Jarige Den Ouden enjoys third European year with ZV De Zaan; ''It’s game time!’’
For ZV De Zaan, tonight marks the start of the second qualifying round of the Euro Cup. In Berlin, they will face the home team Spandau’04, the Greek Ethnikos, the Spanish Catalunya, and the Israeli Hapoel Yoqneam. The teams will play each other once in the German capital.
In the Champions League qualification, the team led by Mick van den Bree defeated Panionois and Rapallo Pallanuoto, entering the qualifying matches with great confidence. Player Lois Den Ouden is celebrating her 20th birthday today and is looking forward to exciting matches.
''The European adventure is super fun and also very educational. It's the third consecutive year that we are playing in Europe with De Zaan, and you can tell that we really improve each year. By playing matches at a higher level throughout the European season, you learn the most. I am super happy that we have been given this opportunity again this year.''
The Zaan team is off to a great start this season with the Super Cup win and an undefeated streak in the cup and the Eredivisie. Last season, the Zaan women's team secured the third place in the Euro Cup after defeating Zuglo. The team from Zaandam will start tonight at 8 p.m. against Hapoel Yoqneam, a team with many Israeli internationals. The Israelis lost all matches in the Champions League qualification competition.
On Friday, the Zaan team will play at 12.00 p.m. against Catalunya. The Zaan defense and goalkeeper Britt van den Dobbelsteen are prepared for a high-scoring Clara Diaz. Despite a poor start in their own league with two losses, the Greek Ethnikos is the biggest competitor in the group. Spandau’04, the strongest team in Germany, is hoping that the home advantage will be in their favor this time, after losing all four of their Champions League qualification matches in Berlin three weeks ago, including to Catalunya. The match against the home team is on Sunday at 12 p.m.
According to Van den Ouden, the team has a clear mission. ''Our goal is to top the group, it won't be easy, and we really need to play well and stay focused. There is definitely a positive atmosphere in the group. Everyone is very excited for a weekend with high-level matches. We're ready for it!''
A total of 14 teams are participating in the qualifying round. In addition to De Zaan's group, there will be groups with four and five teams competing for the next phase of the Euro Cup. The top three teams from the groups of five and the top two teams from the group of four will advance to the quarterfinals (November 16 and 30). The semifinals will take place in January and February 2025, followed by the final matches in March and April 2025.
Full Schedule:
Thursday, October 24, 8 p.m. ZV De Zaan - Hapoel Yoqneam
Friday, October 25, 12 p.m. Catalunya – ZV De Zaan
Saturday, October 26, 3 p.m. Ethnikos – ZV De Zaan
Sunday, October 27, 12 p.m. Spandau – ZV De Zaan
During the qualification tournament, all results and standings can be found on this page. Here is the livestream link.
