Merle Heidergott scored three very important goals in the closing stages. (Oliver Baumgart/hansepixx)
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Bremen. At the start of the new sporting year, the second division handball players of SV Werder Bremen caused a huge surprise and narrowly defeated the favored fourth place HC Leipzig with 32:31 (17:14). For the relegation-threatened SVW it was the second win of the season in the eleventh game and at the same time the first home win of the current series. “Of course I am happy that we have now won our first home win. We were focused right from the start and coped well with the hectic phase in the second half, ”said Werder coach Robert Nijdam after a very appealing second division game. “Leipzig were strong opponents, it was an attractive game with a better ending for us.”
And what an end! Werder had always been in the lead in the first half and after the break, thanks to a good goalkeeper Danique Trooster, pulled away to 23:17 (39th). The throwing quota was correct up to this point in time, and the agile and attentive defense had succeeded in preventing the dreaded Leipzig tempo game. As a result, however, mistakes in concentration crept into the ranks of the green-whites. Slight ball losses invited the opponent to light hits. After the 25:21 by the strong Maren Gajewski (44th), the former first division team caught up goal after goal and took the lead for the first (and only) time in this game at 26:25 through Lilli Röpcke (51st). Werder held against it, however. Also thanks to Merle Heidergott, who showed enormous self-confidence with her three goals in the final phase with a 100 percent hit rate. It was Heidergott who scored at 31:30 for Werder, while Gajewski counterattacked the 32:30 (59th). Leipzig made another connection, but it wasn’t enough for more.
Werder started a small series with this win and has now scored five points from three games. It is essential to build on this series in the next two games. The twelfth of the table will face the direct relegation competitors HSG Freiburg (A / January 16) and TVB Wuppertal (H / January 23).
SV Werder: Trooster, Nigbur – Heidergott (3), Pods, Conze, Engel (7), Thomas (3), Nesslage (4/3), Seidel (1), Engelke (4), Gajewski (7), Sposato, Fröhlich, Döpke , Defayay (3).
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