1. FC Union Berlin vs RasenBallsport Leipzig II
Womens Regionalliga Nordost, 4. Matchday
vs RasenBallsport Leipzig II
Womens Regionalliga Nordost, 4. Matchday
Union and Leipzig Share the Points
Match report
1. FC Union's women's team women's remain unbeaten in the Regionalliga Nordost after their fourth game of the season, though they did drop points for the first time. In the top of the table clash between the league leaders from Köpenick and second placed RB Leipzig II, both teams had to be content with a 1-1 draw.
1. FC Union Berlin: Wagner (46. Duszat) - Wildner, Becker, Schindler, Bach - Görsdorf (79. Bucher), Wimmer, Heiseler - Youssef, Spolaczyk (46. Rurack) Reissner
RB Leipzig II: Böttcher - Herrmann, Güldenpfennig (72. Bühring), Kiunke, Misch (59. Schmelzle), Heckler, Fietz, Schubert, Werner, Grenz (46. Spitzner), Petters (59. Lulaj)
Goals: 0:1 Güldenpfennig (41.), 1:1 Rurack (75.)
Attendance: 80
Leipzig take the lead, late in the first half.
Union head coach Ailien Poese made three changes to the starting line-up from the 4-0 win against FFV Erfurt löast weekend. Central defender Pauline Gericke was absent due to illness, so Marie Becker, who again returned after a two-week injury lay-off, went directly in the starting eleven. Latoya Bach and Naika Reissner also played in place of Zita Rurack and Lena Bucher.
The game started with a tense moment for Union. Just few seconds after kick-off goalkeeper, Melanie Wagner, was forced into a save, tipping a strong shot onto the post. The visitors had got off to a much better start and were controlling posession in midfield and around the Union penalty area in the first quarter of an hour, but without creating any further major chances. It took around 20 minutes for Union to wake up, gradually finding their way into the game.
Union improved, keeping Leipzig now at bay, but they were still guilty of squandering their own chances and misplacing passes.
Both teams were cancelling each other out in the midfield for long stretches, it looked like they would go into half time goalless until the 41st minute, when RB took the lead, stunning Union. Leipzig's Lena Güldenpfenning heading the ball over Wagner and into the net from a corner to give the Saxons a 1-0 half-time lead.
Rurack redeems Union
It transpired that Wagner had injured her back, making that very first save of the game, so she wouldn't re-appear for the second half, replaced between the sticks by Sarah Duszat.
But her team-mates played as if reborn, setting the tone and dominating the play. After just two minutes Naika Reissner was bearing down on goal, running onto a pass from substitute Zita Rurack, but the linesman's flag was up. Union, however, kept the pressure on Leipzig, and started creating more and more chances. A header by Rurack in the 54th minute flew just wide, before the Leipzig goalkeeper was tested for the first time in the match three minutes later. Pauline Wimmer's shot from distance was only just touched around the post by Eve Böttcher.
The, for a while, it seemed as if Leipzig would actually survive the Union storm. In the 75th minute, however, Rurack provided the moment of redemption. The 18-year-old rising to head in a corner for a deserved equaliser.
Union pushed on in the hope of getting a winner. And it almost came in the 78th minute when Reissner, who scored the winner in the 2-1 victory over Viktoria Berlin, shot from an acute angle only to see it coming back off the back post.
Although the winning goal was not to come in the end, Union's superb second half showing will give them a lot of confidence for the coming run of fixtures. And with ten points from four games, they remain top of the table for the time being, even though their rivals Türkiyemspor Berlin, with nine points, still have a game in hand.
The Coach's views on the game
"Although this draw still feels like a defeat at the moment, we can be very proud of our performance, especially in the 2nd half," said Poese. "We defended very well against a team that was the best we have faced this season, and we were very brave when attacking, which is what lead to the equaliser. In the end, the result hurts a bit, but we won't let our heads drop and will put our full focus on the next game."
The week ahead
Before the next Sunday's away match at Hertha 03 Zehlendorf in the Regionalliga, Union's women will play in the 1st round proper of the Berlin Cup next Thursday, 22.09.2022. The Verbandsliga's Borussia Pankow, host Union at 19:30 at Pichelswerderstraße 7 (13187 Berlin).
Union Host RB II
Match preview
On Sunday, 18 September 2022, the women's team of 1. FC Union Berlin will host RB Leipzig II, their 4th game of the Regionalliga Nordost season. Expectations are high, Union have won all three of their games so far, so sit at the top of the table, just ahead of their Sachsen rivals. Kick-off at Dörpfeldstraße is at 2 pm.
The Opponents
Leipzig have only been running a second team since 2018, counting officially as an U-20s. Due to the financial possibilities in Leipzig, however, the leap into the Regionalliga posed hardly any problems. Within two years, RB Leipzig II swanned through the Landesklasse and Landesliga to the Regionalliga in 2020.
However, since the 2020/21 season was halted due to the Corona pandemic, last season was the U20 team's first in the Regionalliga. Under head coach Manuel Kienitz, Leipzig finished in 5th place with 29 points, putting RB in 3rd place, just three points behind Union. Accordingly Leipzig have to be also considered a candidate in the promotion race this season, although the leap into the 2. Bundesliga is not possible as long as the first team is still playing in the same league. In both of the last two years, RB Leipzig's main team finished 3rd in the 2. Bundesliga.
At the start of the season, meanwhile, RB Leipzig II underlined their lofty ambitions. After an opening day 1-1 draw against Magdeburger FFC, RB recently won both the duel of the second teams against Carl Zeiss Jena II, 3-0, and the Saxony derby with Bischofswerdaer FV, 2-0. They sit, with seven points, just two behind Union.
Head to Head:
Due to the visitors' comparative lack of history, Union have have only met Leipzig II once before. On the 10th matchday of last season, in November 2021, Union beat them 4-1 away from home. RB had led at half-time, but Union turned the game around in the second half with goals from Celine Frank and Lisa Heiseler, before Elisa Spolaczyk put the finishing touches to the match with a brace.
But Union can also look back on a positive record against Leipzig's first team. In six encounters, Union have three wins and a draw. RB have won twice. In Leipzig's 2019/20 promotion season, it was also Union's women who ensured the Saxons' only loss of points in the entire season with a goalless draw.
The coach's view on the match
Head coach Ailien Poese knows the strength of the visitors: "With RB Leipzig II, we expect a skillful, young team that have shown in recent games that they wants to win games and are both determined and courageous going forward, but are also well balanced defensively."
Personnel
Meanwhile, the personnel situation has eased somewhat after several players were missing in Erfurt due to a wave of illness. Apart from Celine Frank and Sophie Trojahn, all Union's players were able to return to training this week. Apart from the two long-term injuries, only goalkeeper coach Laura Ketzer will be absent on Sunday due to a DFB coach training course.
