Exeter, N.H. -- On first thought, James Bond wouldn't like Dan Remillard all that much.

The famed (and fictional) super agent has his vices: fast cars, weaponry, a snarky sense of humor. But Remillard -- nor any of his Hanover High boys soccer partners on defense -- share nothing with Bond's preferred libation: the martini.

The Marauder back line -- as it showed in a 1-0 win over Souhegan in the NHIAA Class I semifinals at Bill Ball Stadium last night -- is sometimes stirred, but it's rarely shaken.

Defense has been the top-ranked Marauders' nom de guerre all season long. They'll go into Sunday’s championship match with No. 2 Coe-Brown riding a five-game shutout streak, built largely by the play of the senior defensive core of Remillard, fellow center back Gunnar Show and wing back Nate Hanna, a unit that gave Hanover goalkeeper Sam Gest precious little to do most of the evening.

“(It's) a lot of communication,” Remillard said. “Communication-wise, I think we're probably one of the better teams. We cover for each other, try to work together as much as possible.”

Hanna, Shaw and Remillard carry some nine years of playing experience together, providing -- with junior Matt Barth completing the quartet -- a level-headed foundation for Hanover (15-1-1). Facing the fourth-seeded Sabers (16-3-0) for the first time this season, the Marauders surrendered little in their end of the field, waiting until Eric Jayne converted a Trey Rebman cross seven minutes into the second half to advance to Sunday's final.

“It all starts with defense,” Hanover coach Rob Grabill said of the Marauders' 10th shutout of 2009. “That's not unusual. This time of the year, it all starts with defense.

“We were very patient. We knew we'd have a chance to get a goal. So we weathered a few storms.”

They came few and far between.

Shaw and Remillard provide a solid center, Shaw with his brick-wall presence -- he rarely lost an aerial challenge last night -- and Remillard with his flexibility and speed. In addition to covering the flank, Hanna is capable of dangerous long passes, as his team-best 11 assists attest. Barth played a steady right defense last night, and all four remained glued to their positions until Hanna went down briefly with a leg injury in the 76th minute.

By then, Hanover had all the offense it would need. Rebman stripped a Souhegan defender of the ball beyond midfield on the left flank and crossed to Jayne, who settled the pass with one touch and rolled home the game's only goal with the second, beating Souhegan goalkeeper Chris Champagne (four saves) inside the right post from 12 yards at 47:02.

That veteran defense gave Hanover the time to be patient with a young, developing offense through the early part of its schedule, Grabill said.

“We've been talking to them about offense all through the early part of the season,” Grabill said. “We all agreed that we were going to be patient.

“Defense, for us, is instinctive. I don't want to say it's in the DNA, but we know how to play defense. We weren't worried about that. And besides, that’s where our experience is.”

Barth showed his comfort by breaking up a 16th-minute bid for goal from the Sabers' James Sheldon, one that could have been more dangerous had Sheldon lobbed a ball over an uncertain Gest (three saves), who was nearly caught in no-man's land 12 yards out of goal. Souhegan didn’t challenge again in the first half until the 32nd, when Jonathan Constable's 24-yard free kick went right into Gest’s arms.

Constable sent another long-distance free kick wide of the Hanover net two minutes after Jayne connected for his 18th goal of the season. But the Sabers' greatest threats came in the final five minutes: Sheldon clanked the crossbar from close range, Jesse Anderson volleyed a Constable cross over the bar and Gest got behind an Anderson header following another Constable cross.

“I think we're just two really competitive teams,” Remillard said of the Sabers. “They were playing really well toward the end, and I think both teams were getting tired. They had great services, a couple of shots they probably should have had. … We were just trying as hard as we could.”

The net -- or not-in-the-net -- result is a nifty shutout streak entering Hanover's bid for an unprecedented fifth consecutive Class I championship.

“As a defender, I think that's our goal, really,” Remillard said. “We've defended really well. … It's a tribute to our defense -- as a team, not just the back four.”

Corner Kicks: Jayne nearly got Hanover on the board in the 20th minute, nodding a Joe Carey cross off the right goalpost. … Midfielder Aaron Segura took a ball in the face twice and a knock on the ankle late in the first half. Grabill gave him a break from that point until around the time of Jayne's goal. … Coe-Brown advanced on Connor Monahan's curling 20-yard strike midway through double overtime to oust No. 3 St. Thomas, 1-0. Sunday will mark the Bears’ first attempt at a Class I title. … CBNA is 0-3 in boys soccer championships, losing the Class A finale to Hinsale in 1981 (4-0) and Class M bids to Gilford in 1995 (1-0) and Raymond in 1997 (also 1-0). … By contrast, the Marauders are heading to their 22nd state championship match in boys soccer, with 15 titles to their credit. … Sunday's championship match will be staged at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester at 3 p.m.

Greg Fennell can be reached at gfennell@vnews.com or (603) 727-3226.