Hanover Loses 5-0 to Windham On The Road

 Hanover’s season took a down turn on Saturday, as the Bears ran into a physical, tactically sound Windham team that scored twice in the first half and put the game away with three more in the late going, handing them a 5-0 loss.  The defeat was Hanover’s third in a row, and dropped their record to 3-4 on the season.

 

The Bears were under no illusion that Windham would be an easy opponent.

After three straight games against unbeaten opposition, playing the 4-1 Jaguars on their home field presented a significant challenge.  But the veteran Windham team looked nothing like the side that submitted to a 2-0 Hanover win on the same field a year ago.  There were times when the Bears looked overpowered.

 

For the first time this season, Hanover did not start the game with a significant territorial advantage.  Windham looked dangerous from the start, and had several good chanced in the early going.  Senior striker  Max Husson blazed a shot over the top five minutes in, and ten minutes later strong and speedy Kevin Brooks got free for a header that went over the bar.  Twenty minutes into the match, Brooks broke into the match and was one on one with Becket McCurdy, who managed to get goalside of him. Before Brooks could finish his run, a penalty kick was called and Brooks converted to give his team a 1-0 lead.  

 

It’s possible that the Bears didn’t realize the danger that Windham presented, and assumed that they would soon even the score.  It’s possible they might have been thinking about the call, and not matters at hand.  In any event, two minutes later Brooks made a hard run down the right side and drove a cross into the box that Husson volleyed beautifully into the goal for a 2-0 lead.

 

To Hanover’s great credit, they didn’t panic and settled into the game, creating a number of legitimate chances.  Sam Calderwood intercepted a back pass and went in alone on goal, but put his shot wide of the left post. A well-taken corner created a scramble in front of the net that yielded  close-in opportunities for Jack Gardner and Zach Tracy. A free kick by Will Guerin was tipped over the bar by Windham goalkeeper Blake Berton.  Carter Guerin had a dangerous free kick opportunity before the end of the half.

 

The Bears had every reason to believe that they would be able to continue to create chances and climb back into the game.  Andrew McGuire had a good shot bliocked, and Becket McCurdy’s header on a cross from Ryder Hayes was saved by Berton. But with 15 minutes to play and Hanover pressing forward, Windham scored a goal with JoJo Guarnaccia clearly in an offside position.  Commented Windham Coach Mike Hachey, who was in better position, “Wow. He was really off.

 

Once again, Windham followed a score with a score, and Brooks got his second goal of the day two minutes later. Nick Grzejka headed home the final goal with six minutes left.  Hanover kept fighting, and several Nears distinguished themselves with their effort, disregarding the score. Hanover ended up with 11 shots in the half, but many of the ones in the late going were solo efforts.  The final blow for Hanover was seeing Will Guerin go off with an arm injury that will probably keep him on the shelf for a few weeks.

 

The Bears will try to get back on track and even their record with a road game at Alvirne on Tuesday. The last time Hanover saw the Broncos was in last year’s playoffs, when they squeaked out an overtime win on home turf. Now they need to play on Alvirne’s narrow football field. But no excuses, not matter the venue, or conditions, or opponent, or external concerns. The Bears need to show up.