Women’s EuroHockey Junior Championships final
Netherlands 6 (F Moes 2, G Zerbo, M Renders, I van der Hoek, Y Jansen) Belgium 0
The Netherlands claimed their fourth successive EuroHockey Junior Championships title with a breathtaking display of speed and attacking flair that proved too much for a Belgian side playing in the final for the first time.
It took them just five minutes to get on the scoreboard as Imme van der Hoek set Freeke Moes on the charge on the right hand side. She delivered the ball to Ginella Zerbo a metre out to score a superb first goal.
It set the tone and they were soon in for goal number two, Moes robbing the last defender and flicking over goalkeeper Elodie Picard’s head – a classy finish.
Belgium v Netherlands – Women's EuroHockey Junior Championships Final – Match Highlights pic.twitter.com/O9vzyJneVw
— EuroHockey (@eurohockeyorg) September 3, 2017
Marie Ronquetti went close to pulling one back soon after when she smashed the post but it was the closest Belgium would come to a goal.
Moes made it 3-0 before half-time with a first time finish from Hester van der Veld’s ball across from the right wing.
For Moes, she was among a number of players who won their second European title in two years having helped the Under-18s win in Cork last summer and she was delighted with her contribution.
“We trained so hard for this and it’s lovely that it now all comes together. The whole tournament I was this close to scoring so in the final they finally went in!”
Any chance Belgium had of coming back was quickly put to bed early in the second half when Famke Richardson’s ball into the centre was eventually turned in by Maud Renders.
Imme van der Hoek knocked in the sixth goal on the rebound and Yibbi Jansen – making her the joint top tournament goalscorer with Marijn Veen and Erica Sanders – completed the win in the final minutes from a penalty corner.
For coach Rick Mathijsen, it was the perfect performance: “I’m really glad for the girls. They worked really hard for it and it’s a really young group because we had a couple of injuries before the tournament in the six weeks of the preparation. And I think they did a great job winning this tournament, with the 6-0 especially.”
It was a big change from their first meeting of the tournament against Belgium which the Dutch edged 2-1.
The women's EuroHockey Junior Championships trophy is lifted by the Netherlands #EHJC2017 pic.twitter.com/xfv3Z7rq8A
— EuroHockey (@eurohockeyorg) September 3, 2017
“We did also play a good performance in the first match as well but didn’t score the chances. Today we did score them and I think that was the difference.”
And he added the semi-final win over Germany was the toughest battle of the campaign.
“The Germans did a great job against us; they analysed us really well but the girls fought back really well and I think we won the tournament there.”
Umpires: S Bockelmann (GER), R Woodcock (ENG)
Award winners
Player of the tournament: Marijn Veen (NED)
Top scorers: Marijn Veen (NED), Erica Sanders (ENG), Yibbi Jansen (NED) – 4 goals
Best Goalkeeper: Elodie Picard (BEL)