St. Otmar Falls to Last-Second Defeat Against BSV Bern
The St. Otmar suffered a heartbreaking 28:29 loss against BSV Bern, falling from eighth to ninth place in the NLA standings. Despite a strong first half and a seven-goal performance from Hleb Harbuz, the Bernese snatched victory in the final seconds with a near miss on an open goal.
A Close Battle From the Start
Returning home after a narrow 28:26 loss in Gümligen two months prior, the St. Gallen team aimed for revenge against their Bernese rivals. In a match mirroring the intensity of their first encounter, both sides fought hard in a see-saw battle right from the initial whistle.
St. Otmar began strongly, bolstered by Harbuz, who tallied three goals in quick succession. They took the lead, managing to maintain a four-goal advantage at several points in the first half.
“We played well offensively and defensively in the first half,” said Joschua Braun, who contributed six goals to St. Otmar’s effort.
Turning the Tide
But the momentum shifted after the break. BSV Bern clawed their way back, led by a remarkable performance from goalkeeper Mathieu Seravalli, who made several crucial saves. A six-goal run brought Bern level, ultimately handing them the lead, leaving St. Otmar struggling to find their earlier rhythm.
“We just weren’t able to maintain the intensity from the first half,” Braun admitted.
St. Otmar rallied in the surrounding minutes, drawing on strong defensive work from Andreas Björkman Myhr and benefiting from improvements in their front line’s performance. With a few minutes left on the clock, Alexander Möller netted the equalizer, tying the score at 27:27, and leaving fans on the edge of their seats.
A Bitter End
With just four seconds remaining and a weighty silence descended upon the Kreuzbleiche arena, BSV Bern’s Nik Jauer capitalized on a costly miscommunication between Alexander Möller and Carl Löfström. Breaking free, Jauer passed the ball to a lone Löfström positioned directly in front of the goal with a clear shot at an open net.
A stunned silence enveloped the arena as Löfström’s shot sailed wide, hampering their team’s last-minute opportunity.
“It’s brutal to lose like that,” stated Harbuz, echoing the team’s undeniable disappointment. “We should have won this game.”
Braun echoed his teammate’s sentiments,
“We made too many mistakes in the crucial moments. We missed a lot of opportunities that we created, including four penalties that we couldn’t convert.”
BSV Bern, ultimately victorious despite a late miss by Löfström, emerged from the match third place bestowed upon them after the win, while St. Otmar slipped down to ninth place.
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St. Otmar: Björkman Myhr (15 saves’)/Hottinger (2 P.)/Küffer; Bolt, Tobler, Dörwaldt (1), Brülisauer (2), Ardielli (2), Heinl, Stroustrup (3/1), Löfström
(6), Harbuz (7/3), Rilak, Möller (1), Braun (6 /3), Schneider.
BSV Bern: Seravalli (18 saves and 1 goal)/Brandle (2 points); Eggimann (1), Jauer (2), Weiss (1), Getzmann (3), Aellen (10/5), Kusio (4), Weingartner (1), Strahm (1), Wanner (2), Nyström (3 ), Schnyder, Shepherd.
Reprints
Remarks: Penalty ratio 4:1. St.Otmar without injured Locher, Höning and Kürsteiner / See also Knezevic (ill). BS Deva Bern without injured Arn, Vögtli, Gantner and Rohr.
Can you describe a time you had to collaborate with teammates to overcome a challenge?
Okay, I can do that. Here’s a short interview based on the provided text:
**Host:** Welcome back to the show. Joining us today is Joschua Braun, who put in a stellar performance for St. Otmar with six goals against BSV Bern this past weekend. Joschua, thanks for being here.
**Joschua:** Thanks for having me.
**Host:** It was a heartbreaker of a loss, wasn’t it? You guys were up by as many as four goals in the first half and looked dominant. What happened after the break?
**Joschua:** Yeah, it was a tough one to swallow. We played really well offensively and defensively in the first half, but I think we just lost a bit of our intensity coming out after halftime. BSV Bern really stepped up their game, and their goalkeeper, Mathieu Seravalli, was outstanding.
**Host:** It sounds like Seravalli was a real difference maker.
**Joschua:** Absolutely. He made some incredible saves, especially in those crucial moments.
**Host:** Despite the loss, you seemed to be a bright spot for St. Otmar with your six goals. What clicked for you offensively?
**Joschua:** I was just trying to find my spots and capitalize on the opportunities my teammates created. We have a strong attacking unit, and when we are moving the ball quickly and working together, we can be very dangerous.
**Host:** Well, thank you for your time, Joschua. I know this loss stings, but hopefully you guys can bounce back next week.
**Joschua:** Thanks. We will definitely learn from this and come back stronger.
