After months in which it was mainly about the unsafe climate in the Orange under national coach Alyson Annan, the hockey players seemed to be freed from a leaden burden this weekend. Jamilon Mülders, Annan’s former assistant and now the new national coach, sent his team onto the Amstelveen artificial grass on Saturday and Sunday with just one message: don’t forget to enjoy yourself.
And it was enjoyed. The smile was back on the faces of the players, as the 2,500 spectators could observe. Saturday’s 3-0 win was followed by a double-digit victory a day later.
Low risk
Mülders had changed his selection in two places compared to the day before. Stella van Gils and Marloes Keetels made way for Tessa Clasener and Pleun van der Plas. The statistics made it clear that the trainer ran little risk.
Not only has the Orange never lost a home game in the Pro League, it also won the previous eleven international matches against the United States. During the last meeting, on American soil, the Netherlands triumphed 9-0.
In the 35th game that the Orange squad played in the Pro League, the penalty corner was central in the first half. The Netherlands was allowed to moor four times from the head of the circle before the break and signed for a score of 75 percent.
In the tenth minute it was Yibbi Jansen who scored successfully, an example that was followed nine minutes later by Renée van Laarhoven. It was the first time in sixteen international matches that she found the net. The same Jansen determined the halftime score at 3-0 from a short corner.
