The Netherlands have named ‘two’ squads for the upcoming World Cup fixtures later this month, with Dutch head coach Eva Doudesis opting for a rotation policy to share playing time among a his players.
A total of eighteen players will be used over the course of the two tournaments in April, with three players alternating for the first tournament in Rotterdam (11th -13th April), and the second event six days later in Athens (19th-21st April).
The pressure is on for the Orange Dames, who will play in front of a home crowd for the first time in this competition’s history (World League prior to 2023). This is also the first major tournament in the city since the Olympic Qualification Tournament in February 2021. Despite a decent first half of 2022, with the Netherlands winning gold at the World League Euro Finals in Tenerife, and a bronze medal at the World Championships in Budapest, the Dutch have only managed two fourth-place finishes in their last two major tournaments (European Championships, Split and World League Super Finals, Tenerife).
There are no major surprises in terms of personnel in the team. Sharp-shooters Brigitte Sleeking and Lola Moolhuijzen will provide the threat as two of the Eredivisie’s best scorers, while Maartje Keuning, Kitty Joustra, Iris Wolves, Bente Rogge and Nina Ten Broek make up an incredibly strong squad. Three players – Sabrina Van der Sloot (Sabadell), Vivian Sevenich, and Simone Van de Kraats (Mataro) – will appear later today in the all-Spanish Women’s Champions League final.
Laura Aarts will keep her place in goal, while Britt Van den Dobbelsteen and Sarah Buis will alternate for each competition. Lieke Rogge, who has impressed all season long with De Zaan, is the sole debutant this time around.
Maxine Schaap and Rozanne Voorvelt will both appear in Rotterdam, but Fleurien Bosveld and Marit Van der Weijden are preferred for the tournament in Athens. Maud Koopman, Ilse Koolhaas and Noa De Vries are left at home.
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