League Play-Off

Espelo
Spectators: 35 (Terracing: 27, Seating: 8, VIP seats: 0) The sun was shining, the grass was green and the audience cheered when Gerrit Kersten got the match started through his kick off. Thanks to some nice foot action and superb ball handling Arjan Bartels in the 3rd minute a chance for a shot on goal. With an extended leg and a bit of luck Kelvin van Harten prevented the ball from getting in the gole. Jef Aerssen hit a great freekick 4 minutes into the match. Gerrit Kersten recieved an excellent pass in front of the goal in the 6th minute. Unfortunately, he received the ball on his off foot and could only manage a weak shot that went over the goal. An unexpectedly hard shot by Rafael Moorman in the 15th minute of play forced Mataram's goalkeeper Donald van Baarle to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Arjan Bartels sent away a hard shot on goal in the 17th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. An unexpectedly hard shot by Rafael Moorman in the 20th minute of play forced Mataram's goalkeeper Donald van Baarle to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. When Jef Aerssen came up free with the goalie in the 23rd minute, the Espelo HC fans jumped to their feet. But the shot missed the goal by a fraction of an inch, and the fans sat back down disappointed that Jef Aerssen couldn't finish the play. Kelvin van Harten showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Arjan Bartels in the 27th minute of the match. 30 minutes into the match, Gerrit Kersten had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Kelvin van Harten. Espelo HC's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Gerrit Kersten was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 0-2. Arjan Bartels fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 34th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Kelvin van Harten having to interfere. Rafael Moorman blasted a shot towards the goal in the 43rd minute, but the shot hit the top of the crossbar and went out without Donald van Baarle having to make a save. The crowd was extremely unhappy with the home team's performance in the first half. They were losing 0-2.

The players of the home team were most fresh-looking when they entered the field to play the second half. Rafael Moorman was the one to do the kick off. Arjan Bartels was really disappointed when he shot the ball just outside the right post instead of scoring a goal in the 56th minute. Mataram's manager could be seen on the sidelines shaking his head and muttering to himself as his team had just wasted another chance. 57 minutes into the game, Wim Roelofsen was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. Espelo HC's manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave Mataram the free kick. In the 57th minute, Wim Roelofsen hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. In the 60th minute, Espelo HC's goalie took a deep sigh of relief after Arjan Bartels fired away a hard shot that went just outside the left post. Donald van Baarle showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Rafael Moorman in the 66th minute of the match. Klaas Boeringe hit a great freekick 68 minutes into the match. After having played for 69 minutes, Gerrit Kersten managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Mataram's supporters crossed their fingers, but Gerrit Kersten was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. With a couple of smart ball manuevers Gerrit Kersten in the 71st managed to get into a good position. With a left leg Kelvin van Harten saved Espelo HC from getting behind. After having played for 74 minutes, Rafael Moorman managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Espelo HC's supporters crossed their fingers, but Rafael Moorman was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. Arjan Bartels fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 82nd minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Kelvin van Harten having to interfere. In the 85th minute, Rafael Moorman got an opportunity to score, but he didn't get a solid hit on the ball and ended up kicking it wide of the goal. Kelvin van Harten took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Gerrit Kersten, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Kelvin van Harten was in the perfect position, and the defense had done a good job marking him, but Gerrit Kersten showcased his skills and made a perfect shot to score 0-3 in the 90 minute of play. With a little luck, Espelo HC's Kelvin van Harten got control of the ball when Arjan Bartels tried to sneak it across the goal line. The audience thought a goal was coming when Arjan Bartels got free with Kelvin van Harten in the 98th minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. The referee blew the final whistle, and the away crowd roared, having watched Mataram eke out a victory against a very well matched opponent.