The Borussia Dortmund women’s handball team continued their flawless start and cemented themselves in second place in the Women’s Handball Bundesliga table behind Thüringer HC with a comfortable 32-27 (17-13) win against VfL Oldenburg, who held their own for much of the game. In what was the second home game of the 2022/23 Bundesliga season, 510 spectators were in attendance to witness the team claim their second home win.
Captain Alina Grijseels, who scored 10 goals, was the standout performer against the cup finalists from Lower Saxony. Dana Bleckmann and Lisa Antl produced a strong showing as pivots and in the central block alongside Swede Emma Olsson. Goalkeeper Yara ten Holte was also in sparkling form and made numerous saves.
Interim boss Andreas Kuno, who again took his place in the dugout alongside Dominik Schlechter, had issued warnings about the young and physically robust side from Northern Germany in the run-up to the game. The question was whether BVB could again compensate for the absence of backcourt player Harma van Kreij, who was still sidelined with a ligament injury. It quickly became clear that it would not be easy against Oldenburg, who levelled at 3-3 through Luisa Reinemann after five minutes and exploited BVB’s defensive weaknesses. With 10 minutes on the clock, the visitors even found themselves 5-4 ahead.
When Kuno called the first time-out on the quarter-hour mark, BVB had both scored and conceded eight goals. A switch in the central block had an instant positive impact, Kuno having put Emma Olsson alongside the outstanding Lisa Antl. BVB were already 12-9 up by the 21st minute. The women’s handballers continued to improve defensively and had extended their lead to 17-13 by the interval, though that was partly down to the interventions of goalkeeper Yaya ten Holte, who made a sensational save to deny Jane Martens as she went clean through on the stroke of half-time and ensure the cushion remained at four goals at the break.
But BVB were not over the line yet. The Dortmund ladies spent the opening five minutes of the second half in pursuit of the first goal. When Oldenburg scored via a seven-metre throw from Luisa Knippert to pull it back to 17-15, the lead was down to two goals. Dana Bleckmann ended that barren spell by making it 18-15 (35:39).
The remaining 20 minutes ended up being easier for BVB. When Lisa Antl upped the lead to 25-17 in the 41st minute following a great ball from Dana Bleckmann, the game was as good as over. By the time Lena Hausherr made it 30-24 in the 56th minute, BVB’s fourth win of the season was well and truly in the bag.
Due to the European Championships, the next home game will not be until 27 November against TuS Metzingen.
BVB: ten Holte, Moth; Grijseels (10/2), Sprengers (1), Kusian (4), Antl (3), Ossenkopp, Sasaki, Olsson (1), Rønning (3), Stens, Hausherr (4), Bleckmann (6), Garovic
Source: BVB
