STRONG WIN AFTER OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE AGAINST RIBE-ESBJERG
Photo: HØJ Elite
Ribe-Esbjerg HH – HØJ Elite 27-31 (12-17)
For HØJ supporters, Thursday night was an utterly delightful experience as the league men kept up their good form and secured their fourth win in a row.
Even though the bus ride was long and the cold crept in under the winter jackets during the break along the way, the players were ready from the get-go as the clock approached 18:30.
Linus Arnesson quickly netted to make it 4-0 in the opening stages, and once the first quarter of an hour had passed, the match's standout star, Lukas Karlskov, stretched the lead to 11-5.
A fantastic start – and Lukas Karlskov? – we'll come back to him.
You could see the concentration radiating from our favourites in the first half, and they delivered at a sky-high level all over the court.
Mikkel Olsen closed out the first half with a fine goal, and a few seconds later we could head into the break with a deserved 17-12 lead in the bag.
At the start of the second half we managed to keep the home side at arm's length, but two unfortunate HØJ Elite suspensions, one shortly after the other, brought the tension back into the contest.
Ribe-Esbjerg gladly took the chance and steadily clawed their way back into the game. It came to a head around the midway point of the half when Mathias Jørgensen put the ball in the net to make it 21-21 – the first and only time the home side drew level in the match.
Despite that unwelcome wobble, we kept our heads cool and pulled away on the scoreboard again. A strong show of character in a tough spell, where we once again found the right solutions in pressured situations.
Just like in our most recent home game, where the job was also handled perfectly in the closing minutes.
It all ended happily in West Jutland, with a deserved win – and thereby another step in the right direction.
For HØJ Elite, the aforementioned Lukas Karlskov played brilliantly, posting 5 from 5 among other things. In every case via razor-sharp finishes that prompted plenty of well-deserved cheers from our loyal fan base, who were wonderfully colourful and vocal throughout the entire contest. Thanks, friends!
Beyond his role as a goalscorer, our talented and likeable No. 15 also served up several crucial defensive actions when things looked toughest. A magnificent performance from Karlskov, who was thoroughly deservedly named "man of the match."
In goal, the arrow was once again pointing up for Emil Kheri Imsgard, who had a really good night at the office – just as young Mikkel Olsen repaid the faith shown in him and played a cracker of a game. (5 from 6)
Top scorer for HØJ Elite was the ever-hardworking Simen Schønningsen with 6 goals, while Lukas Karlskov, Mikkel Olsen and Linus Arnesson followed right behind with 5 goals each.
The next task for the HØJ Elite men is already coming up on Tuesday 25 November, when they travel to Mors-Thy.
Tickets for HØJ Elite's home games can be bought at billetsalg.dk/høj
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