Blauw-Wit win 11‑16 at KCC after trailing 6‑2

Blauw-Wit and KCC both started the indoor competition with a revamped squad. Blauw-Wit were relegated from the Korfbal League last season, while KCC lost, among others, Stephan den Boer, Adriënne van Ofwegen and Sydney Schol.

Wilrik Wassink, one of KCC's three head coaches, named staying up in the indoor season as the goal beforehand. "And that will be a challenge", he said. "But we are going to do everything we can for it."

Maarten van Vliet, the coach of Blauw-Wit, set the bar higher. "Top 4, I think, is what we have to reach", he said; he called the top 6 "very realistic". According to him, the goals now have to be spread over more players, because it was mainly scoring players who left.

Read more: Korfbal League 2 has ten teams, with Blauw-Wit and DSC from the League

KCC had three newcomers in their first defence. Ryan de Jonge came from Zuid'27, Jesca van Grieken from IJsselvogels, and Lieke Oggel, who joined from Erasmus, was back after an injury. Blauw-Wit started with Bjarne Zeegers, Thijs van der Zaag, Esmée Wagenaar and Joni v.d. Kuil in attack.

KCC start with 6‑2

KCC came out of the blocks strongly. Stefan Dekkers opened the scoring and also made it 2‑0. After 2‑1 from Randell van der Steen, Timo van Dieren and Roel Visser shot the home side to 4‑1, Visser with a long shot from almost the sideline.

Linda van der Wal made it 5‑2, but Van Dieren converted the first free pass of the match. That made it 6‑2 after just over nine minutes.

After that, KCC stalled. Blauw-Wit were stuck on two goals for a long time, until Zeegers scored from a somewhat longer distance after a long attack. He also made it 6‑4, Van der Wal converted a free pass for 6‑5 and Enzo van Beugen levelled the score: 6‑6.

KCC brought on Demi van Oosten for Sanne Smaal, and her first shot went straight in: 7‑6. Blauw-Wit made it 7‑7 with a run-in, after which Famke Doves put the visitors ahead for the first time from the penalty spot. The teams went into half-time at 7‑8.

Five in a row after the break

Doves opened the second half with another penalty: 7‑9. It was the second penalty conceded by Van Oosten.

Shortly afterwards, Van Oosten landed awkwardly on her ankle and the match was stopped. She walked to the side with a slight limp. Floor Dorsman, back at KCC after a number of years at TOP, came on for her, and Smaal returned for Oggel.

Wagenaar left Smaal behind and made it 7‑10. Van der Zaag converted a penalty for 7‑11.

Via 7‑12, Blauw-Wit pulled away to 7‑13, the visitors' fifth goal in a row after the break. Halfway through the second half, KCC had still not scored. Meanwhile, Yael Duursma came on for Doves at Blauw-Wit.

Under the basket, Van der Zaag kept De Jonge away from the rebound well. That helped Blauw-Wit keep their attacks going for a long time.

KCC do not come back

After a time-out, Visser made it 8‑13, his third goal and KCC's first after the break, with eleven minutes left to play. Zeegers restored the six-goal gap with 8‑14, after which Doves returned for Duursma.

Van Dieren made it 9‑14 and Van Beugen 9‑15. With 10‑15 from Dekkers, KCC reached double figures.

At that point, Visser, Dekkers and Van Dieren had each scored three times. Van Oosten's goal was the only one by KCC's women up to then.

With one minute left to play, the score was 11‑15. Van der Wal then scored the last goal of the match: 11‑16.

What's next

There were no interviews afterwards. Earlier that afternoon, Blauw-Wit 2 had already won 17‑24 at KCC 2.

KCC play away at Wageningen next week and at home against Spirit from Voorthuizen the week after.