Field hockey DHM in Kahlenberg

The Kahlenberger HTC hosted the German University Hockey Championships this year. Five women's and eight men's teams were welcomed to Mühlheim an der Ruhr.

The tournament began on Friday 6.7.18 at 12 noon with the drawing of the groups. The eight men's teams were drawn into two groups, with the first two teams after the group stage playing in the semi-finals, final and third-place match. The draw meant that WG Karlsruhe started this year's DHM as underdogs alongside Uni Ruhr-West, Bonn I and TU Berlin.

The opening match against the favored Uni Ruhr-West was decided clearly in Karlsruhe's favor with 7:2 after a thrilling game. After just a short breather, their opponents were Bonn I. With a win in the second game, the Karlsruhe team could secure their semi-final ticket early. Despite the scorching midday sun, Karlsruhe quickly took control of the game and created numerous chances. However, in contrast to the first game, the chances were few and far between. As a result, the score was only 1:0 at half-time and Karlsruhe's goal threat did not improve, allowing Bonn to equalize shortly before the end to make the final score 1:1. Based on the results of the other matches, it was clear before the last game that Berlin and Karlsruhe would reach the semi-finals. The last match of the evening decided who would win the group. The strong team from the capital city, made up of first and second division players, took the lead after a short time. Despite Karlsruhe's highly motivated attitude, they were unable to equalize. Shortly before the end, Berlin won the exciting game after scoring two goals in succession. On Saturday morning, Karlsruhe, second in the group, played the semi-final against Aachen, first in the second group. After a very even first half (2:2), the physically stronger Aachen team won the semi-final 5:2.

Despite the defeat in the semi-final, a place on the podium was possible with a win in the match for third place against Sporthochschule Köln. Thanks to a strong fighting performance and the cheering on of the crowd, Karlsruhe, who were inferior in terms of play, were able to keep up very well and ultimately achieve a draw.

As a result, there were two third places this year and WG Karlsruhe was able to bring the bronze medal back to the fan-shaped city.