Nine From Nine: Den Bosch Edge Oranje-Rood as the Women’s Hoofdklasse Plays a Full Midweek Round
The women’s Hoofdklasse squeezed a whole round into one Thursday night, and the top of the table barely blinked. Den Bosch are still perfect. SCHC and Amsterdam both won. The only surprise was how hard Den Bosch had to work for it.
Nine played, nine won. That’s where Den Bosch stand now, and Thursday night in Eindhoven was the closest anyone has come to stopping them in weeks.
Oranje-Rood 0-1 Den Bosch: Englebert breaks the resistance
This was not the Den Bosch we’ve been watching. No early goal, no flood. Oranje-Rood held them for 45 minutes, and for a while the perfect record looked genuinely under threat.
Charlotte Englebert settled it in the 46th minute, the only goal of the game. One goal, three points, and Den Bosch move to 27 points with 35 scored and just one conceded. That’s an eighth clean sheet in a row.
Frédérique Matla didn’t score, so she stays on 20 for the season after nine games. She doesn’t need to score every week for this team to win, and Thursday proved it. Oranje-Rood stay eighth on nine points, but they can take plenty from this.
SCHC 3-1 Bloemendaal: Van den Heuvel at the double
SCHC did what SCHC do at home. Maud van den Heuvel scored early and again late, Yibbi Jansen added a penalty corner after half-time, and that was enough despite Ankelein Baardemans pulling one back for Bloemendaal.
Jansen’s goal takes her to 15 for the season. SCHC move to 24 points, still three behind Den Bosch, and they stay the only side within touching distance of the leaders. Bloemendaal drop to tenth on seven points.
Victoria 0-3 Amsterdam: comfortable, as expected
Amsterdam went to bottom side Victoria and did the job without any fuss. Imke Verstraeten scored twice, a penalty stroke in the 11th minute and a penalty corner just before half-time, and Marijn Veen added the third after the break.
Victoria are still without a point after nine games, and they’ve now conceded 41. Amsterdam move to 22 points, two behind SCHC, and Sunday’s game against SCHC at the Wagener Stadium is now even bigger. Second against third, and the winner goes into the winter break as Den Bosch’s closest challenger.
Kampong 2-1 Pinoké: De Kemp wins it late
Kampong needed this one. Iris de Kemp put them ahead in the 20th minute, Pinoké levelled late through a Lana Kalse penalty stroke, and then De Kemp won it with a late winner of her own.
That’s two for De Kemp on the night and 12 for the season. Kampong move up to 14 points, sixth, one behind Rotterdam, and Pinoké stay seventh on nine.
The other two: Hurley 1-1 HGC, Rotterdam 0-0 HDM
Hurley dropped points at home, and they left it very late to salvage one. Valentina Raposo put HGC ahead from a penalty stroke in the 44th minute, and Margot van Hecking Colenbrander equalised from a penalty corner in the final minute. Hurley stay fourth on 16 points. HGC pick up a useful point and move to four.
Rotterdam and HDM played out the night’s only goalless game. Rotterdam stay fifth on 15 points, HDM move up to ninth on seven points, ahead of Bloemendaal on goal difference.
The table after Round 9
Den Bosch 27, SCHC 24, Amsterdam 22, Hurley 16, Rotterdam 15, Kampong 14, Pinoké 9, Oranje-Rood 9, HDM 7, Bloemendaal 7, HGC 4, Victoria 0.
And there’s no rest. Round 10 follows on Sunday, with Amsterdam against SCHC the big one and Den Bosch hosting Kampong. If Amsterdam beat SCHC, they go second. If Den Bosch keep winning, the only race left is for second place.
Round 9 scores, Thursday 12 November: Oranje-Rood 0-1 Den Bosch; SCHC 3-1 Bloemendaal; Victoria 0-3 Amsterdam; Kampong 2-1 Pinoké; Hurley 1-1 HGC; Rotterdam 0-0 HDM.
