Hanover Beats Salem 2-1 For Sixth Straight

 Hanover took care of business on their longest road trip of the year, scoring twice early to take control in a 2-1 victory over Salem that saw every one of the 25 Bears play.  They are now 9-4 on the season, having won six games in a row.  The victory sets up a Thursday night showdown in Manchester’s historic Gill Stadium against perennial rival Manchester Central. 

The Bears enjoyed a smooth bus trip that got them to Salem with plenty of time to spare.  After a good warmup, Hanover took control of the match early.  Carter Guerin and Zach Tracy had good bids, and then Ryder Hayes hit the post on a free kick feed from Guerin fifteen minutes into the match. Salem literally never got out of their end. Hanover took the lead in the 18th minute.  Andrew McGuire teed up a corner kick, and Alex McGrath met it at the far post with his first headed goal of the season.  Not his last.  McGuire’s assist continue his streak of getting a point in six straight games.

 

Less than three minutes later Carter Guerin scored his sixth goal in the last five games to give Hanover a 2-0 lead.  He laid the ball to Becket McCurdy and then broke into the box in time to receive McCurdy’s beautifully-crafted return pass.  Guerin laced his shot off the far post and in.

 

A two-goal lead isn’t always a safe one, but confidence in the Hanover reserves is at an all-time high. Will Guerin made his long-awaited return from injury, sporting his new cut-down cast, carefully wrapped with closed-cell foam. Yet one more of Grabill’s skills revealed.  Charlie Forbush had a long stretch of good possession and playmaking at right back. Ben Woods hit a nice free kick on goal, forcing Salem goalkeeper Matt Ferriera to make one of his nine saves. Both Ians looked good at midfield.

 

Hanover continued to dominate in the second half. Jack Gardner hit an early shot that forced a good kick save.  Zach Tracy penetrated into the box and forced a save.  Ryder Hayes had a sophisticated flick header on a corner kick from Carter Guerin. 

 

Ty Nolon wasn’t completely bored in the Hanover goal.  He actually made a save on a long shot from outside the box, and executed two difficult catches in traffic, earning the coveted “DK” award twice. Frosh midfielders on Palm and Ryan McLaughlin both got shots on goal, with RyMac almost meeting a free kick in the goalmouth before the agile Ferreira beat him to the ball.

 

Hanover made one mistake in the late going, conceding a corner kick, and paying the price when tall striker Lucas Rodrigues headed it home to cut the lead to one with 11 minutes to play.  Hanover had already planned to use the last 10 minutes to look at a different formation, and that deployment returned full control of the match, and which was almost concluded with a Carter Guerin free kick that clattered off the post.

 

With full points earned, and starters retting rested and all healthy, and many good reserve moments recorded, the team put themselves in the best possible position to get ready for an exciting game on Thursday.  Hanover returns to Gill Stadium in Manchester for the first time in four years.  Manchester Central is waiting with a 9-3-1 record and the distinction of being the second-best team overall in the past 10 years of Division One play. They used to be the best overall, but then Hanover jumped into the mix a decade ago. Central beat Hanover 1-0 at Merriman-Branch a year ago, but the then-Marauders returned the favor in the D1 semifinals.  Chances are pretty good that Thursday’s game will be the first of two. It should be very entertaining either way.  The Bears are ready.

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