Bears Beat Central 2-0 in Semifinals to Advance to Title Game

 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 were had to come by, despite the Bears' territorial edge.  Thirteen minutes into the match Will Guerin had a great chance from the top of the box, but blasted a shot well over the top.  A few minutes later, Central forward Landon Vasquez hit a hard shot from well outside the penalty area that was handled expertly by Wyatt Seelig.  On a rainy night with slick turf and soggy balls, every shot was dangerous.

Hanover was warming to the task, and slowly began creating some dangerous chances, the best of which was authored by Charlie Forbush, who penetrated deep into the Central penalty area on the right side before unleashing a low, hard cross that whizzed through the box but couldn't find anyone on the end of it. With nine minutes left in the half, the Bears struck paydirt with a goal that was exactly how Associate Head Coach Sam Farnham had drawn it up.  He had stressed the importance of penetrating the middle of the Central defense and committing them to that space, and only then playing the ball to the flanks.  Carter Guerin, shifted inside to attacking center mid,  did just that, controlling the ball in the middle before threading a pass to brother Will on the left wig.  Will beat his defender and struck a perfect centering pass to Tracy, who ran onto the ball and hit a one-timer into the back of the next for a 1-0 lead.  Not content, the Bears almost doubled the lead with six minutes to play when Ryder Hayes' header on a corner kick was saved by Central goalkeeper Sam O'Toole.

Hanover started the second half clearly not content with one goal. Six minutes after the interval, Zach Tracy sent Andrew McGuire in alone with a bouncing ball, and McGuire was able to flip a challenging shot on goal that O'Toole was able to save.  Central continued to be dangerous on the counter, and earned a dangerous free kick at the 57 minute mark.  The ball was driven deep into the Hanover box from the left flank, by Ryder Hayes, a force of nature at both ends, rose to head it away.  Thirty seconds later, the Bear had doubled their lead.  McGuire was able to work the ball to Tracy who found a seam in the center of the Little Green defense.  Tracy penetrated to the top of the box and unleashed a left-footer that grazed off the inside of the right post and in.  It was a magnificent goal, his 24th of the season.  Only the legendary Bobby Dow, with 34, has scored more in a single season.

Sean Smith continued to give the Bears high-quality minutes off the bench, and with 16 minutes left he centered a ball that McGuire almost deflected past O'Toole.  The final fifteen minutes were a clinic on team defense by the Bears.  The back four of Sam Calderwood, Sam Ames, Noah Winchester and Charlie Forbush continually stepped well and caught the Central strikers offsides three times in that final stretch. The Bear Backs were strong in the air and disciplined with  their one on one defense.  It was almost like watching one of Coach Sam's training sessions. Wyatt Seelig was the prime beneficiary of this tight defense, and his sure handling of the few shots that seeped through and his strong kicking game made his fourth clean sheet of the season a well-earned one.  It was the team's first shutout in four weeks.

Perhaps one of the sweetest results of Monday night's soggy victory, played out in front of a sparse Stellos "crowd", is that Hanover gets to stay together for four more days.  They know when their season will end, which only happens to championship-level teams.  Friday's game is what they have hoped for since the dog days of August, and they will enter it having played their best soccer of the season over the past two weeks.  Now they face their most significant challenge, a truly excellent Bedford team that will press them like no other team has. It's the stuff of dreams.