On the 21st and penultimate round of play in the Tulp Hoofdklasse Women, the curtain has fallen for Huizen. The team relegated on Sunday after its 10-1 defeat against European champion Den Bosch. Amsterdam grabbed the fourth and final ticket for the playoffs.
Den Bosch – Huizen 10-1
Den Bosch dealt hard with Huizen in a historic match: 10-1. Already after 26 seconds, Teuntje de Wit opened the score in Den Bosch’s thousandth match at the highest level in all leagues.
The Den Bosch goal-scoring machine was running at full speed with hat-tricks for both De Wit and Frédérique Matla. Myrthe van Kesteren’s goal against from a penalty corner hardly eased the pain for Huizen, which is officially relegated to the Promotieklasse due to this defeat. For coach Marieke Dijkstra, it was a memorable day with her 100th official win as coach of Den Bosch. Matla brought her season total to 22 goals with her three hits in what marked the biggest win for Den Bosch under Dijkstra’s reign.
Amsterdam – Pinoké 0-3
Amsterdam suffered defeat at home against Pinoké, who left the Wagener Stadium with a 0-3 win. Maria Steensma opened the scoring early on for the visitors, before Imke Verstraeten doubled the lead after half-time from a penalty stroke. Florine Rodenburg decided the match definitively in Pinoké’s favour.
Victory at the Wagener was rare for Pinoké, which managed to beat Amsterdam for only the second time in the last 16 matches between them. The last win was in October 2021. For Pinoké, this marks the fifth win in a row (a new club record), which means the team is now seven matches unbeaten. Amsterdam, which has lost 15 points in its last 10 matches, suffered its biggest home defeat in the Tulp Hoofdklasse since 2014. Despite this setback, however, Amsterdam is assured of participation in the playoffs, as competitors Kampong lost points.
HGC – Oranje-Rood 0-2
Oranje-Rood has definitely maintained its place in the Tulp Hoofdklasse through a 2-0 victory over HGC. Janneke van de Venne opened the scoring in the second quarter. Leah Crouse decided the game with a hit from a penalty corner just before time. It was the first time HGC lost on its own pitch to Oranje-Rood.
With this win, the team from Eindhoven avoids the play-offs and will remain active at the highest level next season. Van de Venne again played a key role; she was also prolific in Oranje-Rood’s previous two victories, scoring two goals against both Tilburg (2-3) and Hurley (2-1).
HDM – Tilburg 1-2
Tilburg beat HDM 2-1 in The Hague. Clarissa Schneider opened the scoring for the visitors, before Sabine van den Eijnden was able to equalise for the home team after half-time. Daphne Nikkels decided the match in Tilburg’s favour with her goal in the third quarter.
Because of this defeat and the simultaneous win by Oranje-Rood, HDM is now condemned to play play-outs. For the number ten of the Tulp Hoofdklasse, it was already the tenth defeat in the last 12 games. Tilburg remains sixth and booked another win away from home after three away games without a win. The team picked up four points in the last two games.
Hurley – Kampong 3-3
In an exciting match at the Amsterdam Bos, Hurley gave away a 3-1 lead against Kampong: 3-3. Guusje Moes opened the scoring for the visitors, but Sophie Schelfhout brought Hurley level via a penalty stroke. After goals from Michelle van de Drift and Fleur Loomans, Hurley seemed to be on their way to victory. However, Kampong showed resilience and came alongside in the closing stages through goals by Sosha Benninga and Moes again.
Kampong’s loss secured Amsterdam participation in the play-offs. The Utrecht team is now three games in a row without a win. Hurley itself is struggling with form with just one win in its last nine matches. Incidentally, it was the last home game for outgoing Hurley coach Robbert van de Peppel, who will coach SCHC next season.
Rotterdam – SCHC 0-6
Rotterdam had little to play for on their own pitch against SCHC, who went down 0-6. Pien Dicke was the visitors’ big star with a hat-trick, while Yibbi Jansen scored twice from a penalty corner, bringing her season total to 21 goals. Maud van den Heuvel completed the Bilthoven formation’s goal tally.
Due to this defeat, Rotterdam has to play play-outs. The team is now ten games without a win and did not manage to score a single goal in the last five home games. For SCHC, this marked the fourth victory in a row. Jansen also reached the twenty-goal mark for the fourth consecutive season. In the past three seasons, she scored 26, 23 and 21 goals respectively in the regular league.
