«It’s incredible what’s happened this year,» says Annic Büchi, defender of the EVZ Women’s Team. She played in the U18 World Championship in January – her third – won the bronze medal in the Swiss championship with the Thurgau Ladies, moved to Zug and made her debut in the senior national team. She also played for EHC Winterthur’s top U17 team.
Büchi’s highlight? «The switch from boys’ field hockey in Winterthur to semi-professional women’s field hockey was mega cool. I was also pleased that I made the direct jump from the U18s to the senior team.» And that’s not all: Annic Büchi scored her first goal for Switzerland in mid-December at the five-nation tournament in Sweden with a shot from the blue line. «On a good pass from Lara Stalder, which made it all the more beautiful,» says Büchi, praising her Zug team-mate.
She will not only have special memories of 2023 in sporting terms. She celebrated her 18th birthday at the beginning of April. She is now allowed to drive. «That helps me a lot to save time and attend more training sessions.» Annic Büchi often drives from her home near Winterthur to Kreuzlingen, where she attends a sports class at the Kanti.
What is her wish for the coming year? «It would be great if things could continue in the same vein.» Her goals with the EVZ Women’s Team are promotion to the PostFinance Women’s League and reaching the final tournament for the Swiss Cup in Lucerne. Thanks to the 6:0 win against Fribourg-Gottéron, the Zug team is a big step closer to this goal. It was the last game of the year; a year that was eventful for the EVZ Women’s Team in general and for Annic Büchi in particular.