Their DNA holds competitive clubs. The departure of key players or a string of losses in a single game never erodes that spirit. One of these clubs is AtticGo CBM Elche, a team that experiences changes every summer and faces absenteeism that can dim their edge, yet the core competitiveness remains intact.
Winning isn’t always easy, especially against formidable foes like Rocasa Gran Canaria. The Franchiverdes poured themselves into the effort, refusing to surrender from the moment they were six years old, and yet it was a lack of success at decisive moments that kept them from reaching the scoreboard first and then tying it later. It’s possible they deserved a better fate.
Initial moments favored the home side, but a 6-3 start gradually shifted to a scenario more favorable to the Canary Islands. The game reached the break of the first half of the second stage with scores of 11-15 and 14-20 in the opening stanza.
Everything looked finished. AtticGo Elche doubled down on pride. Joaquín Rocamora’s squad decided that nobody on the floor would be easy to beat, leaning on a strong defense and a 4-0 run sparked by the relentless So Delgado, pushing the tally to two.
Then came a stretch of decision-making where the hosts squandered three chances to equalize. The first two opportunities came under passive threat, and the third after Silvia Navarro repelled a Benítez penalty.
Despite relentless pressure from the visitors, the moment of resilience arrived for the “warriors.” A counterattack finished by Celia Guilabert to make it 24-25, followed by Andreu crafting another strike to put it at 25-26. A spread defense freed the final ball, but the defense held and the concluding shot failed with 49 seconds left. Maximum resistance, yet no reward.
MATCH TABLE
ATTICGO CBM ELCHE: Rodrigues, Rodriguez, Zhukova (1), Agulló (1), Oppedal, Guilabert (1), Méndez, Andreu (2), So Delgado (7), Morales, Flores (3), Benítez (7), Carrillo, Wolfs (2), More and Teplintsky (1).
ROCASA GRAN CANARIA: Jacobsen, Falcón, Pizzo (1), Rodríguez (5), Pérez (1), Mangué (1), Kristensen (2), Spugnini (3), Mbengue (3), Gomes (2), Navarro (1), Palomino, González (4), and Zaldúa (3).
EACH 5′ POINTS: 2-2, 5-2, 7-5, 9-8, 10-11, 11-15 (rest); 12-17, 15-20, 18-21, 20-23, 22-25 and 25-26.
REFEREES: Miguel Soria and Jesús Álvarez. Five exceptions to AtticGo Elche and three exceptions to Rocasa Gran Canaria.
CORNER: Esperanza Delay (Elche).