Freshmen Defeat Merrimack 5-1 to Stay Unbeaten at 7-0

The freshmen Marauders took the field in a wet and rainy Merrimack on Monday, playing their second game against the Tomahawks in nine days. After beating Merrimack 4-0 last Saturday at home the Marauders took the field on Monday knowing that Merrimack would want  retribution.

      The first 20 minutes of the game was a back and forth battle with both teams getting opportunities. The deadlock was broken in the 21st minute when Johnny Reznek played a ball out of the air with his head at the top of the 18 yard line, as the ball took a big bounce to the left it was coming down perfectly for Jacob Kubik-Pauw, who from 18 yards out hit the ball out of mid air with his left foot. The ball was struck so well it originally appeared to be heading 20 feet over the net towards to the parking lot, and even the keeper decided it was hit too high for him to worry about. But the topspin on the ball was so great that the ball dipped 10 feet and just underneath the crossbar. It was one of the best struck balls we have ever seen. 

 

       After the initial goal, Merrimack lost a lot of the steam it had originally and Hanover added three more goals before halftime. In the 27th minute Zane  Schiffman finished a ball in the box that was played in from Isak Larusson. The 30th minute saw Oscar win a ball from a Merrimack defender in their box and put well hit strike on net that beat the keeper. Just before half Murphy Hunt won a 50/50 ball, took one touch to create space. and buried it from 16 yards. 

 

     Merrimack did respond in the opening minutes of the second half with a flurry of opportunities and finally, nine minutes in to the second half ,a Merrimack midfielder found himself standing in front of an empty net with the ball and didn't miss, after it had been played in low and short from the opposite side of the field. Several defenders tried to clear it, but a lucky ricochet fell to his feet. It was the only mistake that Marauders would concede on the day. 

 

To ensure the match was done and dusted,  Zane Schiffman added a second goal at the 65 minute mark when a  blocked pass fell to his feet and he managed to get a toe to it and poke it home.  The Freshmen Marauders will spend the rest of the week on the training pitch preparing for a tough run of games to close out an already good season, and considering some public service with the CROP Walk coming up on Sunday.  It appears that the makeup game with Central will be played at Dresden on October 17th.