The hockey players of Den Bosch dramatically won their 21st national title in the last 25 seasons on Sunday. The defending champion won in the decisive game in the final of the SCHC play-offs by a goal in the last minute: 2-1.
Den Bosch got a penalty corner with a score of 1-1 with 42 seconds left in the fourth and last quarter. Top scorer Frédérique Matla hit the target, after which the party could start in Den Bosch.
Last year Matla also decided the battle for the championship by scoring from a penalty corner in the very last minute. Then Amsterdam was the opponent.
The women of Den Bosch have been almost untouchable in the Dutch big league for the past 25 years. Since the 1997/1998 season, the people from Brabant have missed the title only three times. In 2009, 2013 and 2019, Amsterdam broke through the Bossche hegemony.
SCHC hoped to capture the league title for the first time. The club from Bilthoven was also in the final of the play-offs in 2014 and 2015, but then also lost to Den Bosch. The only prize on SCHC’s honors list is the European Cup win in 2015.
Sunday was also the farewell to veterans and Orange internationals Lidewij Welten, Margot van Geffen and Marloes Keetels at Den Bosch. Welten (31) switches to Kampong, Van Geffen (32) opts for HGC and Keetels (29) stops.
SCHC takes the lead early on
Den Bosch won the first final match with 1-3 last Thursday. SCHC tied the score in the best-of-three series on Saturday with a 0-1 win, requiring a decisive third game.
SCHC took the lead in the sixth minute in Den Bosch on Sunday via Orange international Ginella Zerbo, who scored from a rebound after a penalty corner. The home team equalized shortly after the break via Pleun van der Plas (1-1).
The decisive game seemed to end in shoot-outs, until Den Bosch got a penalty corner in the last minute. Matla knew what to do with this opportunity.