It was a unusually warm October afternoon on Tuesday as the Marauders took to the pitch against Sunapee for the rematch. Sunapee seemed to have some new players which did not play into Hanover's favor this time. This was evident as the speedy and skilled front line of the Lakers scored quickly as they got the ball past our back line. Hanover seemed to wake up for a little and found its opportunity on a cross into the box of Sunapee where Maxwell Lutz could step in to deflect into the side netting for the point.
It seemed to be a back and forth
contest, though Sunapee was not done yet and once again managed to get
past our backline for tow more points. At the half,
there were some changes made, but we still couldn't seem to pull it all
together as they scored off a corner where it bounced awkwardly of an
unmarked man. Sunapee would make another goal off a header from a
corner kick. The final goal would result inbreakthrough and one on one
with Matt Alibozak.
Though this was not the best
performance for the Marauders, there was some notable play and hustle by
players such as Matt Fenner and Finn Seville. Ben Brooks had a strong
game reading the offense and chasing down attacking wingers. The team
was definitely rusty, but their spirits remained high after the setback
as they faced the week ahead.
A hot and humid Wednesday afternoon awaited Hanover as they traveled to Lebanon
for the rematch. Like the afternoon before, the opponents looked a
little bit taller than the previous time they played. There were also
couple of aspects to the pitch that we should of noted before the
kickoff. The pitch was noticeably shorter and firmer than Hanover was
used to playing on. This resulted in a style of attack for Lebanon
where the ball could easily clear the midfield from a goal kick and in a
couple bounces be near the opposing eighteen. This style definitely
benefited a strong, and skilled forward, who capitalized on this for two
goals within 10 minutes. A third goal would be created shortly after.
Facing this deficit, the dynamic duo of Ayaan Ahmad and Pierce Seigne
stepped on the field to create some havoc. It would be Aidan Tomlin
though who would create a goal out of this for his first point of the
season. Hanover had managed to get into the attacking third where
Ayaan outmaneuvered a couple of players and he realized he still had
players in front of him, thus he laid off the ball to Aiden Tomlin who
looked up and realized a chip shot, instead of a blistering drive would
do the trick as he watched his shot arc over a defender and just out of
reach of the keeper. Though Lebanon would go on to create three more
goals due to some mismatches and a relentless forward, that moment was a
glimmer of opportunities to come.
The second half could
have been the continuation of a very long afternoon, but it was at this
time where players who were in the background had a chance to emerge
onto the scene. This seemed to happen for players such as Charlie Bell,
Simi Obomsawin, and Jackson Liu, where they showed strong play on both
offense and defense. Aiden Tomlin had also showed a move where he
eluded two Lebanon players on smooth ball handling alone. The Ahmad
-Seigne connection would result in two goals as Ayann played a couple
passes to Pierce who would go on to create two goals with his
bullrush-esque style of attack. Jackson Liu also earned his first goal
of the season with some clever passing upfront and taking a well
placed shot that deflected into the corner of the net. There would
another opportunity for a goal as well when Boris earned a penalty kick.
Max stepped up to take it, and it was on its way just to bounce off the
left post.
Lebanon would earn one more goal on a
breakaway, but the second half was definitely in Hanover's favor. Though
this was a loss, it was strong way to finish the game, and the
Marauders seem be back on track and going in the right direction again.
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