Lovers of strong emotions and suspense should head to the Belfius Women League where Antwerp and Watducks will fight at a distance for the last qualifying place for the play-off. If the two teams total 35 points, the Antwerp women have a favorable goal average, but they must stuff the Braxgata. The Watducks, who no longer have their fate in hand, go to Victory.
Chronicle by Vincent Vanasch: rivals on Sunday, friends the rest of the time
As for the ION Hockey League, the suspense was intense for 21 days, but it deserted the fields last Sunday. The division conceded by Ghent did the business of Watducks who thought he would be eliminated for a few minutes. Eight days later, there remains a purely mathematical uncertainty around the name of the third and fourth qualified for the play-off. Braxgata and Watducks have a good chance of joining Leopold and Dragons. Ghent will therefore remain left behind.
”Ghent has a one in ten chance of passing”, ventures Leopold player and former Red Lion, Elliot Van Strydonck. “I don't see Ghent in the top 4. It's really hard for them. No one saw it coming.”
Even if the surprises have mushroomed in this exceptional championship, it is unthinkable to imagine a misstep from Braxgata to White Star and Watducks to Victory. The two play-off candidates face two teams who are playing their last match in the ION Hockey League before going down to Division One in September.
”I don’t see the Watducks or the Braxgata cracking on Sunday”, insists the Olympic vice-champion. “The Brax is on a good run. The Watducks are a diligent and disciplined team. I think that Waterloo residents will get a lot of PCs. Charlet will put them on. These guys are smart. I see a one-sided match against a team that has nothing left to play for.”
If the scenario respects sporting logic, the semi-finals will therefore pit Leopold against Watducks and Dragons against Braxgata next week. “We obviously talk about it”, he said. “We are training for our semi-final against the Watducks. On Sunday we will rest seven guys who have taken yellow cards. In training, we work according to Watducks. We will use this Sunday’s game to stay in rhythm.”
For Leopold, the name of the opponent matters little as this team is capable of the best and the worst. Like every year, Leo remains his biggest adversary. This year, no one rivals the offensive stats of Ucclois.
“On paper, we have the best team, but the winner is often the one who wants it the most,” summarizes Elliot Van Strydonck. We learned our lesson from last season. The Watducks had made a lot of tactical changes. We won’t be fooled twice.”
But the players from Avenue Dupuich have had the problem of being qualified for weeks, which has eased the tension and therefore the concentration.
“We were assured very early on of our presence in the play-offs. The flow has changed. It's unconscious. The motivation was different because you lacked a form of pressure. Romain Henet was injured. The group will change with arrivals and departures. We were also disappointed with our campaign in EHL. All these little elements played a role. But here, we feel that we are back on the right path. The switch is just a matter of doing it together. In training, the guys are hypermotivated. We want to have the same rage as that of the Watducks in the semi-final last season.”
Comment: Ghent has joined the Elephant cemetery
White Star – Braxgata Sun 3 p.m.
Orée – Daring Sun 3 p.m.
Racing – Léopold Su 3 p.m.
Uccle Sport – Gantoise Sun 3 p.m.
Herakles – Dragons Sun 3 p.m.
Victory – Watducks Sun 3 p.m.
Ranking
1. Leopold 21 15 4 2 70 36 49
2. Dragons 21 11 6 4 56 31 39
3. Braxgata 21 10 7 4 64 44 37
4. Watducks 21 10 5 6 63 41 35
5. Ghent 21 10 5 6 58 45 35
6. Racing 21 9 6 6 56 41 33
7. Herakles 21 9 4 8 39 41 31
8. Orée 21 8 6 7 52 44 30
9. Uccle Sp. 21 6 7 8 45 54 25
10.Daring 21 5 4 12 41 57 19
11.Victory 21 2 3 16 37 87 9
12. White Star 21 1 3 17 30 90 6
ION Hockey League: the Dragons have a new coach
Belfius Women League, 22nd day
Antwerp – Braxgata Sun 12 p.m.
Racing – Léopold Di 12 p.m.
Herakles – Dragons Sun 12 p.m.
Wellington – Penguin Sun 12 p.m.
Leuven – Ghent Sun 12 p.m.
Victory – Watducks Sun 12 p.m.
Ranking
1. Ghent 21 19 0 2 79 21 57
2. Dragons 21 12 4 5 56 31 40
3. Braxgata 21 11 6 4 39 20 39
4. Antwerp 21 11 2 8 34 40 35
5. Watducks 21 10 5 6 35 32 35
6. Wellington 21 9 4 8 33 32 31
7. Herakles 21 6 7 8 31 35 25
8. Racing 21 7 3 11 34 37 24
9. Leuven 21 6 6 9 33 46 24
10.Victory 21 6 1 14 30 52 19
11. Leopold 21 4 4 13 19 42 16
12. Penguin 21 1 6 14 26 62 9
