, which is also the third-longest in New Hampshire history.
Kevin Dade’s textbook header on a Lou Gemunden cross early in the second half was the only goal the Marauders needed, but it took several standout saves by senior goalkeeper Rhys Cyrus, including a world-class stop at the death of the match, to ensure the victory. Hanover has now won three straight matches by a 1-0 score, and recorded 13 shutouts on the season, establishing them as the top defensive squad in the state in any class.
Playing a confident Merrimack Valley team that had beaten Lebanon 4-2 on the same site three days earlier, the Marauders nevertheless took control of the tempo early, outshooting the Pride 8-2 and hitting the woodwork twice. Early in the match a cross from the corner by Nate Hanna kissed the crossbar on its way through the box, and later in the half Lou Gemunden hit a rocket from outside the penalty area that deflected hard off the Kwik Goal decal (ooh, product placement!) and into the ravine. Each one of Hanover’s top strikers (Dade, Caldwell Rimmer, Jayne, Osheyack and Eriksson) had a good look before the half ended, but none found paydirt.
Merrimack Valley was not able to muster much offense in the first half, recording two shots in the directions of the Hanover net. Each of these, however, was a challenging long-range free kick by Pride leading scorer Aaron Smith, whose on-target attempts coming straight out of the blazing sun were handled with aplomb by Rhys Cyrus. Smith, who is also the placekicker for the Merrimack Valley football team, found himself continuing a funk that carried over from the night before, when he missed an extra point and had a field goal attempt blocked in Hanover’s 28-27 overtime win over the Pride.
Halftime was enlivened by a brief ceremony honoring 10 members of the 1968 Hanover High team that beat New London 3-0 for the first of 14 state titles for the Marauders. The team presented Athletic Director Mike Jackson with a new version of their missing NHIAA title plaque, which will be installed on the Wall of Champions. Highlights of the season included fond memories of Coach David Ford, the team trip to Europe prior to the season, and the team’s semifinal victory over Oyster River. (Hmmmm….)
Discarding their recent tendency to delay the scoring of the deciding goal until fan discomfort levels were too high (though never worrisome for their cold-blooded coach), the Marauders got right to work in the second half and tallied the game-winner at 49:04 when Dade redirected Gemunden’s centering pass for his 10th goal of the season. The assist was Lou’s second game winner in two games and eighth in the past ten. It may not be his last of the season. Hanover kept up the pressure, with the Ben Rimmer Passion Play orchestrating several melodramatic near misses, and Ben Harris, subbing ably for a dinged-up Yosef Osheyack, getting a nice shot on target. Miles Peterson had a great run at the end and hit a centering pass that was ably collected by MVHS keeper Codi Labreque.
The Pride had one last shot at evening the match, and it produced a moment of high drama. The clock had stopped at 2:00 for a good while when the snakebit Smith sought to set straight his several shanks, launching a laser from well outside the penalty box that was headed for the upper right corner. Cyrus was equal to the task, launching leftward horizontally and lunging to flick the ball wide of the upright as time expired. It was a fitting end to a playoff match that lived up to the advance billing of high-level high school soccer as it ought to be.
The Marauders now turn their attention to longtime rival Oyster River, and the resumption of a clash between the two best programs in the history of NH high school soccer. Each has won three straight Class I titles in this decade alone. The last time they met in postseason was two years ago at Stellos, when the Marauders beat the Bobcats 2-1 in a scintillating semifinal on Casey Maue’s golden goal. Since then, the two teams have encountered each other twice, and both games have ended in goalless draws. This Wednesday the unfinished business will be concluded, and one team will walk away a winner.
