Grasshoppers Club Zürich - Red Sox --- 5:2
The second game day of the indoor season for GC Herren 1. saw them taking on Zürich Red Sox in Olten's Stadthalle. As expected, the game quickly settled into a game of two styles. GC playing the structure and patience and Red Sox relying on their chaotic yet effective deep defence and counter attacks. The chaotic style of Red Sox yielded early results scoring from a counter attack. However it was long after until GC got their break. Shortly before the end of the first quarter, Fabio Landwting converted a short corner drag flick. This goal gave GC the confidence to play freely and forced Red Sox to sit further back, continuing to frustrate GC's attack. However GC's were still able to penetrate the Red Sox circle to earn another short corner which Fabio again converted.
GC used this momentum to turn the screws into Red Sox by using text book hockey tactics to play fast balls completely around the defensive lines and the cross pass from Fabio Landtwing to be finished off with a tap in by Patrick Krüsi shortly before half time.
With a 3:1 lead and two quarters to go, GC could play without panic or stress and continue the effective and structured game play. Going into the second half, GC immediately learnt a lesson the hard way on punctuality. Red Sox immediately played off with GC players embarrassingly running after a 3 against Phillip the goalkeeper. Red Sox put the game within reach to 3:2. Red Sox used their renewed energy to defend harder, create counter attacks and ultimately frustrate GC for the whole 3rd quarter.
The 4th quarter was much of the same but shortly before the final whistle, Fabio Lantdwing stepped up again to convert his 3rd goal of the game from a short corner. End score 4:2.
HC Rotweiss Wettingen - Grasshoppers Club Zürich --- 5:5
The fourth game of the season was to be against perpetual competition favourites, Rot-Weiss Wettingen. The boys of GC focused on managing expectations from this game, particularly after a 6:0 thumping from Luzern the week before. However, that idea quickly went out the window after an early converted short corner goal from Fabio Landtwing. From here it was a constantly changing leader game. Rot-Weiss responded with 2 goals, but then so did GC with a short corner goal from Max Oswald and a bit of magic from baseline bandit Patrick Krüsi to make it 3:2. Rot-Weiss were not out of the game yet, and quickly answered back with an equalizer. Although this still had Rot-Weiss in panic Mode, and for them to salvage more than a single point from the day, they pulled the keeper. The tactic at first didn't work as Denes Heins shot an open goal but Rot-Weiss found their footing to again equalize. The final minutes was a continuation of the hectic game with GC covering another short corner through Max Oswald only for Rot-Weiss to again equalize 1 minute before full time to end the score 5:5.
GC Players:
Denes Heins, Patrick Krüsi, Robert Keitel, Fabio Landtwing, Max Oswald, Philip Nitsch (TW), Fabian Steiner (C), Hein van der Weide, Artur von Ruffer, Jochen Klages, Roman Richner
Goals: Fabio Landtwing (4), Patrick Krüsi (2), Max Oswald (2), Denes Heins
Coach: Facundo Quiroga