Søndermarkens Women beat Fredericia HK 22:21 in the opening round of the 1. Division for women on Friday. The hosts saw off a side that had beaten them 27:24 in their last meeting back in March. By then the visitors looked comfortable, but this time Søndermarkens held every card until the final whistle.
The result is a first win for Søndermarkens this season, ending a barren spell that had stretched from their last campaign. Fredericia HK, meanwhile, take their first points of the division under their belt after a defeat in their previous outing. The scoreline suggests a tight contest rather than one-sided action.
Both teams start the season with zero games played and zero points in the table, so there is little to say about standings just yet. What matters is the pattern set in this fixture — Søndermarkens have turned a corner after several heavy defeats in March, including losses of 18:30 and 19:36. Fredericia HK showed vulnerability in their last game, falling 24:27 at home to Søndermarkens themselves.
The margin of one goal tells you this was decided in fine moments. To be fair, neither side dominated from start to finish, and the result could have gone either way. Søndermarkens will take confidence from seeing it out, while Fredericia HK have work to do before the next round.