DVO win derby at Dalto 18‑25, Meerkerk scores ten

The hall in Driebergen was full, and DVO came from Bennekom to the derby with a bus full of supporters. Neither team had won after the first round: DVO lost 27‑28 to DOS '46, Dalto drew 21‑21 at TOP.

Jill Heijink and Koen Bückmann started for Dalto, in their first indoor match for the club. DVO, with coaches Jeroen van Brakel and Reinier Rense, started with Jessie Heuveling, Daniëlle Boadi, Menno van der Neut and Koen van Roekel in one zone and Robbe de Wit, Roos Scherrenburg, Annelie de Korte and Gertjan Meerkerk in the other.

"We have to keep hanging in there, so to speak. And try to knock them out of their rhythm and just be good ourselves", Dalto coach Jesper Oele said beforehand. He also saw an opportunity: "DVO is a team that doesn't shift the play all that much."

Read more: DVO begin their title defence with more options than in Ahoy

Dalto come back twice

Van der Neut opened the scoring from a free pass. After 1‑1, DVO pulled away with three goals in a row to 1‑4 in the 7th minute.

From 3‑5, Dalto scored three goals in a row and went 6‑5 up in the 12th minute through a run-in by Fenna Cavelaars. It was Dalto's only lead of the match.

DVO hit back with four goals in a row, to 6‑9 in the 19th minute. After his goal for 6‑7, Van der Neut clenched his fist towards the DVO crowd. Once again Dalto came back with three goals in a row. Rene Siedsma made it 8‑9 and 9‑9 with a short shot and a long shot, in the 20th minute.

At 6‑8, Dalto had already taken debutant Bückmann off for Gideon Gort.

At 11‑11, in the 25th minute, the scores were level for the last time. Meerkerk then put DVO 11‑13 up with a penalty and a long shot, the half-time score. By then he had six.

Four in a row after the break

Van der Neut scored the first goal after the break with a run-in: 11‑14. After a penalty by Cavelaars, 13‑15, DVO pulled away with four goals in a row to 13‑19 in the 32nd minute.

At 13‑17, Dalto brought on Joost Wattel to defend Meerkerk. Shortly afterwards Meerkerk still scored his eighth and ninth goals.

"In the second half Meerkerk really lets loose", Oele said afterwards.

DVO did not score between the 38th and the 45th minute. Dalto scored one goal in that phase, from Gort: 15‑21.

Dalto then also brought Dennis Noordermeer onto the court, and Enza Bulterman for Heijink.

In the 45th minute Daniëlle Boadi scored the second goal by a DVO woman with a long shot: 15‑22. In the 47th minute DVO led by eight goals at 15‑23, the biggest margin of the match. Gort scored the last goal of the match: 18‑25.

Ten for Meerkerk

Meerkerk was the top scorer of the match with ten goals, Van der Neut scored six. For Dalto, Cavelaars and Siedsma scored four each. Both teams converted five penalties.

New signing Jessie Heuveling scored three goals for DVO, all three from the spot.

"Those girls kept us in the game impressively, I thought", Oele said. About his forwards he said: "Mathijs and Bas had a tough time."

"In the end it got pretty big", said captain Siedsma. He saw "an unleashed Gertjan Meerkerk".

At DVO, Van der Neut pointed to the defence. "Robbe's zone really kept them shut out well and I think that's what brought the win", he said. About the hall in Driebergen he said: "I quite like this little hall."

What's next

Dalto play at Fortuna on Friday 20 November at 20:30. DVO host DeetosSnel on Saturday 21 November at 19:30. "Nice of course, against our old coaches again", said Van der Neut.

"Fortuna is one of the better teams defensively in that respect", Oele said about the next opponent. Siedsma: "Fortuna is of course a really good opponent. But still, you can get points there too if you play well."

The previous meeting between the two, in March, was won 20‑24 by DVO in Driebergen.