The overall score of 19:5 in favour of EVZ in the three games of the semi-final series against HC Fribourg-Gottéron Ladies could lead to the wrong conclusions. Despite Zug’s superior play, it took a lot of passion and resilience to make it straight to the playoff final. “There were challenges that we overcame by sticking together as a team,” says Zug striker Luisa Waser, adding: “Fribourg certainly challenged us, especially in terms of physical play.” The unusually high number of penalty minutes against the EVZ, which rose significantly in the three games: from 4 to 6 to 12 minutes, also testifies to this. As Rahel Enzler mentioned in the run-up to the game, for example, Fribourg were keen to disrupt Zug’s flow of play by constantly seeking physical contact. According to Enzler, the recipe for success was to hold out as a team and concentrate on their own performance.
That almost always worked in the semi-final series. However, after the 7:0 win in the opener, some carelessness set in. In the second match, the EVZ suffered an occasionally careless middle third with disastrous generosity – and the punishment followed on the heels: After 40 minutes, the score was 3:3; in the end, however, the visitors won 5:3.Nevertheless, there was a need for dialogue after that game: “We talked a lot about what we needed to do so that we could put in our best performance from the start on Tuesday,” says striker Jael Manetsch, adding: “I’m proud of the way each individual reflected on how best to prepare for the game. That’s how we were able to play our game again in the third game.”
