Marauders Beat Salem 2-1; Head to Semifinals Wednesday

                  Junior defender Judd Alexander scored his first career goal with less than three minutes to play in regulation to give the Hanover boys a 2-1 victory over upstart Salem.  The Marauders had taken a 1-0 30 minutes into the match on a goal by sophomore Matty Gardner, but the Blue Devils tied the match with five minutes to play, setting the stage for Alexander’s heroics.

                  The win sends Hanover, now 15-3 on the season, to the NHIAA Division One semifinals on       Wednesday against Manchester Central at Exeter at 4:00.  The Marauders lost 1-0 to Central (17-1) earlier in the season.

                  Hanover dominated play in the first half , and put the ball into the net on a free kick eight minutes into the match, only to have the play ruled offsides.  Four minutes later, Dillon Bradley got his head on the ball in close on a free kick from Liam Collins, but the ball was headed off the line by a defender. They came closest to scoring 15 minutes into the match on a spectacular volley by Liam Collins, only to have Salem goalkeeper Anthony Bellomo make an equally spectacular save to keep the match scoreless.  The Hanover defense did an exceptional job limiting the Blue Devils to two shots in the entire half, long drives that were easily handled by Hans Williams.

hhh           The Marauders got on the board at 30:38 when Charlie Adams, fouled several times to this point, was again clumsily fouled outside the Salem penalty area.  Adams quickly placed the ball and sent pass to Gardner, who made a genius run into space and went in along on goal, flicking the ball past an onrushing Bellomo into the corner for his fourth goal in as many games.  Hungry for more, the Marauders came close when a Gardner header was blocked at the far post, and when Bellomo made a nice save on Amane Matsuoka after a great run from the wing put him on the end of a Liam Collins pass.

                  The Marauders came close several times in the second half.  Bellomo made a nice diving save on a Charlie Adams free kick in the 48th minute for a corner, and two minutes made a ridiculous diving save to deny another drive by Collins.  Seven  minutes later super subs Eli Stack and Amane Matsuoka made their presence felt yet again, as Matsouka broke free on the right flank and sent a cross to Stack that just missed connecting.  Salem, playing without their top striker, benched for disciplinary reasons, was nevertheless not going away.  With 18 minutes remaining midfielder Kyle Chute got loose at the top of the box and ripped a low drive that just missed the left post.  It was a harbinger of things to come.

                  Matsuoka was back in business  in the 65th minute, hitting a hard shot from a bad angle that creted a juicy rebound.   Having knocked on the door by failed to add to the lead, the Marauders paid the price with less than five minutes left to play. Salem tied the score on one of their few forays into the Hanover end when a cross into the box was cleared to the feet of junior Brian English, who buried a hard, accurate shot into the lower left corner.

                  Hanover went ahead for good just two minutes later, calmly working the ball around in the Salem end and earning a free kick  30 yards out.  Liam Collins lifted a cross into the penalty area, and the ball was cleared to Alexander, who made no mistake, hitting a shot that deflected off a defender's foot and looped over Bellomo and into the goal, setting of a wild and well-deserved celebration.  The Marauders calmly saw the match off in the final two minutes, and punched their ticket to the Final Four at Bill Ball Stadium.

                  The Marauders, winners of nine games in a row, will play Manchester Central at 4:00 on Wednesday in Exeter, the scene of a frustrating loss earlier this year, one that triggered their current run of success.  The other semifinal will pit top-seeded Bedford against defending champion Concord, the 4^th seed.  Bedford’s only loss was a 2-1 decision to Hanover earlier in the year.

            “This was one of the best games of the year for us,” commented Hanover Coach Rob Grabill.  “We kept our composure after giving up that late tying goal, and didn’t rush things as time was winding down. Our patience rally paid off for us all afternoon.  We’re excited to be going back to the semifinals for the first time in three years.  The top four seeds are all there, and it should be pretty entertaining."