England's Leicester HC will play 11 time European champions Den Bosch in the Final of the EuroHockey Club Champions Cup (EHCCC) following victories in their Semi Final matches on Friday.
Leicester battled past fellow English side Slough, winning a penalty shoot-out 2-0 after both normal and extra time finished with the scores tied at 1-1. Den Bosch overcame Dutch rivals Larensche 1-0 in the second Semi Final of a rain hit day at HGC, with Dutch international defender Maartje Paumen scoring a penalty stroke in the 23rd minute. Full written summaries of both matches can be found below.
The EHCCC Final will take place on Sunday 11th June, with the match being live streamed on the Euro Hockey League website.
Saturday's action at HGC features the two Semi Finals of the Euro Hockey League, with England's Reading HC taking on Club de Campo of Spain at 11.30 CEST (GMT +1) before Dutch rivals Oranje Zwart and host club HGC do battle at 14:00. Both matches will be live streamed on www.ehlhockey.tv, the official website of the Euro Hockey League.
Day 1 Reports
Panter penalty fires Leicester into EuroHockey Club Champions Cup Final
Leicester HC have reached the Final of the EuroHockey Club Champions Cup courtesy of a penalty shoot-out victory over English rivals Slough HC.
The match went to penalties after both normal and extra time of a delay-hit match finished with the scores deadlocked at 1-1. However, Leicester were firmly in charge of the penalty shoot-out, scoring both of their efforts following unconverted shots from Nicola White and Ashleigh Ball.
Anne Panter scored the winning penalty to spark jubilant celebrations in the HGC rain from her Leicester team-mates.
Leicester HC will now await the winner of the second Semi Final between Dutch teams Larensche and Den Bosch, a match that was subjected to a delayed start due to bad weather greatly affecting the match schedule here in Wassenaar.
The contest between two giants of English hockey started in impressive fashion, with both teams looking to grab an early advantage in the race to reach the European final. Leicester had the better of the opening exchanges, imposing themselves on their English opponents and creating a number of decent chances. Slough almost fell behind when Leicester's Kerry Williams found Rebecca Herbert in the circle, but her shot travelled fractionally over the crossbar.
After just nine minutes of play, the game was suspended thanks to a rather dramatic thunder, lightning and hail storm which forced the teams, officials and spectators to head for cover. The action resumed 40 minutes later in slightly better conditions, although the menacing grey clouds were hanging over the venue throughout the game.
It did not take long for Leicester to open the match scoring following the re-start, with Katie Long firing in from close range to give her side a 1-0 lead towards the end of the first quarter.
Slough won a succession of penalty corners in the second period which brought the best out of a fully committed Leicester defence that made a number of crucial blocks to deny their opponents.
However, at the fourth attempt Slough tied the scores when a slapped effort from team captain sailed past Leicester keeper Maddy Hinch and into the bottom right corner.
Slough were certainly the better team of the third quarter, putting the Leicester players under intense pressure to force a number of uncharacteristic errors. This continued into the fourth quarter, but it was Leicester who went closest to scoring when the livewire Williams again found Herbert in the circle, but her snapshot failed to trouble Slough keeper Becky Duggan.
With three minutes of the match remaining, Leicester won a penalty corner. Great Britain international Crista Cullen stepped up and flicked for goal, but her effort could not find the target. Following a goalless extra time, it was Leicester who held their nerve to win the penalty shoot-out. Slough will now play in tomorrow's 3rd place play-off match.
Final Score
Leicester v Slough 1-1 (1-1) 2-0 After Penalty Shoot Out
Den Bosch join Leicester in EHCCC Final
Reigning champions Den Bosch have edged their way past fellow Dutch outfit Larensche HC, reaching the EuroHockey Club Champions Cup Final thanks to a solitary goal from Maartje Paumen.
The Netherlands international defender scored what proved to be the only goal of the game from the penalty spot, converting with ease following what was deemed a deliberate stick tackle on a Den Bosch player as she was about to shoot. It was enough to secure a 1-0 score-line for the 11-time champions, who held on despite a spell of late pressure from a Larensche team that worked incredibly hard to get something out of the game.
Den Bosch will now aim to win their 12th successive European title when they play Leicester HC, winners earlier in the day against Slough on penalties, in Sunday's tournament final. The two defeated teams from today's Semi Finals, Larensche and Slough, will face each other in Saturday's EHCCC 3rd Place Play-Off.
The second semi final started late 45 minutes later than scheduled thanks to a thunderstorm which caused a lengthy stoppage in the previous match. Although the all-Dutch semi final did not experience any unexpected stoppages, the conditions certainly played a part in this contest. All of the players and officials were soaked to the skin, with those on the bench wrapping themselves in blankets to keep warm. Even the players in Den Bosch's famous brass band were put off by the weather, deciding to play their music from the warmth of one of the marquees rather than on the cold stands.
Despite the difficult playing conditions, there were some extremely good moments in a tense match between the two best teams in The Netherlands. Both sides had their chances to score before Paumen's 23rd minute penalty gave Den Bosch what would turn out to be the defining moment of the match.
Laren were particularly impressive in the third, with former FIH World Player of the Year Naomi van As trying to inspire her team with some her natural attacking game. However, it was Den Bosch who went closest to scoring when Lieke Hulsen burst through on goal but failed to beat Laren keeper Joyce Sombroek with her slap-shot.
Laren won a penalty corner toward the end of the quarter, but Renske van Geel directed her effort into the pads of Den Bosch keeper Lizzy Koeton.
The fourth quarter was an incredibly tense affair. Den Bosch's Sabine Mol missing a glorious chance to kill off the game when she directly in front of goal, while Laren continued to throwing everything that they had at their opponents in an attempt to get the equalizer that they craved.
However, Den Bosch are past masters at defending a lead and so it proved once again, blocking out their opponents to confirm a meeting with Leicester in the tournament final.
Final Score
Larensche HC v HC's Hertogenbosch 0-1 (0-1)
Source: Euro Hockey League Media Release
