Bears Score Early and Often to Beat Alvirne 7-0

 Matches against teams with losing records are dangerous.  There is a danger that the opponent will be taken lightly.  There is a danger that the stronger team will play down to the level of the weaker one.  There is the danger that a slow start will first up the underdog and frustrate the favored team.  Hanover shrugged off all of those potential pitfalls Tuesday and rolled over a weaker Alvirne team, rolling to a 6-0 halftime lead and cruising to a 7-0 victory.  Many of the objectives for the game were accomplished:  The Bears got the win, earned the clean sheet, and saw a lot of deserving players got quality time.  Hanover is now 7-1 after five wins in a row, and sits solely in second in the Division One standings.

Alvirne tried hard to play the right away. They were skilled enough to link passes and challenge possession, and after an early spell of Hanover possession, they earned the first dangerous shot of the game when a two-on-two break gave Matt Branco a shooting opportunity at the top of the penalty area.  His left-footed offering was saved well by a calm and collected Henry Cotter, and it was time for the fireworks to begin.

After a few forays into the Alvirne penalty area, Ryder Hayes gave the Bears a 1-0 lead, lashing home the rebound from a Carter Guerin shot in the 9th minute.  Two minutes later, Zach Tracy got control 30 meters from the goal, beat two defenders, and hit a perfect shot off the right post and in for his 9th goal of the season and a 2-0 lead.  The hits kept on coming.  Seven minutes later, Sean Smith, a constant threat on the right flank, made a superb run to beat his defender and squared a ball to Will Guerin who tallied his fourth goal of the season.  Guerin's frustrating season last year, when injuries kept him from scoring a single goal, is nothing more now than a memory.

With the game in hand by the 20-minute mark, the substitutes began pouring off the Hanover bench.  Notably, the quality of play and territorial dominance by the Bears never wavered.  Gavin Munson was particularly effective at midfield, and at 23:40 he slid a perfect through ball to Smith, whose cold-hearted finish made the score 4-0.  Only two minutes later, Roan Palm, at his elusive best all afternoon, slid a lateral pass to Veer Patel and the senior lashed home a bad angle shot for his first goal of the season.  Patel finished the scoring for the half during injury time, taking advantage of another superb run and setup by Smith to crush a right-footed (ahem) shot to make the halftime advantage 6-0.

Only those players who had yet to score began the second half, with eight subs in the lineup.  Yet one of those ringers still (briefly) in the game was Andrew McGuire, who took advantage of time and space at the top of the penalty area to  score a highlight goal with his amazing left peg. His sixth goal of the year at 44:23 made the score 7-0.  Hanover kept up the pressure, and saw some great opportunities just miss.  Ben Woods put a great low cross across the face of the goal, but no one was home.  Gavin Munson had a good bid for his second goal of the season that was well-saved.  Roan Palm, once again, had a superb look.  Joseph Glass recorded his first two shots of the season, and one of them, a long-range header, didn't miss by much.

Henry Cotter and the Hanover defense had very little business.  Alvirne had only one attacking moment, and it wasn't that close.  Cotter trundled off his line and just got to a 50-50 ball outside of his box, tackling it away but not out of bounds.  Sean Mendes collected the ball, evaded a lunging tackle, and hit a hopeful shot that Cotter was able to bat away as he recovered in time. Coach Konrad Mitchell, remembering a similar out-of-goal journey a decade ago with poorer results, gave a little shudder on the bench. Cotter's first career shutout in his second career start was eloquent testimony to his excellent development and the team's confidence in both keepers.

With the win firmly in hand, Hanover can now take advantage of a week between games to rest, recover, study, and improve. There are plenty of opportunities for the Bears to get better at the midway point of the season.  They are on the road for their next three matches, beginning with a Tuesday tilt at Merrimack. At this point of the season it makes sense to take one game at a time, and not get too far ahead of things.  So far, so good for the Bears as they scout the top spot in the standings.