Impressive run: U21 finishes season with a 5-3 victory

Since last week, it was clear that the Young Lilies had secured their place in the league, and for Eddersheim, their position in the standings was also already decided. However, the already-proven runners-up of the Lotto Hessenliga, like the U21 team, had the goal of finishing the season with a win. For FCE, the task was to prepare for the promotion playoffs to the Regionalliga. The Young Lilies, on the other hand, wanted to cement their winning streak with a fifth consecutive victory. And the Darmstadt side achieved this impressively.

„It was a very even start,“ analysed U21 coach Sebastian Schmitt to sv98.de. Even because both teams had their initial difficulties. Eddersheim’s deep-lying defence hampered the young Lilies‘ attacking play, and Darmstadt had struggled against such tactics in the past. But in Eddersheim, they broke through the defensive wall after just 18 minutes: Mika Schlosser put Darmstadt ahead 1-0. And that wasn’t all. Just four minutes later, Schlosser struck again, this time from a corner to make it 2-0. „We carried the momentum from the last few weeks,“ Schmitt said, pleased with his team’s strong start.

However, things didn’t continue so smoothly. The home side had two quick answers: In the 31st minute, they pulled one back, and in the 35th minute, Eddersheim finally equalised. In what had become an open, back-and-forth affair, the young Lilies also had their say. Just before halftime, Luis Klappich (40th minute) put the Lilies‘ U21s back in the lead. This brought a wild first half to a close. There’s still room for improvement defensively, but with the ball, it was a confirmation of the young Lilies‘ performances of recent weeks.

The second half continued in the same vein, with the ball not only being attractive but also prolific. Similar to the first half, the young Lilies struck twice again immediately: Schlosser completed his hat trick in the 55th minute. Then, the young Lilies‘ top scorer, Smail Kadrijaj (61st minute), made it 5-2, scoring his 26th goal of the season. However, this goal was just short of securing the Hessenliga top scorer title. Mirco Geißler of FC Gießen scored once again.

Following the first half, the young Lilies struck twice in quick succession: Schlosser completed his hat trick in the 55th minute. The final goal of the match in Eddersheim was scored by the home team, making it 5-3 in the 73rd minute. Schmitt commented on the victory, securing their place in the league, and their winning streak: „The lads simply deserved it!“

With the final whistle on Saturday, not only did a match come to an end, but also a challenging season with many highs and lows for SV Darmstadt 98’s U21 team. The magnificent run at the end of the season will be particularly memorable. Darmstadt won all five of their last five matches – scoring 22 goals in the process. In fact, the U21s secured three points in six of their last seven games. This remarkable run secured SV Darmstadt’s survival in the league. With a total of 75 goals this season, only two Hessenliga teams were more prolific than the young Lilies.

However, the U21s had to wait a long time for such successes throughout the season. At one point, the team went through a 17-game run, managing only a single victory. Even the initially hoped-for turnaround under Sebastian Schmitt, who took over from Daniel Petrowsky, required patience. In his first competitive match on the sidelines for the U21s, his team impressed with a 5-3 victory against Friedberg, but then another slump ensued. However, after four consecutive defeats, the young Lilies found their way back on track, not only mentally but also in terms of their performance.

From their last seven matches, the 98ers managed to collect 18 points and secure their place in the league in incredible fashion. Ultimately, what remains is not only the comeback in the standings, but „above all, the development of all the players,“ as Schmitt summarised. „I’ve actually said it after every game, but I’d like to emphasise it again: I am incredibly proud of the coaching staff and the team, as well as the performances they have shown,“ Schmitt stated at the end of the season.