Although this was my first time playing in Hungary, this weekend felt familiar. It reminded me of my time in college playing in the UC San Diego Triton Invite. The Triton Invite was our season opening tournament where we, as individuals and as a team, could prove where we stand for the new season. Like the Triton Invite, the Hungarian Cup is the first set of games after the summer transfer window where teams get to showcase their new squads. However, the Hungarian Cup is a pre-season tournament so none of the points earned over the tournament will carry over to the championship (the regular season). It is a great opportunity to grow as a team, as we get more playing time together before the start of the season. Even though we have started the tournament with two losses and one draw after the first weekend of play, we proved that we will be tough competitors in the upcoming season.
The first match was against UVSE, where we played a close match but, in the end, fell 13-10. Although we did not come out on top like we would have wanted, we learned a lot from our mistakes. We will be looking forward to playing this team again and will be eager to bring a tough competition.
Our second game against BVSC was an intense game that ended in a 14-14 draw, proving that we will be tough opponents this year. There were even a few players missing in this game due to injuries and penalties, meaning that we can definitely step up to the occasion and play a winning game once rematched.
The last game was against the toughest opponent we faced all weekend, Szolnok, and it showed in the score line. We lost this match 22-4. This match was our second game of the day and you could see that we were tired while Szolnok's quality was undeniable. Playing against this team with Olympic and European champions only propels us to improve our game as a team and as individuals. It’s an opportunity to find our biggest weaknesses to improve on as well as to learn from the best. I look forwarding to seeing how we can improve our game before our next rematch with them!
Here’s a summary of all the games we played in Weekend 1 of the Hungarian Cup:
Saturday
Kaposvari-UVSE 10:13 (2:3, 3:3, 5:5, 0:2)
Kaposvari: Langiewicz 3, A. Vekony 2, Mijic 2, D. Dobos 1, A. Horváth 1, Jajcinovic 1 UVSE: Bencz 4, Vamosi 2, Belenyesi 2, A. Kardos 1, Szieben 1, Cs. Hegedus 1, Vince Vigvari 1, E. Molnar 1.
Highlights:
Watch the full game on YouTube
Sunday
Kaposvar – BVSC 14:14 (4:2, 4:3, 4:4, 2:5)
Kaposvar: Mijic 3, J. Berta 2, Toth-Gili 2, A. Toth 2, Langiewicz 2, Vindisch 1, D. Dobos 1, A. Horvath 1. BVSC: Cs. Meszaros 5, Pasztor 2, M. Meszaros 2, P. Kovacs 1, Czigany 1, M. Nagy 1, T, Gyarfas 1, Agh 1.
Highlights
Szolnok-Kaposvar 22:4 (6:2, 7:1, 3:0, 6:1)
Szolnok: Angyal 5, Pijetlovic 4, Szeghalmi 3, G. Kovacs 2, Teleki 2, Drasovic 2, Schmolcz 1, A. Nagy 1 Konarik 1, Filipovic 1. Kaposvar: Berta 2, Mijic 1, Toth 1, Gili 1.
Highlights
Useful links: