Hanover Rebounds to Beat Bedford 2-0

  

Hanover faced a tough task on Friday night, playing a strong Bedford team (2-1 winners over Manchester Central) at Bulldog Stadium, where they had won only once, back in 2007.  The Bears bounced back from their season-opening loss in impressive fashion, beating Bedford 2-0 to even their record. Ryder Hayes and Jack Gardner at the end of each half (when the mentally strong teams do their best work), and the Hanover defense, led by Captains Becket McCurdy and Ty Nolon, limited the Bulldogs to two non-threatening shots the entire match.  The Bears had a significant edge in possession, and dominated at midfield through Hayes, Zach Tracy and Carter Guerin.

 

It took a while for both teams to settle into the match, and it was deep into the first half before Hanover was able to probe the Bedford defense.  A Will Guerin cross from the left flank nearly found Charlie Forbush at the far post, and shortly after that a nice buildup resulted in a Carter Guerin shot that was handled by Bedford goalkeeper Jake Harding.  Hanover earned a corner and in the subsequent scramble Harding was able to cover a lose ball. The well-coached Bedford side was always ready to be dangerous, and their one good sniff at goal in the half resulted in a header by senior striker Grayson Grenier and was covered by Ty Nolon as it went over the bar.

With time winding down in the half, Hayes returned from a short rest on the bench and nearly sent Sean Smith into the box.  The ball was cleared to Hanover’s right flank, and Jack McGrath sent a useful cross back into the penalty area. The ball was cleared poorly by the Bedford defense, and Hayes was the first to the ball, chasing it to the edge of the box.  As the referee nearly completed the ten-second countdown to end the half, a Bedford defender tripped Hayes and the referee signaled for a penalty. Ryder calmly stepped to the spot and drilled the spot kick to Harding’s right.  He never moved, and Hanover had a 1-0 lead with two seconds remaining.  It was a dagger for the Bulldogs.

 

To Hanover’s great credit, they came out strongly in the second half, and continued to press for a second goal, in the process denying Bedford any chances for possession or buildup.  It took some excellent defensive play from Hanover to make this happen, though.  Will Guerin made one of his patented recovery runs to deny Bedford a potentially great look, and Nolon came off his line well to snag a free kick crossed into the mixer.  Hanover had their chances as well. Hayes sent a well-flighted ball into the Bedford box from a free kick, and after a scramble Ian Press, playing so well he earned extra minutes, poked the rebound on goal, forcing a save from Harding.  

 

Hanover subbed regularly, and some of the boys off the bench played very well.  Sam Calderwood had two excellent looks, forcing Harding to come off the line and snuff the ball at his feet, and then heading wide on another well-taken free kick by the omnipresent Hayes.  As the half wound down, Bedford was awarded a number of potentially dangerous free kicks, given perhaps as a makeup for an admittedly soft penalty call.  Becket McCurdy was superb in the air, heading away a number of these, as well as a threatening corner kick.  Ty Nolon made a dope play on another cross, flying off his line to parry it away. Hanover never stopped hunting for the insurance goal, and they were rewarded with less than six minutes to play with a cold-hearted finish by Gardner. The play started when Andrew McGuire pressed a Bedford defender in the corner, forcing a bad clear up the line that was picked off by Charlie Forbush. Eager to make a play in front of his Seacoast teammates, Forbush sent a perfect chipped lead pass into space for Gardner, who ignored the pain of his sore ankle and slotted the ball inside the right post to put the game away.

 

Although the game film will reveal a number of ways in which the Bears can improve, Hanover had every right to celebrate a signature victory over a Bedford squad that will make a lot of noise this season.  Hanover worked hard, did a lot of things correctly in a tactical sense, and kept their collective composure in a hostile setting the entire evening.  Now 1-1, the Bears will be facing a stretch with three games in five days, beginning on Tuesday with a home match on Tuesday.  Top-rated Manchester Memorial is looming on Thursday, followed by a makeup match with Concord on Saturday, but the Bears know well that the only match which demands their focus is the next one, a 4:30 fixture with a Keene team led by first-year Coach Dan Robel, formerly a Hanover and Lightning gaffer. They will get things started Monday evening back on the turf, hoping to outlast the rain and keep the lights on until they finish.