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We are passionate about such stories, and in our deepest, we believe that a challenger can accomplish an extraordinary achievement and beat a higher-ranked opponent.
SC Horgen started in the quarterfinals after finishing 5th in the qualification round and playing the barrage against Tristar to qualify for the final six tournament.
We had the chance to talk to Benjamin Redder, the head coach, and architect of Horgen’s recent’s success.
Our defense was very effective, our goalkeepers went in all games beyond their limits, and we used every little chance in offense to score
Benjamin Redder – SC Horgen
wball.ch: congratulations. Did you expect such an incredible result?
Benjamin Redder: I knew it would be possible, but it would require three perfect games in a row from my team, and this is almost impossible to perform. We lost all matches against Lugano and Kreuzlingen in the regular season, so we are still very positively surprised by the outcome. We aimed to show at least two good games and possibly win a medal.
wball.ch: so, what changed between the regular season and the final six tournament?
Benjamin Redder: our defense was very effective, our goalkeepers went in all games beyond their limits, and we used every little chance in offense to score.
In the semifinal against Lugano, we showed great defense. Even our center forward, Finn Vucinic, swam a lot to be able to help defensively. Our opponent was pushed away from the goal, resulting in long-range shots that our goalkeepers could manage. We may have surprised Lugano a bit with our determination and discipline.
wball.ch: tell us more about the final against Kreuzlingen.
Benjamin Redder: It was fascinating that my players were not nervous at all and were determined to continue the way they started.
wball.ch: it was very interesting the goalkeeper rotation that you did. You played with two goalkeepers and even changed during the final—something we see doing only by top teams.
Benjamin Redder: Csongor Muszely is our starting goalkeeper. He started the quarterfinals against Carouge in the 25m indoor pool Eglisee and played very well. As we had to play the same day against Lugano in the 30m field at the outdoor pool Hörli, I thought Csongor might not be as fresh as our second goalkeeper Liam Joray, who played very well in the last games. So I started with Liam Joray in the semifinal against Lugano, and he also showed an outstanding performance, so there was no reason for me to change the goalkeeper.
The next day in the final against Kreuzlingen, I let Liam Joray play at the beginning as I thought he might have a better feeling in the outdoor pool. At halftime, I felt he started to be a bit tired and that Csongor was eager to get in the water, so I changed the goalkeepers again. It resulted in the perfect choice as they both performed outstandingly well.
As coaches, we must teach our players to have fun in hard work. We need to push them to train hard and enjoy the life of competitive sports.
Benjamin Redder – SC Horgen
wball.ch: you are a young coach, but you already have an impressive water polo resume to show. You won the Swiss NLA as a player and coach with Kreuzlingen. You won several youth titles in different categories with different clubs. What is your recipe for success?
Benjamin Redder: as coaches, we must teach our players to have fun in hard work. We need to push them to train hard and enjoy the life of competitive sports.
wball.ch: you will leave SC Horgen at the end of this season. Your motto is “Water Polo, a way of life.” What will you do next in water polo?
Benjamin Redder: I particularly enjoyed Horgen’s trust in me, allowing me to run things my way over the last years. I planned some family time, but I’m still motivated for new projects in water polo. I’m open to new projects with the proper setup and conditions where I can express my knowledge and experience in water polo.
wball.ch: thanks a lot, and good luck in your future.
Final 6 Tournament Results
About the U17 League
The under-17 championship is the highest youth class since the U19 league was discontinued. The league is organized into two groups: group A, where the best six teams of the previous season compete, and Group B, with the challengers. Each group plays a double-round-robin, and the first four teams of group A are automatically qualified for the final six tournament.
The 5th and 6th of group A play a barrage game against the 2nd and 1st of group B, respectively. This is a sound system as it allows teams of group B to qualify for the final tournament. SV Basel, who qualified first in group B, took this chance against Aquastar (last of group A), while SC Horgen (5th of group A) made things clear against Tristar.
Lugano and Kreuzlingen finished in the two top positions of group A, qualifying directly to the semifinals, and were considered the tournament’s favorites.
The final six tournament was held in Kreuzlingen between Saturday 17th, and Sunday 18th June.
