Emmen was the site for the exciting Suzuki Swiss Beach Soccer League Group Stage from the 19th-20th of July
An important stop for the Swiss league in Emmen was inevitable though the exciting results could not have been predicted. The Women’s League, Challenge League, and Premier League all had games over the weekend with major ranking implications. As they stand now, the final month of play will be as exciting as can be with teams jostling for position and some talented teams looking to play spoiler and upset the leaders.
The Women’s League started the weekend off with the first match, and it was a beauty. BSC Havana Shots Aargau scored eight goals and only conceded one to the BSC Winti Panthers as Havana kept pace with the league leading GC Beach, though Havana has a game in hand. No other women’s match was decided by more than two goals with the lack of disparity being very evident. GC Beach maintains the top spot with BSC Havana Shots Aargau right behind, followed by BSC Jona and BSC Chargers Baselland. The top four teams have risen to the top though the bottom four of BSC Sablun Bern, Beachkings Emmen, BSC Bienne Hatchets, and BSC Winti Panthers are all very talented teams that can score on a moment’s notice and win, as the season thus far has shown.
The two division Challenge League has been competitive all season and this weekend was no different as the biggest match proved to the South Divisions’ BSC Winti Panthers 6-0 win over BSC Illyrian Dietikon. Both teams came into the match tied for points with three and trailing the group leader, BSC Jona, by three points. In the North Division, Lokomotive Roggelileads the group having won all their previous matches, though BSC Thun has three points and has played in two less matches. The rest of the division, BSC Bienne Hatchets, BSC Chargers Baselland, and BSC Basiléia have all won one game and sit at three points. The South division is just as crowded at the top withBSC Jona and BSC Winti Panters having won both of their games and having six points each, the bottom two teams, BSC Illyrian and BSFC One Way Wohlen, are still looking for their first win.
The final match on the first day proved to be one of the most important games of the weekend and arguably the most exciting. It was a12-9 win for BSC Sable Dancers Bern over hosts Beachkings Emmen. The 21 goals were the most, by far, in any single game and the win put Sable Dancers back on top of the overall standings, by 1 point, 25-24, over Grasshopper Club Zürich. All of the Premier League teams have played 9 games and are preparing for a crazy finish. The remaining Premier League teams stand in order as follows: BSC Scorpions Basel, BSC Chargers Baselland, Beachkings Emmen, BSC Winti Panters, BSC Havana Shots Aargau, BSC Solothurn, BSC Bienne Hatchets, Neuchâtel Xamax 1912 Beach Soccer, and BSC La Côte.
Pic by Dave Joss/beachsoccer.ch
