Marauders Open With a Bang: Rally to Beat Lebanon 2-1

Every since Hanover's opening game with arch-rival Lebanon appeared on the schedule, Saturday's season opener has been hyped as a game to watch. The statewide Manchester Union Leader called it the best high school sports rivalry in the state. The entire Upper Valley press corps (Valley news reporter and photographer, and "The Octopus" a new local sports blog) was on hand. And despite that pressure, despite the distractions of a crazy, truncated, masked, COVID season, the two teams delivered a classic. After 65 scoreless minutes, Lebanon took a 1-0 lead against the run of play, only to have have Hanover score twice in the final 11 minutes to take a well-earned 2-1 victory. It was just like old times. Even though neither team had the benefit of pre-season scrimmages, the game was crisp and well-played right from the start. Hanover had the edge in play, and Lebanon was content to put men behind the ball and depend on their traditional tenacious defense. Five minutes into the match, Hanover had the first of their ten corner kicks, and Evan Nichols missed connections at the back post. Just like a good novel - foreshadowing. Jacob Kubik-Pauw and Tucker Monson both had good looks on the left side, but 18 minutes into the match it was Lebanon that had the most dangerous opportunity. Will McGee beat Marauder goalkeeper Ty Nolon with a well-placed shot from the right side, and the ball was in. Seemingly. As the Lebanon bench erupted in cheers, Evan Nichols came out of nowhere and swept the ball off the line. Hanover had the better opportunities for the reainder of the half, earning three more corner. Oscar had an inventive lofted shot saved by Raider keeper Ryan Tanski, and Kubik-Pauw blazed a low shot just past the post. The half ended in a scoreless draw. Hanover turned up the heat in the second half right from the start, earning their first corner kick five minutes after the interval. Kubik-Pauw, active all afternoon, had a hard shot blocked by the defense. Eric Ringer, who led the team in shots, his a hard, low free kick past the defensive wall and just past the left post. Lebanon was happy to hang around, though, and with less than 16 minutes left in the half they scored against the run of play. After a turnover at midfield, canny Raider Captain Tyler St. Martin threaded a perfect through ball to highly-touted English import Emmanuel Bello, who cruides through a missed tackle and went in alone on Nolon, depositing the ball into the corner for a shock 1-0 lead. Hanover, having opened the game with nine new starters, exhibited the composure of a battle-tested team, and stayed focused and patient. The scoring opportunities comntinued to mount. Ringer crushed a hard shot just wide of the right post. Play continued in the Lebanon end, and following a corner kick with less than 11 minutes to play, Ringer cracked another shot that caromed off a Raider defender that looped over Tanski and into the far corner to tie the game. The Marauders remained relentless. A well-executed short corner gave Ringer another good look, and with less than four minutes to play, Hanover lined up for its tenth corner on the left side, usually populated by a mob of home fans. Not unlike an NBA game in the bubble, there was little noise as Dylan Kotlowitz teed it up and drove an inswinger to the near post, where Nichols, born for this moment, headed it home. Lebanon, stifled on offense all afternoon, was unable to mount much of a response, and the clock ran out on a well-deserved win the the Marauders. Even missing two offensive top guns with injury, Mitch and Henry Aspiinwall, the Marauders played well offensively, outshooting Lebanon 18-5. There were a number of standouts on both sides of the ball. Dylan Kotlowitz and Tucker Monson performed their two way roles as outside back superbly. Nichols and Palmer Okai, first-time starters, were stong at center back. Seniors Alex Stevens and Nathan Subrahmanian were the glue in the center of the park, tackling well, winning balls, and passing with cool efficiency. A whole lotta lads from Lyme performed well in the attack, Oscar as a starter, and Zane Schiffman, Will Guerin, and Carter Guerin in relief. Sophomore Ty Nolon was preternaturally chill in his first start in goal. There were, by actual count, 13 total coaches on the sidelines. Lebanon had five, three of whom had Grabill as a Lightning coach. (Ditto for five Lebanon players, btw). Hanover had eight coaches, only two former All-Americans and the others not shabby, including three sub-varsity mentors basking in their first wins of the season. Head Coaches Grabill and Johnnstone spent most of the match on the bench under the scoring platform, basking in the sun like reptiles and chatting amicably. With this beautiful, playoff level win in the books, it'a all house money from here. Many high school teams, Lebanon included, are having the Senior Night in the next week or two, worried about the tenuous nature of the season. The Marauders will take it a day at a time, planning now for a road trip to Langdon for a 4:00 game with Fall Mountain, a longtime rival from D2 days. Parents, please let us know who's driving and who's bussing. What a weekend! Four matches on the turf, four wins, three one-goal games, and clean sheets for Blix and Skogerboe. Six goals for the Triangle of Death. $200 raised for LISTEN by the MPMG (Marauder Piano Moving Group). More charity work to come: stay tuned for invitations to work on the CROP Hunger Walk. Tomorow's a day of rest. See you Monday!