Sabadell and Mataro are to meet in the women’s Division de Honor final for a third straight season after both secured 2-0 wins in their semi-finals against Mediterrani and Sant Andreu respectively.
After both securing wins in the home legs of the semi-finals, both sides, who finished level on points in the regular season, won away from home to set up another mouth-watering contest between Spains and Europe’s two best teams.
Sabadell are looking for a 20th Spanish title, while Mataro look for only their second league triumph. Sabadell have won eleven of the last twelve titles, and have never lost to Mataro in nine previous Division de Honor finals.
16th May – Game 1 – Astralpool Sabadell vs CN Mataro 18th May – Game 2 – CN Mataro vs Astralpool Sabadell 20th May – Game 3* – Astralpool Sabadell vs CN Mataro *Third game if needed.
2022/2023 Spanish Women’s League, play-offs, semi-finals
CE Mediterrani 10 – 17 Astralpool Sabadell (1-3, 3-3, 1-6, 5-5)
Mediterrani: O. Gonzalez, A. Munoz 1, A. Crevier, A. Marcos 1, V. Bakoc, P. Prats, C. Espar 2, D. Moreno 3, M. Viladot 1, C. Rodriguez, P. Crespi 1, S. Lizotte 1, G. Palm.
Sabadell: L. Ester, M. Ortiz, P. Leiton 3, S. Van der Sloot 1, I. Casado 2, M. Steffens 3, E. Ruiz, M. Garcia 3, J. Forca 2, B. Ortiz 1, N. Perez, I. Gonzalez 2, M. Carrasco.
CN Sant Andreu 14 – 16 CN Mataro (3-5, 3-3, 4-5, 4-3)
Sant Andreu: A. Lorca, A. Ros Rego, N. Perez 1, Q. Boixadera, G. La Farre Colominas 2, H. Shabb 3, M. Cordobes 2, E. Lemay-Lavoie 1, I. Martinez, T. Prentice, M. Palacio, A. Ruiz 3, M. Terre.
Mataro: E. Sanchez, S. Morell, S. Van de Kraats 3, A. Gual 2, V. Sevenich 3, R. Keszthelyi-Nagy 4, C. Cambray 1, C. Nogue, S. Avegno 1, Q. Bertran 2, A. Espar, M. Claveria, E. Herrera.
As anticipated, Sabadell and Mataro are set to face off in the Spanish Championship finals, for a third season in a row, after both teams secured victories in their respective semi-final matches.
Reigning champions Sabadell showcased their dominance in the tournament by beating Mediterrani 17-10 at Josep Valles in the second semi-final. The team’s stellar performance was led by hat-tricks from Paula Leiton, Maggie Steffens, and Maica Garcia, who spearheaded Sabadell’s control of the game from the onset.
Although Mediterrani managed to narrow the gap to 6-4 at half-time, Sabadell responded with six consecutive scores in the second half (Forca 2, Steffens, Gonzalez, Leiton, and Casado) to put the game out of reach.
Sabadell sealed the deal in the final period, with two of their five remaining goals coming from the 5m penalty line. Mediterrani’s retiring captain Sarah Lizotte salvaged a penalty in her last game for the club.
In the second semi-final match, Mataro triumphed over Sant Andreu after a closely contested game.
Dani Ballart’s team never relinquished their lead, but they had to stay focused in the closing moments of the game. Sant Andreu closed the gap to a single score with 2:08 left on the clock (14-13) after Mataro had led by four goals at the start of the final quarter. However, two goals in two attacks from Mataro’s Bertran and Sevenich sealed the deal and delivered the killer blow to Javi Aznar’s Sant Andreu.
Read more about the Women’s Water Polo in Spain
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