JV1 Earns a Big 5-0 Road Win at Concord

 

Coming off their first loss of the season, the Hanover JV1 Bears would play their rescheduled season opener in a rare Saturday morning affair. Being down four of their players, the Bears didn’t see this as being shorthanded but rather the opportunity for everyone to get a good run in the game. Scoring chances came fast and furious for the Bears as the broke down the Crimson Tides defense with line breaking passes and big switches at the back of the attacking third. The first real chance would come in the 5th minute where Henry Werner took a corner that found Andrew Rudd on the back of the 6 where who drove it solidly with a header but square on the keeper. Hanover continued its pressure by playing its outside backs on a high line to aggressively keep the ball in the attacking third. This would pay huge dividends when Liam Foston pressed and played a ball down the right flank where Aidan Bradly would heel the ball forward then make a high centering ball; the Tide’s keeper was there but had it fall out of his hands right to the feet of Alex Orsino who tapped it in to open scoring in the 13th minute. Hanover would continue to have the run of possession making quality build up to have more chances. In the 18th minute, Hanover would have some of its best build up where Andrew Rudd would shield the ball from two players about 30 yards out and held his own as Freddie Meirke started his run down the left flank. Andrew slipped a line breaking pass behind the defense where Freddie was able to pull the defense down to the touchline then gave a ground cross to Aidan inside the 6 for a nice first time put away. Concord’s Tide would ebb back however and have some chances in the first. However, the Bears, centered by Davey Tolliday and Taehan Kim in front of Wyatt Seelig in net, would hold strong and turn Concord away from goal with their through balls. Wyatt would prove solid with 2 saves in the final 15 minutes of the first half with two great diving saves to his right. Hanover would trade chances with chances where Lionel Ndong would build up down the left side carrying the ball deep before firing it back toward the 18, where Orsino seemingly dummied the ball allowing Andrew to have a chance but sailed it 3 feet over the bar. Concord would take its turn with another chance on a dangerously centered ball in the 35th towards a unmarked man just above the 6. Liam would sprint ball side then clearing it hard off Ian Holmes caroming it to the 18 where Concord would try to put it back in but Wyatt deftly secured it. Hanover would get the final chance of the half with Liam sending Ben Thaler-Wellborn on a run toward the right corner flag where Ben threw it into the mixer and Alex was first to it but put it over the bar in the 38th. Hanover would carry its 2-0 lead into half knowing they would need to repeat the success of the first to earn a result. 

The second half would continue to see Hanover have the balance of possession and comparable number of chances for each team as they had in the first. Concord looked better at sitting in and defending their 18 but allowed Hanover multiple shots from range that couldn’t quite find their mark. Andrew and Joseph Glass each took multiple shot attempts early in that half that would sail harmlessly over the bar. Andrew and Ian Holmes would each record shots on frame from about 25 yards out but the tide’s keeper was equal to the task. After the initial chances Hanover created, Concord started to get more conversations on their forward line breaks and through balls. On Saturday be such through ball Gus Thompson was able to track down their striker dribbling into the 18 and Wyatt was able to take down the angle and got a solid kick save. Shortly thereafter, the Tide would send a ball into the mixer where Liam and Wyatt both went for the ball; Liam headed it but went back towards our own goal but Teddy Abbate was keenly positioned on the goal line to clear it out of the 18. Concord wasn’t done with their chances and would have another long shot that was bound for the side netting that Wyatt elevated and punched out for the best of his four saves. It wasn’t until the final fifteen that Hanover really started to reestablish their possession and creating multiple chances. One of the best build ups of the game was Freddie made two cuts making Concord's pressing attackers miss then played the ball into Henry Werner; Werner played a first time Rabona out to Lionel who trapped it and payed it off to Andrew, Andrew sent Lionel on a run down the left flank where he was able to win possession, make an in cut and play Orsino’s feet to give him the easy put away in the 72nd minute. Just three minutes later in the 75th, Werner won possession at the back of the middle third of the pitch and proceeded to make to players miss tackles before taking all the space between their midfield and back lines. Once the Concord center back stepped Henry played the through ball that had Orsino behind the defense but held on by a solitary Concord back. Orsino did just as he had with the previous and made the keeper come off the line before netting his third of the game for a hat trick. Hanover would continue its good pressure in the middle third and forced a bad clear and header that went back towards their own 18 in the 78th minute. Joseph Rudd keenly tracked the whole play and stepped up out of his CDM positioning to be first to the bouncing ball on the 18, trap it to his feet then finish scoring with another clinical put away. The Tide would play one final long ball in the the Hanover 18 but time would expire as they were turned aside earning Hanover their first clean sheet.

Overall, the JV1 Bears continue to make improvements with distribution, playing balls into dangerous areas, and repositioning into open spaces. They effectively implemented 4 big 3rd man switches in the attacking third and should look to continue to polish that tactic. They’ll have their chances to show it off at home this coming Tuesday 9/13 when hosting Nashua South.