Amsterdam join SCHC in EHL and Dutch final
AH&BC Amsterdam confirmed they will join SCHC in next year’s EHL Women’s competition as they edged out Den Bosch in dramatic style in their Dutch championship semi-final.
The sides shared a 1-1 draw on Thursday, sending the tie down to a decisive Saturday second-leg date at Oosterplas.
Sabine Plönissen swept in a corner early on to give Amsterdam the lead in game two and they held that advantage until the final seconds.
Den Bosch won a final second corner which Pien Sanders bundled over the line; it was initially awarded, sparking huge celebrations only for Coen van Bunge to self-refer to the video umpire.
The replay showed a backstick in the vital moment and the goal was disallowed, seeing Amsterdam now take their turn to celebrate their overall 2-1 victory.
VIDEO | @HCHertogenbosch voor het eerst sinds 1997 niet in finale, @SCHC_Dames1 en @AHBCAmsterdam strijden om titel – https://t.co/VgHG4fuJqN @Stichtsche @EHLHockeyTV #hockey
— Stef Hehemann (@StefHehemann) May 20, 2023
It means Den Bosch miss out on the championship final for the first time in 25 years.
SCHC, meanwhile, went through 4-1 on aggregate, backing up a 1-0 Thursday win against Hurley with a 3-1 success on Saturday.
It was tight going into the final quarter but a Yibbi Jansen drag-flick and stroke – from a retake – killed off the contest in the last nine minutes as the Bilthoven club qualified for their fourth championship final.
The final series will be played next Saturday, May 27 and Monday, May 29.