Last Wednesday, the midweek team played its first match of this academic year. This match was away against KV Zetten, so we went by bike and enjoyed a nice crossing on the ferry. But before we could leave, we had to eat at Reinier’s place. He had received a pumpkin, a butternut squash, and a zapallo from his parents as a gift. At 4 p.m., Reinier, Kamiel, and Tom started chopping up the pumpkin, sweet potato, onion, and garlic to make soup. Unfortunately, only half of the pumpkin fit into the three pots, so WH 17 was not completely rid of the pumpkin problem yet.
Dinner was enjoyed together at 6 p.m., and besides several players, Bart and Bart (with partners) also joined. Around that time, we also heard that the KCC meeting had ended earlier than expected, so Deen and Anne could also join us in Zetten. A little after seven, we all got on our bikes—well, not all of us: Maud went by car and took our sports bags.
When we arrived at the ferry, we only had to wait about 30 seconds before it docked, so the timing was perfect. On the other side, it was supposed to be a straight road to the venue. However, match secretary Kamiel decided to turn right into the village and cycle straight through the center. Some thought this was a big mistake, but at least it took us past the Aldi, where Kamiel—together with (and at the expense of) Tom—bought some post-match beers and soft drinks.
After changing at the venue and heading to the field, we found that the posts were just being set up. Well, one post was steady, so we could start shooting and warming up. The other had too much sand in the hole, and the opponent spent another 10 minutes removing sand before they could throw a ball at the basket. Meanwhile, Reinier agreed with the referee to play 2×30 minutes. We also heard that there had been some boiler issues that week, so it was uncertain whether there would be hot showers afterward.
In the short pre-match talk, it was decided that Tom, Niels, Lotte, and Lara would start in attack, while Deen, Jelmer S, Marloes, and Ella would defend. Maud, Anne, and Kamiel started on the bench. Just before the referee blew the whistle, we heard that we would actually be playing 2×25 minutes, as 30 would be a bit too long for the KV Zetten players.
The match began. Both teams’ first attacks produced no goals. But Zetten opened the score with a long shot. Luckily, Tom equalized soon after with a shot of his own. A few attacks later it was 1–3 thanks to goals from Marloes and Jelmer. Unfortunately, Ella conceded one, but Maud and Deen both managed to get free near the post and score. That made it 2–5 at halftime.
So far, our scoring was a bit disappointing, especially considering the number of chances we created. Our defense, however, was solid, with only two long shots against us. If we kept this up in the second half, with better finishing, we should be able to bring the game to a good end.
Ella opened the second-half scoring with a shot for 2–6. Shortly after, KV Zetten scored from close range: 3–6. About halfway through the second half, Maud scored from distance to make it 3–7.
What happened next is still a bit unclear. What we do know is that this was Débaldérin’s last goal of the match. The reason isn’t fully clear—maybe energy ran out, maybe the mood dropped a little because Kamiel, in Bart S’s absence, took over the job of pestering the opponents. What is clear is that KV Zetten managed to score two running-in goals and a shot, bringing the score to 6–7. Sitting on the bench with Marloes, Ella, and Reinier, Kamiel watched the final minutes with mild irritation. He himself hadn’t played well—too many balls were either too easy and ended up with Zetten, or too difficult and went out of bounds. But surely, we weren’t going to give away the victory? In the end, Débaldérin was glad the halves were only 25 minutes—who knows what would have happened otherwise.
After the match, the beer and soft drinks were (semi) cold, and the showers were luckily warm. After recovering a bit with those liquids, it was time to cycle back to Wageningen. This time, we went in a straight line to the Lexkesveer ferry, which conveniently waited for us (or maybe it was because a ship had to pass…?).
Once off the ferry, everyone went their own pace. The men sped off but stopped briefly, on Kamiel’s suggestion, before the hill turn-off to say goodbye to the group. That way, we still rode into Wageningen together, before everyone went their separate ways.
Written by Kamiel
Goals by: Tom, Marloes, Jelmer, Maud (2), Deen, Ella.