Frédérique Matla’s last second penalty corner handed Den Bosch their 20th Dutch national championship title as they recorded back-to-back 1-0 wins over AH&BC Amsterdam.
She whipped home the corner in the last play of a pulsating final to make it a perfect season for the Brabant club, adding to their EHL Women’s gold and their top spot in the Hoofdklasse regular season.
It provided the perfect sign-off for coach Raoul Ehren who finished off with yet another title following his illustrious 13-year stint in charge, landing nine Dutch championships and seven European crowns.
It was also time for Ireen van den Assem to say goodbye to the club which she joined in 2010. Despite injury, Ehren allowed her a spot on the subs bench as a tribute.
There was a downside, though, as Lidewij Welten went off injured with three minutes to go following a collision with Floor de Haan which has imperiled her involvement in the European Championships.
For Amsterdam’s part, they pushed hard but could not land the vital blow and so were left to play second fiddle to Den Bosch yet again this season.
It meant no perfect send-off for their departing players Charlotte Adegeest, Kimberly Thompson and Eva de Goede who announced on Monday morning she would be joining HGC.