The Borussia Dortmund women's handball team continued their unbeaten start to the Bundesliga season by beating TuS Metzingen in a top-of-the-table clash on Friday. BVB won 37-30 (20-14) against the side in second and remain top with 38-0 points.

Merel Frerik won a seven-metre throw with the first Black & Yellow attack and Metzingen were hit with a time penalty. Inger Smits confidently converted the penalty throw to equalise at 1-1. But the Borussia ladies could not use their numerical superiority to pull away in the following minutes and the score stood at 4-4 after five minutes. On the 10-minute mark, Johanna Stockschläder missed a throw from the left flank and Metzingen countered, scoring through Lena Degenhardt to go 7-5 up and establish a two-goal cushion for the first time.

But BVB took advantage of several misthrows from their opponents in the ensuing minutes and levelled at 7-7 after a quarter of an hour. Following a save from Isabell Roch, Kelly Vollebregt launched a quick counter-attack to put the Black & Yellows ahead for the first time (8-7). Another stop from Roch and a goal from left winger Stockschläder opened up a two-goal lead for the Borussia Dortmund ladies, with Kelly Dulfer then making it 11-8 on 18 minutes.

By this point, BVB were looking particularly dangerous from the back area through Dulfer, Inger Smits and Laura van der Heijden. Smits & Co. either scored themselves or fed Merel Freriks or Johanna Stockschläder on the left flank. Having called their first time-out after 20 minutes with the score 13-9, Metzingen reduced the deficit to 15-12 on 25 minutes. But BVB were 20-14 ahead by the break, thanks in particular to Roch's saves and their solid defensive work.

André Fuhr rings the changes

Despite several saves from TuS shot-stopper Madita Kohorst, the BVB women had extended their lead to 22-16 by the 36th minute. Borussia then took advantage of two instances of numerical superiority to pull away and held a decisive 26-17 lead by the 41st minute. André Fuhr subsequently gave his first seven a breather and rang the changes.

In spite of switching to Alina Grijseels, Tessa van Zijl and Dana Bleckmann in the back area, BVB repeatedly came out on top against the home side's defence and found themselves 31-21 ahead on the 47-minute mark. When Rinka Duijndam replaced Isabell Roch for a seven-metre throw with eight minutes remaining, none of the Black & Yellows from the starting XI were still on the pitch (33-24). The game became much more erratic in the closing minutes, with lots of possession turnovers and quick goals on both sides. In the end, BVB ran out 37-30 winners.

"We were defensively compact from the 10th minute onwards and converted our chances in attack, which is how we won by this deserved margin of victory," explained BVB head coach André Fuhr. Having claimed an important victory over the side in second place, the BVB women are in action again on Sunday afternoon when they take on FRISCH AUF Göppingen in the Bundesliga. The game at Halle Wellinghofen will kick off at 16:00 CET.

BVB women's handball team: Duijndam, Roch, ten Holte; Grijseels, van der Heijden (6), van Zijl (3), Smits (7/5), Abdulla, Stockschläder (4), Freriks (4), Dulfer (3), Rode, Bleckmann (3), Vollebregt (2), Gutiérrez Bermejo (2), Danielsson (3)