From the opening kickoff the Little Green showed they wanted to dictate play by possessing the ball and building out of the back, something they did quite well. Unbeknownst to them, Hanover's freshman squad has some of the best pressing strikers in the business and it caught them off guard quickly. In the second minute of the game Eric Tysinger and Johnny Reznek were all over the back four of the Little Green, when Eric nicked the ball away from the Center back and was left with only the keeper to beat but the ball squirted away from him just enough that the Central keeper was able to pounce before Eric could get his shot away.
The next ten minutes were spent mostly in Hanover's defensive half as the talented Central team controlled the ball. The Little Green managed a few harmless attempts at goal before, in the 12th minute, the Central winger tip toed down the goal line from a wide position, making a couple Marauder defenders miss along the way and drawing more defenders to him. The overload on defense allowed the far side winger to creep in right in front of goal unseen and the ball carrier found him with a will placed pass and he finished in to an open net. It would be the only mistake the Marauder defense would make all day.
At the 20 minute mark, Oscar Miller and Alex Rockmore entered the game and the Central defense must have assumed that the good high press of Eric and Johnny left the game with them because they switched off for just a moment. That allowed Oscar to win the ball from The Central defender and break away on goal but the first touch was just a bit too heavy and the fast Central keeper sprung off his line and smothered the opportunity.
The next 20 minutes would become a physical battle for possession in the middle of the pitch, with both teams fighting to gain control of the game. The final eight minutes of the half allowed Hanover to flaunt their depth, with nine different players on the field from the ones who started the game. Meanwhile, Central had only made a couple substitutions and their energy started to drop while Hanover's stayed high for 80 minutes. That allowed the Marauders to finish the half with a flurry of opportunities in the Central end. However, none would find the back of the net as The Little Green goalkeeper stood strong in net and would not be beaten. Even though Hanover was unable to break through, they would go in to the half full of confidence from their strong play in the final eight minutes.
Hanover would make no halftime adjustments but would rather look to build on their first half play and keep the energy level high. As the second half started they did just that but the break also allowed Central to recover and catch their breath and the first 13 minutes of the second half saw the battle for the midfield resume. In the 63rd minute The Marauders were able break into Central's defensive third and win a corner kick. The ensuing kick managed to fly and then bounce and then roll through the box untouched by either side and find a waiting Jacob Kubik-Pauw who was on clean up duty at the far post for just such a reason and he would not miss his opportunity to draw this game level as he hit a screamer that no keeper could have stopped from that distance.
The game-tying goal seemed to deflate the Central Little Green a bit and it appeared from their response that this was not a position they had often found themselves in. The next five minutes Hanover capitalized on Central's disorganization and continued to put pressure on the Little Green but Central"s keeper stayed strong and kept them in the game by making several saves in those following minutes but none bigger then when a deflected ball landed at the feet of Jacob again and again he hit a screamer at net. The keeper, in a scramble, managed to find his feet and position himself perfectly to stop what most at Dresden surely thought was to be the go ahead goal. That save seemed to give Central the boost they needed to get back in the game and the two teams took turns mounting attacks but with no real threat to goal.
Eric Tysinger, who had played the first 18 minutes of the second half before being subbed out, was told to stay warm and stay loose as his day was most likely not over when he came off the pitch. With six minutes left in a tie game Eric was called on to return to the field and use his pace against a tiring central defense. He made an almost immediate impact. In the 76th minute Isak Larusson played a well placed pass into space for Eric to use his speed to run onto. He won the foot race against the center back and made Central's fullback and last defender miss when he committed too early. The Central keeper did a great job cutting off the angles but Eric would not be denied as he tucked it home low and into the corner.
Central attempted to draw the game level in the dying minutes but strong fullback play all day from Captain Luke Ives as well as Mason Gantrish and Connor Hamlin cut off their ability to get the ball out wide to cross it in to the box and they would find no better luck trying to breach through the center of Hanover's line as the every sturdy and unbreakable combination of Captain Palmer Okai at Center back and Jackson Fisher in goal frustrated them for 80 minutes. If a ball happened to get past Palmer, Jackson, quick off his line as ever was there to squash any Hope's of a comeback.
Not making the score sheet but just as instrumental in the win were Captain Jack Ross and Augie Oberting, both working extremely hard in the central midfield all day in the battle for possession in the middle of the pitch, playing solid two way soccer, shutting down Central attacks before they could materialize and bridging the transition to the wings and forwards on attack. Zane Schiffman and Murphy Hunt took turns in their attacking midfield roles, demanding that the Little Green defense pay them a lot of attention, which allowed the field to open and provided space for the wingers and strikers to operate.
Eric's game winning goal in the waning minutes marks the third time this year that Hanover found themselves with a 1-1 scoreline and less than ten minutes remaining. In all three of those games Eric entered as a late sub with under ten minutes to play and was the difference maker. Prior to today's heroics, in Concord, Eric scored two goals in the final eight minutes of the game to give the Marauders a 3-1 win. Against Londonderry, it was Eric's breakaway and shot on goal that was parried out of bounds by a diving lancer keeper that gave Hanover the corner kick with 30 seconds left that Jack Ross ultimately headed in to give Hanover the 2-1 win. It would seem he has a flair for the dramatic.
As Hanover did not get an invitation to the Freshmen tournament in Concord, despite being defending champions, they will instead wrap up their season this Saturday, paying a visit to another tough opponent, Cardigan Mountain School at 1pm. It is Cardigan's Parent Weekend, so the stands will be full. Players are asked to bring non-perishable food items to donate to Cardigan's Food Drive. Hanover wil wear white, as always. The bus leaves at 11:15.
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