Bloemendaal’s men’s soccer team won the catch-up game with Rotterdam. At ‘t Kopje, the leader in the Tulip big league won 3-2 on Thursday night.
With his fifteenth goal of the season, Marc Miralles decided the game in favor of Bloemendaal, who turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead within a minute in the fourth quarter.
It took a while before Bloemendaal and Rotterdam faced each other at ‘t Kopje. In October, due to both teams’ EHL obligations, the meeting was moved to Nov. 21. But winter conditions in Bloemendaal made it impossible to play that night. The field at ‘t Kopje was covered with a layer of snow, so the game had to be rescheduled again.
More than three months later, the ball still rolled for the meeting between the frontrunner and the number five on the league table. In the sprint toward the end of the regular season, there was mixed success for the teams in the resumption of the Tulip big league.
Teun Beins on the ball for Bloemendaal during the catch-up game against Rotterdam. Photo: Bart Scheulderman
Bloemendaal lost their unbeaten status last weekend by surprisingly losing 4-3 to low-fly SCHC on their own field. Rotterdam did good business in their first match after the winter break by beating direct competitor Oranje-Rood 4-3.
Rotterdam in the lead
The first danger in Thursday’s game yielded an immediate goal. Halfway through the first quarter, Rotterdam defender Justen Blok decided to pump the ball into the circle. The ball ended up in the Bloemendaal goal and at Rotterdam the hands went up. The referee pointed to the center spot. He ruled that Jeroen Hertzberger had touched the ball in the circle. 1-0 for the Rotterdammers.
Bloemendaal had to chase, but in the remainder of the first quarter, apart from a skirmish in the Rotterdam goal mouth, failed to create a chance.
Also in the second quarter, the first opportunities were for Rotterdam. Hertzberger, for example, created danger in the circle before the attack was called off and not much later Tjep Hoedemakers came up just short to tap in a cross from the right.
Bloemendaal made it to the first penalty corner of the match midway through the second quarter. Jan van ‘t Land’s shot from the spin touched a Rotterdam foot. From the head of the circle, Marc Miralles pushed the ball just wide of the goal. From the counterattack, Rotterdam also took a penalty corner. Pepijn van der Heijden’s effort was caught with his foot by Bloemendaal goalkeeper Maurits Visser.
Pepijn van der Heijden cheers after his goal for Rotterdam against Bloemendaal. Photo: Bart Scheulderman
Matchmaker Bloemendaal
Consecutive corner kicks briefly brought the match to life. Rotterdam then came close to scoring the 0-2, but Dylan Lucieer tapped the ball wide at the far post. Not much later, Bloemendaal equalized. Rotterdam goalkeeper Derk Meijer initially had an answer to a Bloemendaal effort, but the rebound by Lucas Veen was without chance: 1-1.
After halftime, Rotterdam was much more dangerous in attack than Bloemendaal. After Guus Jansen shot wide, Hoedemakers had the biggest opportunity to score. He hit the Bloemendaal goalkeeper in front of Visser.
The second Rotterdam goal finally came. Thirty-seven seconds before the end of the third quarter, Van der Heijden scored. He pushed hit from the sixth penalty corner in a row, 1-2.
Bloemendaal’s play remained lackluster. The team seemed unable to make a fist, until Zachary Wallace set ‘t Kopje on fire. With a fine individual action he enabled Nathan Ephraums to score: 2-2. It seemed to be the push Bloemendaal needed.
Duel for the ball between Casper van der Veen and Douwe Buitenhuis during Bloemendaal-Rotterdam. Photo: Bart Scheulderman
Backlog becomes lead
A minute later it was suddenly 3-2 for Bloemendaal. Miralles had pushed the team’s second penalty corner into the goal. And so within a minute the deficit was turned into a lead.
Bloemendaal pulled that lead across the line despite Rotterdam getting another penalty corner in the closing minutes, which was successfully run out by Bloemendaal’s defense.
The win gives leader Bloemendaal a four-point lead over Den Bosch. Rotterdam remains fifth at three points from number four Kampong, which visits Rotterdam next Sunday.
by Hockey.nl
