SCHC welcomed back Xan de Waard from injury following a frustrating start to 2024 as a foot injury ruled her out of the Netherlands’ Pro League trip to India.
She lined out for the Bilthoven club for the return of the Hoofdklasse where her side came unstuck 4-3 at the hands of Den Bosch at Oosterplas.
The result sess them drop four points off the lead held by their rivals from Brabant and sit in third place behind AH&BC Amsterdam.
De Waard admitted to hockey.nl that there was “fomo” on missing out on the games in India, a key block in the preparations for this summer’s Olympic Games.
But she says the rest was necessary to have her back and firing for a busy period ahead
“Of course you want to be there,” she said. “You see nice things, cool photos. On WhatsApp or on the socials. You feel like you’re missing something.
But she made the right choice to rest: “Otherwise I wouldn’t be here now. There would have been a cast on my foot. That wouldn’t have been an option at all.”
As for the game, SCHC led early via Trijntje Beljaars before falling behind to goals from Frédérique Matla and Babs Reijnen goals.
Beljaars levelled but third quarter efforts from Matla and Pien Sanders put Den Bosch in control before Maud van den Heuvel cut the gap with seven minutes to go.
De Waard’s assessment? “I thought our fighting spirit was good, but eventually some fatigue set in.
“Den Bosch got four chances and took them all. I would have found a draw more appropriate. But we conceded four; that is of course far too much. But there is an upward trend. We are positive and there is a good team feeling.”
For the other EHL-bound side, AH&BC Amsterdam won a lively battle against HC Tilburg 3-2. They led three times but saw Stella van Gils and Sonja Zimmerman goals cancelled out by Abi Raye both times.
In the end, Michelle Fillet’s corner goal won it in the 34th minute.
