With a mix of up-and-coming talent and experienced players, Germany’s women will be entering the World Aquatics Water Polo World Cup from May 2nd to 7th in Berlin. National coach Sven Schulz has nominated a total of 14 players for the tournament in the capital, including many from the junior team, which has repeatedly attracted international attention in recent years. “Some of them took part in the women’s European Championship last year and were also able to impress there. Now, with Greta Tadday, Yara Bonett, Georgia Sopiadou, Jamie-Julique Haas, Ioanna Petiki, Vivien-Sophie Krause and Jana Stüwe, young players are again given the chance to gain international experience. This tournament against strong international competition is now an excellent opportunity to further advance the development of the team,” says Schulz.
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The youngsters are supported by established players such as Aylin Fry (SV Bayer Uerdingen 08) – currently the number one goalscorer in the Bundesliga. Captain Gesa Deike (LUC Métropole Lille/FRA) is one of three players in the current squad who are active abroad and have been able to gain additional experience there. “I made great progress again this season and was able to improve my center game and my shot. And the national team also benefits from that,” says the 28-year-old, who is under contract with the French cup winner and series champion. Although some players from last year’s European Championship squad cannot come to Berlin because they are now studying at college in the USA, are still playing in their foreign league or are prevented by exams, Gesa Deike is nevertheless confident: “It will be be a different team, but of course the younger players in particular want to prove themselves and will therefore give everything,” she says.
Bochum’s Felicitas Guse, who will end her international career after many years as number one and always reliable support of the national team, will probably be in goal for the last time. Pauline Pannasch from Hamburg is back in the team, and as a left-hander she should provide additional goal danger. “We will hopefully experience a successful tournament together in Berlin. With the help of the audience, we hope for a surprise,” says national coach Sven Schulz.
The women’s games will be played from May 2nd to 4th. In the preliminary round, Germany will first meet Kazakhstan (May 2, 1:00 p.m.), New Zealand (May 2, 8:30 p.m.) and Great Britain (May 3, 7:15 p.m.), while in the parallel group consists of Israel, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and South Africa. The placement games will then take place on Thursday (May 4th), with the two finals at 5:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. respectively. The men’s tournament will then follow from May 5th to 7th, with Germany playing in the group phase against Malta (May 5th, 1:00 p.m.), South Africa, twelfth at the World Cup (May 5th, 8:30 p.m.) and Asian champions China (May 6th, 7:15 p.m.), while in the other group Romania, New Zealand, Kazakhstan and Iran are playing. Exciting games and lots of action with up to eight games per day are guaranteed for both sexes when the eight nations each compete for two tickets for the Super Finals in the USA at the end of June.
The German team for the World Cup in Berlin:
Yara Bonett, Aylin Fry, Greta Tadday (all SV Bayer Uerdingen 08), Felicitas Guse, Jana Stüwe (both SV Blau-Weiss Bochum), Ioanna Petiki, Georgia Sopiadou (both SSV Esslingen), Pauline Pannasch, Vivien-Sophie Krause (both Eimsbütteler Turnverband), Emma Koch (Water Friends Spandau 04), Jamie-Julique Haas (SC Chemnitz), Gesa Deike (LUC Métropole Lille/FRA), Antonia Merkel (Simalga Real Canoe NC/ESP), Lynn Krukenberg (GZC Donk/NED)
