VAN AS’S FORMER CLUB “MAASSAKKERED”
Report and Photos from John Coxon
SCHC 's Caia van Maasakker four great goals.
Hooftklasse high-fliers SCHC’s, Caia van Maasakker had the lionesses’ share of the goals in her sides 7-0m mauling of Naomi Van As’s former team , hapless Klein Zwitserland . She was ably supported by Argentine/ Las Leonas internationals Soledad Garcia and Delfina Merino who scored one a piece and also Tessa de Haas.
After a steady start with few surprises, the top Dutch Hockey league, the Rabobank Hoofdklasse, has , in the main settled pretty much according to the form books . World Champions Las Leoanas stars , Soledad Garcia and Delfina Merino helped Bilthoven’s top four contenders SCHC to a seven nil mauling of Naomi van As’s former club Klein Zwitserland. But it was first the hat trick of short corner conversions and then a further great goal in open play from *Caia van Maasakker that really destroyed the Hague based side. Soledad opened the scoring in the first five minutes and Delfina delivered the last nail in the coffin scoring two minutes from time. The result leaves SCHC top of the table on twelve points clear after four games and their keeper Inge Vermeulen yet to be beaten , with Den Bosch are on nine points and Laren, Naomi Van As’s new team, HDM and Hurley also have 9 points. SCHC have 19 goals in their favour already , Den Bosch on 12 and 5 with the rest of the league on negative goal difference points.
Perhaps the only surprise thus far is that newly promoted Hurley are fifth in the table with the ambitious HDM, now coached by formidable retired Dutch international , Miek van Geenhuizen, in fourth spot marking their intention to vie for the play offs this season and develop a realistic challenge on the usual suspects dominance. Regular top four and play off contenders Amsterdam , plagued by injuries , have not had the brightest start and are currently mid table below HDM but it is early season so all to be played for. The ever reliable Den Bosch in fact ended HDM’s unbeaten run with a convincing 5-0 win helped by goals from their Dutch international drag flick powerhouse Maartje Paumen who buried two in the first half with one in the second backed up with two field goals from fellow international Vera Vorstenbosch.
East side Amsterdam’s, Laren put behind the mid week embarrassment of losing 1- 0 to lowly Hurley but seemed to make hard work of taking on Amsterdam HC’s Amstelveen park-side neighbours Pinoke this weekend but eventually coming out 4-2 on top. The weekend wasn’t to bring any fairy tale endings although Pinoke, were to deliver a first half that defied the usual script . It was Carlijn Welten who gave Laren an early lead on six minutes but Pinoke’s Charlotte Vega pulled it back after 20 minutes. Lammers netted a short on the half hour mark but that was immediately cancelled out at the other end with Fleur van Eldik scoring in open play. All square at half time and it was International star Kim Klammers who led the charge in the second half, netting her second and third short on 40 minutes and then three minutes from time.
Amsterdam left it to the second half beating now bottom of the table Kampong 2-0 with goals from international Marieke Veenhoven ( was Mattheussens – Marieke got married in the summer an admitted she was still getting used to hearing her new surname over the Tanoy ) scoring on 46 minutes and the ever reliable Fieke Holman scoring again three minutes from time. Amsterdam is currently plagued by a wave of injuries. Eva de Goede, Jacky Schoenaker, Hannah Lemmens, Kiki Collot d' Escury and Elsemiek Groen sat in the stands at Kampong. In addition, Ellen Hoog is recovering from a groin injury. With all the absentees , the coach had to juggle the available players and some had to play in positions they were not used to and for example Marieke playing midfield rather than at the back.
In the midweek Hurley game Laren had ten short corners and couldn’t bury one of them. They were however, then , without Kim Lammers and De Welten Blaeij . Van As , like the rest of the Laren team became increasingly frustrated and she was eventually yellow carded. But a surpise win for Hurley. The Hurley players had arrived at Laren mid week very early and found there was nowhere for them to sit until the changing rooms opened. Ironically they installed themselves on the VIP tables while waiting for the push back. Perhaps the apparent lack of hospitality put them in the right mindset! At the weekend, Hurley surprised themselves again this time somehow finding the confidence to beat Oranje Zwart, recording a two nil win but leaving it till later in the second half to get to grips, with goals from Myrte Brands on 49 minutes and another a minute later from Max Hunfeld.
Elsewhere HGC drew with Rotterdam, getting them their first point of the new season , taking the lead in the last few minutes of the first half from a Lotte Sluiter goal but with a reply from Rotterdam on the whistle from Fluer van Dooren sending the teams in at half time one a piece. Ten minutes into the second half Marijn Hinskens put Rotterdam in the lead but a short corner from Sophie Baart ten minutes later levelled again and the game played out to a two-all draw leaving Rotterdam above them in the table at eighth and ninth.
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*Grateful thanks to SCHC’s Caia Van Maasakker for the two profile pictures she provided to help illustrate this report.
