Four Americans, One Hoofdklasse Game: Bing and Rotterdam Edge Hurley 1-0 in Amstelveen
There can’t have been many mornings like it in Dutch hockey. Four members of the United States national team, on the same pitch, in the same Hoofdklasse game, with playoff places on the line. Hurley against Rotterdam in Amstelveen gave us exactly that on Sunday, and Rotterdam took the points with a 1-0 win.
Kelsey Bing, the USA’s No. 1 goalkeeper, was the difference for most of the game. She kept Hurley off the board with a string of top saves while Rotterdam waited for their moment. It came in the last three minutes of the first half, when Murthe van Kesteren broke through with a tomahawk shot. One goal, and that was that.
Hurley pushed hard after the break and had their chances, but their shooting let them down. They thought they’d levelled it late from a penalty corner, only for the goal to be ruled out: a lifted drive on the first shot, which doesn’t count. Fine margins, and Rotterdam held on for a win that keeps them in the playoff hunt.
The subplot was the Americans. Bing has been Rotterdam’s keeper for a while now, and Sanne Caarls, who plays for Hurley and scored a hat-trick earlier this month, is a familiar face in this league. The new arrivals made it a full house. Beth Yeager, the former Princeton star, has joined Hurley. Maddie Zimmer, a two-time Honda Award winner, is on Rotterdam’s squad. Four Eagles in one game in one of the best leagues in the world. As the blog that spotted it put it, it’s something to celebrate, at least until a US pro league begins.
For Hurley, it’s a missed chance at home against a direct rival for the playoff spots. For Rotterdam, it’s a clean sheet built on their goalkeeper and one moment of quality. And for American hockey, it’s a sign of where its best players are choosing to test themselves: right in the middle of the toughest club league there is.
Related links:
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