Tatran Strešovice floorball women fight back to reach Champions Cup semifinal
Czech club Tatran Strešovice drew their away leg against Swiss side Wizards Bern Burgdorf in the women's floorball Champions Cup quarterfinal and advanced to the semifinal on aggregate.
Czech women's floorball club Tatran Strešovice have reached the Champions Cup semifinal after drawing their away quarterfinal match against Swiss team Wizards Bern Burgdorf, securing the aggregate advantage over the two-leg tie.
In the first leg, played on Tatran's home floor, the Czech side trailed for most of the game. After two periods they were down 3:4, but two late goals in the final period turned the match around for a 5:4 win. That result meant a draw in the second leg would be enough to seal a semifinal spot.
In the away match, the Swiss hosts took an early lead through an unusual goal — a shot from in front of the net didn't go as planned, but the ball floated up and over the Czech goalkeeper. Shortly before the end of the first period, Tatran equalized with a well-executed attacking move, making it 1:1.
Decided late in the third period
No goals were scored in the second period, but in the third, while playing shorthanded, the Czech side was caught napping defensively, allowing the Swiss team to retake the lead. However, with three minutes left on the clock, Czech forward Michaela Mečlová leveled the score at 2:2 with an unconventional shot off the back of her stick, securing the result Tatran needed.
Mečlová's goals proved decisive in both legs of the tie, guiding Tatran Strešovice into the Champions Cup semifinal.
