Handballers claim bronze in the European League

The BVB women’s handball team have clinched a third-place finish in the European League Final Four in Graz. An outstanding performance from goalkeeper Yara ten Holte helped the Black & Yellows to a 28-23 (12-10) win over Thüringer HC. It is the first medal at an international finals tournament in club history.

The scenario: Less than 24 hours after their heart-wrenching defeat on penalties to Nykøbing in the semi-final on Saturday, Henk Groener’s team faced Thüringer HC in the game for third place. Club president Reinhold Lunow had come to Graz especially to support the team from the sidelines.

The game: The game in the Raiffeisen-Sportpark in Graz got off to a frenetic start, as both teams played full of enthusiasm and commitment, while also making a few errors here and there. BVB were the better of the two teams early on, and were boosted in no small part by Yara ten Holde’s excellent reflexes in goal. Among other things, she saved a penalty and two great chances. When Borussia went up 6-3 on the scoreboard in the eleventh minute, Thuringia coach Herbert Müller decided he’d seen enough and called his first time-out.

Whatever the THC coach had said, it clearly had the desired effect, as soon his players managed not just to reduce the deficit, but also to draw level with the Black & Yellows. But again Yara ten Holte demonstrated her class, as she conceded only one goal in the following nine minutes. With Haruno Sasaki and Lisa Antl getting things going offensively, Groener’s team managed to work their way back into the lead.

Repeated penalties on both sides meant that the game lost its tempo and flow somewhat. On six occasions a BVB player had to sit out two minutes on the bench, meaning the side struggled to find space on offence. Again Ten Holte surpassed herself in this phase of the game, as she made several excellent saves to up her total for the half to 14, as BVB went into the break with a 12-10 lead.

The Dutchwoman picked up where she left off after the change of ends. Three saves in the first five minutes of the second period and goals from Alina Grijseels and Harma van Kreij helped the Black & Yellows increase the lead to 20-15 by the 40th minute.

Ten minutes later, Thuringia attempted to play with an extra outcourt player. But the BVB defence responded well to the tactical shift and were repeatedly able to force their opponents into tough shooting positions. When Zoe Sprengers scored to make it 26-20 with three minutes to play, it was clear that the Black & Yellows were to be crowned bronze medallists. At the final whistle, the scoreboard read 28-23 and the jubilation in the Black & Yellow camp knew no bounds.

Outlook: BVB will pick things up on Wednesday when they host HSG Blomberg-Lippe in the Sporthalle Wellinghofen. Two important points will be at stake in the clash with the team placed fourth in the Bundesliga, as both sides look to secure third place and thereby qualify for next season’s European League.

Women’s handball: Moth, ten Holte (2), Kohorst; Grijseels (2), Sprengers (1), Kusian (1), Ossenkopp, Olsson (1), Rønning (1), Bleckmann (4), Garovic, Antl (4), Sasaki (3), Hausherr (7/6), van Kreij (2)