Hanover Boys Soccer 2023

 Hanover continued to play their best soccer in their most important games, beating a strong Central team 2-0 in the Division One semifinals at rain-soaked Stellos Stadium. The win propels the Bears to the Championship game on Friday at 5:00 against Bedford at Stellos.  Top-seeded Hanover, now 16-2, will be in the finals for the third straight year and fourth out of five. Zach Tracy scored both Hanover goals, one in each half, and the Bears had their best defensive outing of the year, shutting out a Central squad that had beaten them 2-0 only three weeks ago.  It was the second year in a row that Hanover has avenged a regular-season loss in the semifinals.  Games at this stage of the season, when all but the best teams have gone home, tend to be hard-fought and low scoring. This semifinal was no exception, but Hanover set the tone early when Ian Press headed a Carter Guerin free kick over the goal in the opening minute.  Following that early foray scoring bid we...

 Hanover opened the second season with a convincing 5-1 win over a determined Winnacunnet team in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd Friday evening. Now 15-2, the top-seeded Bears advance to the NHIAA Division One semifinals Monday night at 6:15 at Stellos Stadium in Nashua.  They will face longtime adversary Manchester Central, who beat them 2-0 several weeks ago. The Bears had to work hard for everything against Winnacunnet, who had a well-earned reputation as one of the hardest-working, well-coached team in Division One. Most of the early minutes of the game were a back and forth contest at midfield, and Winnacunnet actually had the first shot on goal, a hard shot by Nate Kelly that was well-handled by Wyatt Seelig in the Bear goal.  Hanover's first scoring chance was a harbinger of things to come, as Sam Ames connected with a corner kick and got his header on goal, saved by Warrior goalkeeper Tyler Blank. Suddenly, 12 minutes into the match, Hanover scored! Carte...

During a preseason goal-setting session, Hanover Assistant Coach challenged the team to consider a new goal: win the league. Competing for a Division One title will always be an objective, but Ben's point is that it's harder to finish on top after a grueling 16-game season. It's a grind full of  challenges. But on Senior Day, the Bears shrugged off several challenges and beat a good Pinkerton team 6-1, and in doing so they finished on top of the table, winning the regular season D1 crown.  They are 14-2, tied with Windham and Nashua South (providing South wins Friday).  But Hanover beat both teams head to head, and can lay claim to the number one seed and the valuable bye that goes with it.   Pinkerton sat in first place for more than a month, and they are an athletic, hard-working team.  But the Bears patiently took control of the match, and took a 1-0 lead on a nice goal by Andrew McGuire, set up by Will Guerin's penetration and pass.  Ten minutes later, ...

 Hanover's quest for first place in Division One and the top seed in the NHIAA playoffs took them to Stellos Stadium for the third time this season, and once again they emerged victorious, beating Bishop Guertin 14-4.  The Bears scored three times in the first six minutes to take control of the match, but from that point on both teams traded goals in a wild shootout that resulted in an 8-4 halftime lead for Hanover. Zach Tracy, Will Guerin and Ian Press all scored in an amazing 85-second stretch in the opening minutes, and even more remarkably Carter Guerin assisted on all three goals. Speedy BG forward Rayaan Hameed took advantage of a depleted Bear defense, which was missing three starters, and pulled a goal back on the first of several breakaways, but less than two minutes later Andrew McGuire took a pass from Tracy and made the score 4-1, and a mere 51 seconds later Carter Guerin found his brother Will open at the far post for an easy tap-in, and the score jumped to 5-1 wi...

 Hanover's response to a disappointing loss to Manchester Central on Thursday was emphatic, as the Bears scored early and often and defeated an undermanned Salem team 9-1.  It was Hanover's 12th win of the season and improved their record to 12-2, keeping them in control of their own destiny and a shot at the number one overall seed in Division One with two games remaining. The Bears set up shop in the Salem end in the early going, and immediately started generating quality chances.  Ryder Hayes just missed over the bar on a well-crafted shot that just curled over the bar.  Charlie Forbush broke into the box on the right side and forced a good save with a left-footed drive.  Andrew McGuire's short-range shot was denied after a quickly-taken short corner kick. With 6:36 elapsed, Zach Tracy started the scoring parade, taking a pass from Ian Press and discovering all sorts of time and space to bury the ball. Four minutes later, Carter Guerin took advantage of a col...

 The high-flying Bears were grounded on their home turf by Manchester Central, undone by a critical mistake and their inability to finish, and losing 2-0 to end their nine-game winning streak.  Hanover's loss drops their record to 11-2, and relagates them to second place in the D1 standings behind 13-2 Nashua South. After 39 minutes of scoreless soccer in a back and forth first half, a miscommunication error between Bear goalkeeper Wyatt Seelig and center back Sam Ames allowed Little Green Striker Celestin Buloze to score a fluky goal from 40 yards out, and despite an  impressive offensive response in the second half, the Bears were never able to solve a determined Central defense.  Another strange goal in the last minute of play accounted for the final 2-0 scoreline, and the disappointed Bears  are now tasked with regaining momentum in the last three games of the season. The match against Central, always one of the toughest outs on the Hanover schedule, began w...

 Hanover faced their most challenging game in several weeks and passed with flying colors, beating a strong Londonderry team 4-1 in front of a large home crowd.  In the process, the Bears leapfrogged over Pinkerton, 2-1 losers to Windham, and took over sole possession of first place in Division One.  It was Hanover's 9th win in a row, and their 11-1 record is tops. The Bears were not at full strength entering the game, missing starters Sam Ames and Ian Press, both key cogs in the back third.  But Hanover's deep bench was more than equal to the task, and the Bears played their best soccer of the season with the help of Schuyler Clapp, Sean Smith and Roan Palm each playing significant roles. Hanover was fully prepared for a back and forth battle with the Lancers, but the Bears took the initiative right from the start, and not even five minutes had elapsed before Zach Tracy had a typical Tracy goal, taking a pass from Andrew McGuire before slithering through the Londond...

 The third game of Hanover's extended road trip brought them to the sun-baked turf of Bill Ball stadium in Exeter, and the Bears took advantage of a depleted and exhausted Blue Hawk squad to roll to a one-sided 7-1 victory.  It was Hanover's 8th win in a row and boosted their record to 10-1, keeping them half a game front-running Pinkerton.  The Bears scored in bursts, taking control of the match with three goals in a six-minute stretch midway through the first half before they buried their hosts with four more in 15 minutes, midway through the second. As they have done in every game this season save one, the Bears took immediate territorial control off the match, pinning the Hawks in their end.  Even with several starters missing, Exeter had a strong defensive performance for the first 20 minutes, conceding space but not allowing time and space for finishing.  Once the first wave of subs came in for the Bears, the sparks started flying.  In the 25th minute...