Pinoké to play-offs, EHL ticket Oranje-Rood

HDM - Pinoké 2-3
After Oranje-Rood and Rotterdam, Pinoké also secured participation in the play-offs. Coach Kasper Vrolijk's team won 3-2 against HDM in The Hague.

Pinoké took the lead after only seven minutes through Jack Waller. After half-time, Yorben Fontaine equalised, but Joep Troost put the visitors 1-2 up from a penalty corner. HDM pulled its goalkeeper to the side, which Thies Prinz took advantage of: the German slid the ball into the empty goal for 1-3. Chris Taberima brought the tension back with a penalty corner, but Pinoké kept the narrow lead until the final signal.

It was Pinoké's fourth win in a row. HDM lost for the fifth time in a row and dropped to tenth place. It is two points behind new number nine Schaerweijde.

Hurley - Oranje-Rood 0-1
Leaders Oranje-Rood had their hands full with straggler Hurley. Without club top scorer Struan Walker and goalkeeper Tomas Santiago, coach Ageeth Boomgaardt's team won 1-0. The only goal was scored by Borja Lacalle, who tapped the ball into the Hurley goal between his legs.

The victory secured Oranje-Rood first place in the regular league. As a result, the Eindhoven side will play in the EHL next season. It was not only the sixth win in a row for the still unbeaten Oranje-Rood, but also the sixteenth of the season. The team thus equalled the club record from the 2023-2024 season.

Hurley suffered its ninth defeat in the last ten games and must win next week against direct competitors Laren to avoid direct relegation. The difference between the two teams is one point.

Schaerweijde - Laren 4-3
The joy was great in the Zeister Kuil for all and sundry who were in favour of Schaerweijde. Razwan Ahmed's team won 4-3 over Laren and moved up to the safe ninth spot in the league table.

The home team ran out to a 4-0 lead, but almost saw that margin disappear like snow in the closing stages. After three defeats in a row, Schaerweijde finally won again.

With one round to go, the team has a two-point lead over HDM, which is now in tenth place. Laren suffered its tenth defeat in a row and has been waiting for a win for thirteen matches. Next week, the number eleven hosts straggler Hurley. That match will decide the battle for direct relegation. Laren will then defend a point lead over Hurley.

Kampong - Den Bosch 6-5
With five goals, Jip Janssen had a huge part in Kampong's 6-5 victory over Den Bosch. It was the second time the penalty corner specialist scored five or more goals in one game. The only other time was on a visit to Voordaan (4 March 2023), when he scored seven times during a 12-0 win.

Janssen's goal tally gave Kampong its fourth win in a row. For the visitors, Timo Boers scored three times, bringing his season total to 30. The defeat, after a run of eight unbeaten away games, dropped Den Bosch to fifth place, two points off new number four Amsterdam.

For Kampong icon Sander de Wijn, his last match at the Klapperboom left a bitter aftertaste: he fell out with an injury and left the pitch with tears in his eyes.

Rotterdam - Amsterdam 2-3
After five matches without success, Amsterdam won again against Rotterdam. At the Schouten Zekerheid Stadium, the home team was beaten 3-2. The reigning national champions got off to a fine start and led 0-2 after the first quarter thanks to goals by Sam Steins Bisschop (rebound from a penalty corner) and Boris Burkhardt (penalty corner).

Pepijn van der Heijden reduced the deficit from a penalty corner, but two minutes later Mustapha Cassiem restored the margin of two after a mistake in Rotterdam's defence. Timme van der Heijden brought the tension back with a fine tip-in, but no more goals were scored in the final quarter.

The win lifted Amsterdam to fourth place in the rankings, at the expense of Den Bosch. The difference between the two teams is two points in favour of the Amsterdammers.

Rotterdam suffered only its second defeat in the last nine matches. Coach Erik van Driel's team did improve a club record: Rotterdam stands at 83 goals so far, a tightening of the record from the 2016-2017 season, when the team scored 82 times in 22 matches.

Bloemendaal - Klein Zwitserland 1-0
A goal by Jan van 't Land decided the match at 't Kopje in favour of the home team. Since the 2-3 defeat on 11 May 1997, The Mussen are now eighteen home games unbeaten against Klein Zwitserland.

The visitors suffered their 300th defeat in the Tulp Hoofdklasse, in their 923rd league game. It was also the fifth defeat in the last nine league games for Klein Zwitserland.

Despite the victory, Bloemendaal no longer stand a chance of winning a ticket for the playoffs. It is only the third time in history that The Mussen have missed the playoffs. The last time was in the 2015-2016 season.