The Netherlands men’s team suffered a minor setback in their preparations for the TriFinance EuroHockey Championships on Friday when they fell to a 3-0 defeat against Belgium. The team coached by Paul van Ass went down to goals from Jerome Dekeyser, Tanguy Cosyns and Tom Boon in a match that took place in Boom, a venue which will host the upcoming European Championships in August.
The Belgian victory came five days after suffering a heavy defeat at the hands of their near neighbours, with The Netherlands cruising to a 7-2 triumph last Sunday.
Belgium drew first blood with their first penalty corner of the game, with Dekeyser rattling home before Cosyns doubled the advantage five minutes before the break. Thy Olympic Silver medallists came close to reducing the deficit before the end of the half through Tim Jenniskens, but his neat deflection flew just wide of the target.
The Dutch won a penalty corner early in the second half but could not a shot on target following a mis-trap at the top of the circle. The result was put beyond doubt in the 63rd minute when Boon pounced on a penalty corner rebound to complete the match scoring.
Last Sunday, Belgium women were also winners against The Netherlands, recording a surprise 3-2 victory against the London 2012 Olympic champions. However, The Dutch girls hit back with a thumping 5-2 triumph two days later.
In other news coming from The Netherlands, Jeroen Hertzberger has been named as the best player in the men’s Rabo Hoofdklasse Division for the 2012-13 Season. The brilliant Rotterdam striker netted 26 times in 22 league matches, and was named as the winner of the Golden Stick ahead of Robbert Kemperman, Mark Knowles, Sander Baart and Sander de Wijn thanks to a vote from fans and members of the media. It is Hertzberger’s second player of the year title, adding to the one he earned in 2008.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Netherlands captain Maartje Paumen was the winner of the women’s award. For more on that story, please click here.
