GZC Donk won its 8th title in the championships of the Netherlands.
The Gouda-based team was better than ZV De Zaan in the final (best of three) last weekend. There were no away wins in the final. GZC Donk, the 1st-placed team in the regular season, won 1st match in Gouda (8:3). ZV De Zaan, which won the Dutch Cup earlier this season, leveled the score in the series with a 19:11 victory in Zaandam and the series returned to Gouda. GZC Donk recorded an 11:9 victory in the third game and returned to the throne after 2021.
Last season, Het Ravijn won the title. However, Het Ravijn didn’t have a good season. It finished the league in 8th place and was eliminated in the eight-finals of the playoffs after two losses to GZC Donk
2022/23 Dutch Men’s League, Playoffs, Final (best of three)
Match 1
GZC Donk – ZV De Zaan 8:3 (4:1, 3:1, 1:0, 0:1).
GZC Donk: Van der Weijden 3, Veenhuis 2, Brugue 2, T. Schouwerwou 1.
ZV De Zaan: Janssen 1, Rempt 1, Meijn 1.
The opening match of the final lacked excitement. GZC Donk’s defense was almost perfect. Its goalkeeper Westerveld displayed excellent performance. The hosts led 7:2 at halftime. After that, both teams were in their minds in the second game.
Match 2
ZV De Zaan – GZC Donk 19:11 (3:3, 7:5, 6:1, 3:2).
ZV De Zaan: Corver 5, Brantjes 4, Mandolini 3, Janssen 2, Meijn 2, Van der Struijk 1, Lucas 1, Rempt 1.
GZC Donk: Van Ijperen 3, Sjardijn 3, Van der Weijden 2, Brugue 1, Van den Heuvel 1, Terlouw 1.
After only 11 goals in the first encounter, the duel in Zaandam produced 30 goals. Eighteen were scored in the first half. ZV De Zaan led 10:8 at halftime. The hosts doubled the advantage to 12:8. After that, the visitors left without two key players in a short time. Gus van Ijperen was red-carded. Shortly after, Kjed Veenhuis committed his third personal foul. ZV De Zaan continued its series goals and went to 14:8. The visitors reduced the gap, but the hosts streched the margin to seven (16:9), and everything was decided.
Match 3
GZC Donk – ZV De Zaan 11:9 (3:2, 5:2, 2:2, 1:3).
GZC Donk: Van der Weijden 3, Van Ijperen 3, T.Schouwerwou 3, D.Schouwerwou 1, Sjardijn 1.
ZV De Zaan: Corver 2, Janssen 2, Brantjes 2, Rempt 1, Meijn 1, Mandolini 1.
The third and decisive match was very similar to the first duel in Gouda. The hosts built a big advantage in the first half. The second quarter was crucial. At the first break, GZC Donk had a slim 3:2 lead. The hosts extended their advantage to four by halftime (8:4). The visitors narrowed the distance twice in the third quarter (5:8 and 6:9), but GZC headed into the first quarter with a 4-goal lead (10:6) and held back ZV De Zaan’s comeback attempt.
Read more about the Dutch League
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