Things are not going well for the women of MOP this year. Five paltry points is the harvest after seventeen rounds of play. The last point dates from November 3. In 2025, the team managed to score only four times. To make matters worse, the straggler of the Promotion League lost 2-1 to number ten Breda on Sunday afternoon. Degradation seems almost inevitable.
MOP got three penalty corners in a row after the final whistle had already sounded. The chance to keep a glimmer of hope alive. But no matter how much the women kept trying, the Breda defense kept its cool enough not to succumb to the pressure. The loss means that the gap to the spot that entitles to play-outs with five rounds of play to go is now ten points.
And that hit MOP hard. There were tears for Precious Oud (17), one of the three players on the squad who was one of the standouts of the Vught side with her skilful actions and speed. And with Isaline Kroon, the first corner woman who gave her team the tying goal, but failed at the moment suprême. Router Lisa van Ierland also wiped away a tear, while giving an encouraging hug to a few other teammates who also couldn’t keep it dry. The realization that remaining in the league, or at least making the play-offs, is now a long way off, hit like a bomb.
MOP defeated after the 2-1 loss against Breda. Photo: Rogier Balk
‘I am super disappointed. This was obviously a key game. We knew very well how important it was to get points in order to stay in the playoffs. We had already more or less put direct enforcement out of our minds. That it didn’t work out today is very sour,’ MOP captain Sarah van Heijst sighed shortly after the game.
Free fall continues
MOP experienced a turbulent time in the past calendar year, to say the least. Last season it was still heading for the championship with a big lead of seven points over the runner-up. That lead disappeared like snow in the sun when the team lost game after game in the second half of the season.
With a new coach at the helm (Bram van Rijn replaced Mark Dekker, who left for Oranje-Rood), MOP’s free fall is still ongoing. Admittedly, with the departure of, among others, promotion-leading scorer Bo van Kempen (America), Kirsten Zennemers (Rotterdam) and Jolien Bogers (Oranje-Rood), the team lost a lot of quality.
Added to that was the interim departure of striker Tess Olde Loohuis, just before the winter break of the current season. With her seven goals she is still in the top ten of the league. With her major league experience, she was one of the most seasoned and best players on the team. Moreover, Tessa Schoenaker, another star player, is now injured for several weeks due to a ball on her head. And as if that were not enough, coach Van Rijn is home sick. The newly 26-year-old assistant coach Lauren Aarts, replaces him while Van Rijn is absent.
MOP captain Sarah van Heijst (right) threw everything in vain against Breda. Photo: Rogier Balk
‘They are external factors and have to make do with that,’ Van Heijst said firmly and without revealing anything further about Olde Loohuis’ departure and Van Rijn’s absence. ‘We are not robots so of course it takes some shifting, but then you can only do one thing and that is to keep holding on to each other. Train hard. Have fun with each other. No matter how hard that is sometimes, especially when you lose a lot.’ According to Van Heijst, at least the course of last season did not cause a mental tick. ‘I understand that the outside world sees it that way, but we really shut that down. With a new coach and a lot of new players we have to build. As a result, we are playing more vicariously.’
Aarts is slightly more nuanced: ‘The players who stayed had in their heads that we would rather compete at the top than at the bottom. If you consider who we lost, it is not surprising that we are losing out to teams with more individual quality. As a coach, it is easier to look realistically at the strength of your team than when you are in the middle of it yourself. Of course you always want to win. So do I. But given the composition of our selection, it is also not very strange that we have to fight against relegation.’
Tightly shut lips
Aarts also keeps her lips firmly shut when it comes to Olde Loohuis and Van Rijn. She is also not saying anything about a possible return of the coach. For the young coach, her suddenly acquired role is shifting. Six years ago, she herself was still part of the selection. As goalkeeper she was even under the crossbar when MOP played in the big league. Players she now has or had as a coach, such as Olde Loohuis and defender Floortje Arnts, used to be teammates. A persistent injury forced her to say goodbye to playing field hockey herself, but in the meantime Aarts is working full-time for MOP. Since two and a half years also as assistant coach and now as head coach.
The 26-year-old Lauren Aarts replaces head coach Bram van Rijn, who is absent due to illness. Photo: Rogier Balk
‘I was fortunately supported this week by Jeroen Schoenmakers (ex-coach of the women of Kampong, among others). And our physical trainer also helped this afternoon. But of course it does put extra work pressure on me and the tension is palpable. That’s pretty intense and challenging. As a coach, despite the best possible preparation, you always have limited influence. Especially with pots like this. Now that I’m replacing Bram, I feel that even more.’
Miracle needed
It would take a miracle not to be relegated by the end of May. Still, Aarts and Van Heijst refuse to throw in the towel. Van Heijst: ‘I play field hockey to win, so of course it is difficult to keep up courage. But we are definitely not going to let it happen. That means we will keep training very hard the next week and literally not let go of each other. We are allowed to regret this, but we have to keep going. No matter how difficult that is.’
‘There are undoubtedly players who will study somewhere else or want to make the step up to the big league,’ Aarts adds. ‘It is part of this period that players have their heads on the future. At the same time, we are this team now, until the very last second we play this season. So whether or not we manage to pull off a Houdini act and no matter how big the gap in the league table is: I hope the group continues to hold on to each other.’
by Hockey.nl
