Strong friendly against Bundesliga team: Popp scores First goal for BVB | OneFootball

The Situation in Austria

Good Vibes in the Kitzbühel Alps: Head coach Markus Högner painted a positive picture of the BVB Women following their week-long training camp: “The conditions here are excellent. We’ve developed a playbook and are working on our principles both offensively and defensively.” On the well-maintained training fields in Austria, Markus Högner noted the team’s exceptional dedication, and he added that they were also having plenty of fun during recreational activities—which are especially important for integrating the seven new signings.

After just two training sessions, the BVB Women kicked off their summer preparations with a 5–2 friendly win against Eintracht Frankfurt II. Three new signings—Lara Schmidt, Ramona Maier, and Jacqueline Meißner—all scored in their first appearance for the Black and Yellows. Ahead of the friendly against Bundesliga promoted side Mainz 05, the head coach explained: “During the first week of training, there was still too much initial frantic activity in some situations. We’re improving from session to session and are looking forward to a hard-fought test against the Mainz women.”

Goal spree and Popp’s debut goal

A perfect start for the Black and Yellows: Markus Högner’s team came out determined and started energetically at the Hopfgarten sports field. The early stages were dominated by a confident BVB Women team, which was awarded its second corner kick as early as the seventh minute. After a set piece taken by Rita Schumacher, the ball found its way to Alex Popp, who clinically headed home her first chance of the game to give BVB a 1-0 lead (7th minute)—her debut goal for the Black and Yellows! Just three minutes later, the BVB Women were awarded a penalty kick. Rita Schumacher, last season’s top scorer, stepped up and slotted the ball into the right corner to make it 2–0 (10th minute).

There was no sign of the pace slowing down: The early one-two punch served as a wake-up call for the Mainz women, who pulled one back in the 21st minute after a long ball found striker Fetaj’s head. And the action continued in quick succession. On one end, goal-scorer Alex Popp was in exactly the right spot on a set piece, but her second header hit only the crossbar. In the immediate counterattack, Mainz 05 shifted gears and tied the game at 2–2 (28th minute) through Leonie Stöhr, who tapped in a cross from two meters out.

In the back-and-forth offensive exchange between the two teams, the BVB Women found another answer. Sixty seconds after the equalizer: Ramona Maier finished off a pinpoint through ball from Noreen Günnewig with a one-touch finish into the left corner to regain the lead—3–2 in the 29th minute. For Maier, who joined BVB from SGS Essen this summer, it was already her second goal in her second game for the BVB Women.

After five goals in the first half-hour, both defenses tightened up and were able to thwart the numerous attacks from the aggressive offenses early on. Thanks to a last-ditch save by Laura van der Laan on the goal line (35th minute), the BVB Women went into halftime with the lead.

BVB Debuts and Late Conceded Goal

As in the friendly against Eintracht Frankfurt’s reserve team, a completely new BVB lineup took the field for the second half. The BVB Women continued to rely on quick transitions in the second half and drove the ball forward with energy. Annika Enderle had the best chance to make it 4–2 in the 72nd minute, but after receiving a through ball, she couldn’t place her shot on target.

BVB Debuts in the Second Half: In the final twenty minutes, Celina Hoffmann (goalkeeper for the second team) and Ajshe Bitiq (U17) made their first appearances for the BVB Women. In front of their own goal, the BVB Women continued to defend with focus, bolstered by defensive newcomers Meißner, Ostermeier, and Schmidt. It wasn’t until the 90th minute that the BVB Women conceded an unfortunate equalizer by Lara Martin. Leading up to the goal, Paula Reimann went down after an alleged foul. The match ended 3–3, a result that gives the BVB Women confidence heading into their upcoming friendly matches.

Next Friendly on Sunday in Dortmund

The BVB Women’s remaining four friendly matches will take place on a weekly basis: As early as Sunday (26 July), the team will face Dutch first-division side SC Heerenveen at the training center in Dortmund-Brackel at 3:30 p.m. Click here for an overview of the remaining friendly matches, which will all be played on weekends.