BVB Women Remain Unbeaten in Cologne | OneFootball

Lineup

There were three changes to the BVB Women’s starting lineup compared to the previous week: Lara Schmidt replaced Melanie Schuster at center back, Noreen Günnewig replaced Ricarda Walkling in midfield, and Lena Ostermeier came in for Ann-Sophie Vogel, who was substituted in at halftime.

Match Report

Playing their usual 4-3-3 formation, the BVB Women took the field in summery temperatures on Cologne’s well-maintained artificial turf pitch. The hosts from the cathedral city started boldly, testing the Black and Yellows’ defensive organization early on and putting Laura van der Laan to the test as early as the seventh minute. The BVB goalkeeper had to make a decisive save as she came off her line.

At the other end of the field, the BVB Women scored the opening goal off their second corner kick (12th minute). Lara Schmidt converted Rita Schumacher’s corner kick for her third header goal of the season.

With the lead behind them, the BVB Women gained additional control of the game, earned more and more possession, and created further chances through Alex Popp (24th minute) and Annika Enderle (28th minute). During a Cologne counterattack in the 30th minute, it was once again Laura van der Laan who successfully slid in to block a through ball. On the counterattack, Cologne goalkeeper Felicitas Müller took center stage when she parried a volley from Jacqueline Meißner off the line. Further attacks in the first half failed to find the net—the Black and Yellows went into halftime with a 1-0 lead.

At the start of the second half, head coach Markus Högner made three substitutions: Ann-Sophie Vogel, Jenske Steenwijk, and Ronja Leubner were brought on to inject fresh ideas into the team’s attacking play. While the first attempts on goal were repelled by the Cologne defense, a rebound in the 56th minute found substitute Ronja Leubner, who coolly slotted home from 11 meters to make it 2–0. Shortly before that, Alex Popp had intercepted a goal kick from the Cologne goalkeeper and launched the attack with her cross into the box.

After that, the Borussia women pressed for more goals. Long-range shots by Ostermeier (63rd minute) and a volley by Schumacher (70th minute) either missed the goal or were saved by the in-form goalkeeper. So it was once again a corner kick by Rita Schumacher that found its way into the opponent’s net via Lara Schmidt—3–0 in the 71st minute.

Eight minutes later, Ann-Sophie Vogel broke through on the left wing. Her cross found Ronja Leubner, who failed to make solid contact with the ball on her shot attempt, resulting in an own goal that made it 4–0.

Shortly before the end, Rita Schumacher rewarded herself with a goal of her own (84th minute) after a deep run, which also sealed the final score. As a result, after seven matchdays, the BVB Women remain undefeated at the top of the table ahead of the equally undefeated Bayer 04 Leverkusen U23 team.

Outlook

On the eighth matchday of the Regionalliga West, the BVB Women will host Rhenania Bottrop, the team promoted from the Niederrheinliga, at the Rote Erde Stadium. Kickoff is set for Sunday (Oct. 11) at 3 p.m. Standing-room tickets (3 euros) and seated tickets (5 euros) are available online in the ticket shop. Additionally, Pluto TV will broadcast the game live and in full at no cost.