Match Report
BVB Women Secure a Convincing 5-0 Victory Under the Floodlights
Lineup
Head coach Markus Högner and his staff made four changes to the starting lineup compared to the previous week. Jenske Steenwijk, now fully recovered, started in place of Jacqueline Meißner. Additionally, Lara Schmidt moved into central defense in place of Lena Ostermeier. Up front, Ronja Leubner and Rita Schumacher started in place of Ramona Maier and Annika Enderle, who had extended her contract through mid-2028 earlier in the week. While Marina Scholz was absent from the Recklinghausen match due to the flu, Emilia Pauls returned to the matchday roster for the first time after recovering from a lateral ligament injury in her left ankle.
Match Summary
The kickoff came unusually late on this matchday – at 6:30 p.m. – on the artificial turf field at 1. FFC Recklinghausen. Under the floodlights, the BVB Women – playing in their black away jerseys for the first time – began with their usual attacking drive. Five minutes into the game, Jenske Steenwijk chipped the ball into the penalty area. Alex Popp let it bounce once and finished with her left foot to give her team an early 1-0 lead.
The hosts subsequently dropped even deeper in front of their own goal, allowing the Black and Yellow defensive line – which had pushed high up the field – to take control of the build-up play. The BVB Women found a way past the deep-lying defense in the 19th minute when Lara Schmidt played the opening pass to Ricarda Walkling. Walkling’s through ball found Alex Popp in the box, who slipped the ball past the goalkeeper to set up Ronja Leubner for the 2–0 lead.
The Borussia women consistently defended isolated counterattacks by the fifth-place team and patiently worked to build up their own play. Less than five minutes after the second half resumed, the ball landed in the penalty area at the feet of Alex Popp, who – just as she had in the first half – uncompromisingly slotted it into the far corner – 3–0 (49'). Another four minutes later, Jenske Steenwijk headed the ball in to make it 4–0 (53'), as she simply had to nudge a cross from Ann-Sophie Vogel over the goal line.
In her final play of the game (62'), captain Alex Popp completed her hat trick and made it 5–0 after Ronja Leubner had just lifted the ball over goalkeeper Carlotta Sesjak and onto the crossbar. The BVB Women failed to capitalize on subsequent chances to score a sixth goal—first in the 79th minute off a free kick by Rita Schumacher and then in the 81st minute through Annika Enderle. With their 5–0 away victory on Sunday evening, the BVB Women solidified their flawless lead at the top of the table with 33 points from eleven games. Alex Popp already has 16 goals this season after eleven games.
Outlook
Following this early 13th matchday, the schedule returns to normal next Sunday (Nov. 8) with an away game at Fortuna Cologne. The match, part of Matchday 11 of the Regionalliga West, kicks off at 1:00 p.m. on the artificial turf field at Jean-Löring-Sportpark (Am Vorgebirgstor, 50969 Cologne). Pluto TV will broadcast the game live and free of charge in its entirety.
BVB Women: Van der Laan – Steenwijk (66’ Enderle), Kempe, Schuster (73’ Meißner), Schmidt, Vogel (66’ Ostermeier) – Ito (73’ Günnewig), Walkling – Leubner, Schumacher, Popp (66’ Maier)
Goals: 1-0 Popp (5'), 2-0 Leubner (19'), 3-0 Popp (49'), 4-0 Steenwijk (53'), 5-0 Popp (62')
Mirko Hase