Matchweek 2: Lithuanians victorious two days in a row against Latvian teams
January 13, 2024
Today included three matches, with Vilnius Egle triumphing in a match with another Lithuanian team Kaunas Žalgiris. In the battles with Latvian teams both Lithuanian clubs grabbed victories: VMSM Sostines tauras overcame REIR/Dobele SS, while HC Garliava defeated SK Latgols.
– Kaunas Žalgiris – Vilnius Egle 23:35 (13:17)
Goalkeeper and best player of team Vilnius Egle, Evita Žilionytė: “We had a rocky start to the game. Both teams had good attack and defense, however the biggest turning point was the second half of the game where our team started to defend really well. We were also good in an attack and that is why we won the game. We maybe didn’t expect to win by that many goals, but I am really happy with our success.”
“Today our team was struggling a lot. We had some good episodes of defense, also in attack, but today was not our day. I am still happy with the game, we put in a lot of effort. Sadly we didn’t manage it, but next time we will do better,” answers Kaunas Žalgiris best player Kamilė Rupeikaite.
MVPs: Kamilė Rupeikaite (Kaunas Žalgiris) and Evita Žilionytė (Vilnius Egle)
Best scorers:
Kaunas Žalgiris – Rupeikaitė 5, Jurkevičiūtė 4, Šidlauskytė 4, Čekoulytė 4, Narauskaitė 2, Gudlinkytė 2, Baležentytė 1, Vėgėlytė 1
Vilnius Egle – Navikaitė 9, Ruseckaitė 6, Nievaitė 6, Muzikevičiūtė 5, Rakauskienė 4, Makovskytė 3, Sadauskaitė 2, Rimkutė 1
– REIR/Dobele SS – VMSM Sostinės tauras-VHC 26:40 (9:18)
“First half of the game wasn’t the best for us, but in the second half we made our goals. The defense could be better, but overall I think the game was good and we will try our best tomorrow,” commented Latvian team best player Linda Kaņepe.
Lithuanian team best player Singrida Kulikovaitė: “We tried our best, but we need to make better decisions in the attack, be quicker and think smarter. We will learn from our mistakes to be better for the next game.
MVPs: Linda Kaņepe (REIR/Dobele SS) and Singrida Kulikovaitė (VMSM Sostinės tauras-VHC)
Best scorers:
REIR/Dobele SS – Kaņepe 7, Naudiņa 4, Blažēvica 4, Krodziniece 3, Bilkšte 2, Šteinerte 1, Buivide 1, Taujēna 1, Reinfelde 1, Koņušeka 1
VMSM Sostinės tauras-VHC – Kulikovaitė 10, Pilikauskaitė 9, Andronik 8, Agosta 6, Balevičiūtė 3, Augaitė 1, Stanelytė 1, Ašakaitė 1, Verbovik 1
– CASCADA-HC Garliava SM – SK Latgols 41:24 (19:11)
“These past two day games showed us moments that need to be worked on. We played with very good and high level teams. Every game is a test for us and we try to achieve the best possible result. Today we started the game well, which showed us that we can fight and score goals. I think that with each game we will do better and better,” commented Latvian team best player Madara Cibuļska.
MVPs: Mantė Voskresenskaja (CASCADA-HC Garliava SM) and Madara Cibuļska (SK Latgols)
Best scorers:
CASCADA-HC Garliava SM – Voskresenskaja 13, Sparniauskaitė 12, Bernackaitė 5, Ustilaitė 4, Rimkūnaitė 2, Mikutaitytė 2, Ustilaitė 1, Pilypaitė 1, Aglinskaitė 1
SK Latgols – Cibuļska 7, Krole 6, Kaupuža 3, Bindemane 2, Sidorova 2, Dergačeva 2, Zaharāne 1, Ziediņa 1
Tomorrow the battles continue in Dobele Sport center, Latvia.
| Date/Time | Team A | Team B | Result |
| 12.01.2024 | |||
| 18:00 | Vilnius Eglė (LTU) | REIR/Dobele SS (LAT) | 37:21 |
| 18:00 | CASCADA – HC Garliava SM (LTU) | Kaunas Žalgiris (LTU) | 33:29 |
| 20:00 | SK Latgols (LAT) | VMSM Sostinės tauras-VHC (LTU) | 19:28 |
| 13.01.2024 | |||
| 14:00 | Kaunas Žalgiris (LTU) | Vilnius Eglė (LTU) | 23:35 |
| 16:00 | REIR/Dobele SS (LAT) | VMSM Sostinės tauras-VHC (LTU) | 26:40 |
| 18:00 | CASCADA – HC Garliava SM (LTU) | SK Latgols (LAT) | 41:24 |
| 14.01.2024 | |||
| 10:00 | VMSM Sostinės tauras-VHC (LTU) | Kaunas Žalgiris (LTU) | 00:00 |
| 12:00 | CASCADA – HC Garliava SM (LTU) | REIR/Dobele SS (LAT) | 00:00 |
| 14:00 | SK Latgols (LAT) | Vilnius Eglė (LTU) | 00:00 |
Photo credit: Dace Eihvalde/Latvian Handball Federation