Tension for women's final reaches boiling point after draw (2-2) in first match

In an exciting National Championship final, Amsterdam and Den Bosch kept each other in balance. The first leg ended 2-2 in an atmospheric Wagener Stadium. The battle will be decided on Monday at the return in Den Bosch.

Fire arrows shot from the sacred green mat in the Wagener Stadium into the Amstelveen sky. The organized fireworks show turned the complex red, after a brass band had warmed up the audience. The time when the Wagener Stadium only turned into a hockey temple for international matches is now a thing of the past. The run-up to the final was far from ideal for Den Bosch. It became clear that the team could again not call on the injured Josine Koning (knee), who was once again replaced by Laurette Abelen. That goalkeepers can be decisive in the play-offs was already evident last week in Amsterdam, where Anne Veenendaal became one of the key players in the semi-final against SCHC.

The first chance of the match was for Amsterdam after just a few minutes. Striker Freeke Moes released Noa Muller in the circle with a nice pass, who was able to shoot freely, but the midfielder hit the ball completely wrong. When Lieve Wijckmans put the ball on an Amsterdam foot a little later, this resulted in the first penalty corner of the match for Den Bosch. That immediately led to a series of four penalty corners in a row from Den Bosch, but without Frédérique Matla at the head of the circle and with two saves from Anne Veenendaal, Amsterdam remained standing. Amsterdam looked for openings when in possession of the ball, but always encountered a compact and fierce Den Bosch, which was always on top defensively. In the second quarter the momentum seemed to slowly tilt towards Den Bosch, which had two big chances through Joosje Burg and Teuntje de Wit. But then Felice Albers showed what she is made of. She started a long rush from her own half, crossed the field completely and sprinted past Rosa Fernig at the circle. Her cross was tipped in at the far post by Katerina Langedijk: 1-0. A wonderful goal, which was mainly due to Albers. A little later, Amsterdam goalkeeper Veenendaal again proved her worth. After a scrimmage from Den Bosch's fifth penalty corner, she dived to the ground and took the ball off the line. It was thanks to Veenendaal that the score was not 1-1.