Isabel Boere (18) accounted for two goals for “her” Orange U18 against Italy on Tuesday morning. The captain of the Dutch youth team is responsible for the penalty corner, the penalty ball and setting the lines. And she’s already pretty hoarse about that after two games.
‘Normally my voice doesn’t sound like that. I think it’s a combination of coaching, the air conditioning in the hotel room and, if I’m honest, singing along with music. I like that.’
Despite the somewhat raspy voice, Isabel Boere is actually cheerful throughout the interview. And don’t blame her. She won 8-0 over Italy in the morning and then saw Germany win 4-0 over England, giving her a good chance of making the semifinals. For that, the Dutch only need to play a draw against the British.
Isabel Boere celebrates the 8-0 against Italy. Photo: WorldSportPics
Winning against England
‘We’re not going to do that, draw,’ the Klein Zwitserland defender assured. ‘We absolutely want to win that match,’ the captain is clear. ‘I also have to be honest and say that I didn’t watch the match between England and Germany very closely. It was on while we were having lunch. I was mostly hoping they wouldn’t draw.’
They didn’t. Which leaves Orange in control of everything during the final pool match against England (Wednesday at 12:50 p.m.). A relief for the captain. ‘We practiced against them last month, so we know a lot about them. We do have to be aware that England can score very easily. Just look at the game against Italy. There they made twelve.’
England shot out of the starting blocks with a 12-0 win. And if Boere is completely honest, she would have liked to make as many against Italy. But Boere and her teammates had to let go of that very thought Tuesday morning. ‘We just played a good game,’ is her conclusion. Boere utilized both a penalty corner and a penalty ball. ‘Against Germany we didn’t get enough return and that went a lot better today. Compared to the first game, we really made some progress. And that’s how we have to keep doing it this tournament.’
Isabel Boere is congratulated by her teammates. Photo: WorldSportPics
Wednesday against England, the Orange will play the third match. And in that selection plays Biba Mills. The British attacker who personally put in six goals against Italy. By far the most dangerous player in the British selection. But besides that, also a friend of Boere. ‘I’m going to run into her a lot tomorrow. I am central defender and she is striker,’ she laughs. ‘I already know her from Under-16. Then we slept on a campus in Nottingham and shared the building with England. We’ve kept in touch ever since. I know her parents, too. Two years ago I ran into her again in Granada. Then we even swapped jerseys,” Boere says.
With that knowledge, wouldn’t the captain have preferred it to England, during the match against Germany? She has to laugh. ‘No way. Let the best one win. I always award her a goal, though, except against us. But anyway, she has already put six in, so that’s actually enough anyway,” she jokes.
One year to America
Boere is working on her last tournament with the Dutch national team. In early August she will leave for America, where she will play field hockey for a year and study in North Carolina, at the university that produced basketball legend Michael Jordan. ‘After the European Championship, I will go on vacation with my parents, brother and sister. I will soon be home for two days to see some friends and then I will leave for America. I’m really looking forward to it. I’m sure it’s going to be fat.’
Boere has decided to return after a year. To then continue her field hockey career back in the Netherlands. Her plan? She still finds that difficult. For the past twelve years she played in the burgundy red of Klein Zwitserland. She sincerely hopes that Ladies 1 will promote to the Promotion Class next season. Then she will join again the following season anyway. The club is in her heart and it shows in everything. But if it doesn’t turn out the way she hopes. She doesn’t want to think about that just yet.
Photo: WorldSportPics
She does want to think about the semifinals. Which is now within reach. ‘We come here with a goal. We want to win. But none of that comes easily. We are making good strides and the amount of field goals today were good for our self-confidence. But tomorrow we want to be a bit better again,’ she says like a true captain.
The Orange girls are working a lot on finding the connection with each other. Coaching, making tempo and finding rhythm. And without the ball they immediately put the pressure on. And of course getting returns. ‘But that will come naturally, if the other points go well,’ said the captain.
Switching jerseys
She dares a sneaky prediction. But she doesn’t jinx it. ‘The last two years we played the final against Belgium. I would love to play that match again,’ she grins. Logical. Because Boere won those two finals.
The final is not until Saturday night, but Boere is already prepared. Not only for field hockey, but also for swapping clothes. Laughing, she says, “I specially put an extra shirt in my suitcase.
by Hockey.nl
