Amsterdam had to endure chance after chance against Den Bosch on Saturday, but walked away with the points (1-2) in the first topper of this season. That caused a beaming smile afterwards from captain Freeke Moes, who enjoyed her team’s fighting spirit. On the Bossche side, Joosje Burg lamented the sea of missed opportunities.
Moes handed out autographs to the Bossche fans with a big smile afterwards. The Amsterdam captain saw how her team struggled in the closing stages. It became exciting. They were pressing. Was it right that we won? Especially in the beginning they were dominant. But we did force it by working hard.’
‘Anne [Veenendaal] was fantastic goalkeeping. We were surviving the 1-1 draw. That we were able to persevere says something about our perseverance. This makes me proud. Defensively we were much better than last week against Hurley. And those counters were very nice, right? That speed and character, that’s Amsterdam.’
Amsterdam took the lead after just under half an hour on Saturday through a goal by American teenager Reese D’Ariano. Against the odds, as Den Bosch was by far the better team. Teuntje de Wit’s equalizer, in quarter three, was fully justified. Just when the home team was about to strike, Amsterdam squeezed out another attack. Newcomer Trijntje Beljaars pronounced the verdict on the national champion.
Burg about the rain of chances for Den Bosch
‘We really had a lot of chances,’ emphasized Joosje Burg afterwards. ‘We certainly didn’t have to lose this match. This was certainly not necessary. I really thought we were going to make it. We did everything right, except scoring goals. That has to improve.’ With a sour smile: ‘So that’s nice training work, I guess.’
Den Bosch has a lot fewer newcomers than Amsterdam, but that does not mean that nothing has changed at the champion. Injuries have knocked out internationals Emma Reijnen and Laura Nunnink. ‘We have lost our axis. That puts a lot of players in a different position. But that doesn’t mean you have to lose. And certainly not with the game we showed today.’
by Hockey.nl
