We participated in the European Championship qualifiers in the north of France, in the small town of Douai. After traveling by small buses from Basel, some by train from Western Switzerland, and others arriving individually, we all gathered at our hotel on Tuesday evening, August 20th. After dinner, we kicked off the tournament with a team meeting. Wednesday was a free day, which we spent doing a light strength session and a field acclimatization training.

With a young team and some newcomers to a women’s tournament, the atmosphere was lively and positive, but there was a palpable sense of excitement. This was heightened by the fact that we were facing Ukraine in a knockout match on Thursday at 3:15 PM. With tactical discussions and preparations from our previous games against Poland and Austria, we were well-prepared and knew that we would have to fight hard and counterattack to secure victory! We started the game well, played courageously, and managed to create several chances through counterattacks, but unfortunately, we couldn’t capitalize on them. A moment of inattention cost us the first goal (0-1), and shortly after, we conceded again (0-2). A penalty corner allowed us to reduce the deficit to 1-2, but a weak second half meant we couldn’t turn the game around, and we had to accept a 1-4 loss, giving Ukraine a direct path to the B-Division. Our path was now clear: with wins against Luxembourg on Friday and Turkey on Sunday, we could still claim 5th place and secure a spot in the B-Division.

We set our sights on that goal. Against Luxembourg, we took our chances and played with full intensity, securing a commanding 14-0 victory, which boosted our confidence. Saturday was a rest day, filled with physiotherapy and watching one of the day’s matches. Unfortunately, we were hit with two ankle ligament injuries and a broken thumb, but this only fueled our determination. We wanted to show Turkey, a team we had faced many times before, what we were capable of and claim 5th place. With a kickoff time of 9:30 AM, our day began early at 5:30 AM with a morning activation session, featuring a few tired and not-so-happy faces due to the early hour. The schedule included breakfast, packing, loading the cars, and a team meeting before heading to the field for the final and most important match of the tournament.

We started the game well but found ourselves down 0-1 by the end of the first quarter. The game remained balanced, and we were able to create chances while increasingly denying theirs. It wasn’t until the 27th minute that we equalized through a penalty corner, and that gave us momentum. In the next two minutes, another corner and a penalty stroke allowed us to take a 3-1 lead into halftime. Many things were going well, but we needed to maintain our energy and focus, which we struggled with briefly after the half, allowing Turkey to score from a corner to make it 3-2. However, we quickly regained control, defended further corners well, and Ursina in goal even saved a penalty stroke, keeping us firmly in the game. Through long passes, we created good attacking opportunities and extended our lead to 5-2, which we increased to 6-2 just five minutes before the final whistle. Then came the final horn, and the game was over. We had done it! For the first time since 2011, the women’s national team will compete in the B-Division again in the summer of 2025!

We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to our staff, Mathias, Linda, Constance, Wouter, and Martina, who guided and supported us on this journey 😊 THANK YOU!