VV Scherpenzeel vs Hoogeveen Match Recap - Oct 18, 2025

VV Scherpenzeel Exacts Revenge on Hoogeveen, Rising to Midtable with Gritty 2-1 Triumph

On a blustery Saturday afternoon at Sportpark De Bree-O, VV Scherpenzeel’s narrow 2-1 victory over Hoogeveen was less a rematch than a grudge repaid. Just 25 days earlier, these two sides engaged in a madcap KNVB Beker clash—seven goals, three late Scherpenzeel strikes erased by a punishing 88th-minute Hoogeveen winner. Scherpenzeel spent the following weeks looking up at the table and back at that defeat. On this October day, they looked forward, their poise—at least for now—restored.

The Derde Divisie’s lean middle is a precarious place to be, and Scherpenzeel has spent autumn teetering: win, loss, draw, another loss, draw again. Their last five matches, a ledger of inconsistency and frustration, have kept them hovering at arm's length from relevance. Saturday’s assignment was clear: steady the ship, silence familiar ghosts, and climb out of the shadow of September’s heartbreak.

It began with urgency. Scherpenzeel, ninth in the table and eager to put daylight between themselves and the bottom, pressed high from the whistle, their midfield quick to exploit Hoogeveen’s defensive jitters. The visitors, still licking wounds from a sluggish campaign—just four points from seven games, only one league win—found themselves under siege before they could settle.

The breakthrough arrived as if scripted, shaped by the home side’s relentless pressure. In the 18th minute, Scherpenzeel’s wide play finally told: a looping cross from the right found its target at the edge of the six-yard box, where their striker rose above a retreating defender and steered a header into the far corner. The home crowd’s roar was laden with catharsis—the early lead was both a reward and a warning to their guests.

Hoogeveen, desperate for something more than another hard lesson, clawed their way back into the contest. Their equalizer, arriving just before the interval, was a moment of inspiration amid a half-hour of struggle. A slicing pass unlocked the Scherpenzeel back line, and Hoogeveen’s number nine, with a deft first touch, lashed the ball beyond the keeper to level the proceedings. It was a goal against the run of play, but it revived memories of the Beker thriller, when momentum turned as quickly as the wind.

Halftime arrived with the score tied, but the story of the match was far from resolved. Scherpenzeel emerged after the break with a determination to impose themselves, their midfield dictating tempo and duels. The match, once open and loose, tightened as both defenses steeled themselves for the grind.

It was in this cauldron of tension that the game’s decisive sequence played out. In the 62nd minute, a clumsy tackle on the edge of Hoogeveen’s area offered Scherpenzeel a set piece opportunity. The delivery was crisp, arcing dangerously toward the penalty spot, where a surge of bodies converged. Amid the scramble, it was Scherpenzeel’s captain who forced the ball across the line—a scrappy, deflected effort, but no less decisive for its lack of artistry.

The goal ignited a furious spell from Hoogeveen, who threw men forward in search of yet another late equalizer. Their ambition, however, was matched by Scherpenzeel’s organization. As the clock ticked toward the final whistle, the match grew ragged. Tackles flew, tempers frayed, and the referee’s patience waned. A late yellow card for dissent summed up Hoogeveen’s mounting frustration, but there were no dismissals to tilt the contest further.

With all substitutions exhausted and nerves fraying in the home stands, Scherpenzeel absorbed the final wave of pressure. When the whistle finally sounded, it was not just three points gained, but a measure of redemption secured—not only for the September defeat but for a run of form that had threatened to drag their season downward.

The result leaves Scherpenzeel in ninth place on 13 points from nine matches, four wins and a draw now nudging them into the league’s jostling midsection. For all the inconsistency of the past month, they are just a run of good results away from the upper reaches—and with the taste of victory fresh, their ambitions refueled.

Hoogeveen, meanwhile, remain marooned in 15th. With just four points and a solitary win to show from seven matches, their early autumn optimism—buoyed by a rousing 5-2 win over URK only a week ago—has again dissipated. Their defensive frailties, evident on this afternoon, will require urgent attention if the club hopes to avoid a deepening crisis before winter sets in.

For both teams, the campaign’s next chapter will determine whether this result marks a turning point or merely a pause in a season marked by swirling fortunes. But on this afternoon at Sportpark De Bree-O, Scherpenzeel stood firm, rewriting the narrative of a still-young season—at least for one week.