Dion Hooi’s 84th-minute equaliser earned VVSB a 1-1 draw with Excelsior Maassluis in the first leg of their promotion play-off at Sportpark De Boekhorst on Wednesday 20.00, leaving the tie finely poised ahead of the return on Saturday.
Kevin Ringeling had given Excelsior Maassluis the lead with a header just before halftime, and the scoreline remained 1-0 until Hooi converted a pass from Segun Owobowale deep into the second half. The first leg finished 1-1 under referee Robin Vereijcken, a result that means everything in a two-legged tie.
The match was the first of two games in the play-offs for promotion to the Tweede Divisie. The vvsb noordwijkerhout vs excelsior maassluis tie will be decided at Sportpark Dijkpolder on Saturday, with kick-off scheduled for 14.30; the winner earns the right to face the victor of DVS'33 against FC Rijnvogels in the second round.
VVSB arrived in the play-offs on form after clinching the third period title the previous Saturday with a 0-3 win at FC Rijnvogels, a result that sealed their place in this tie. The club finished third in the Derde Divisie B and has played three seasons at the highest amateur level, giving the side experience it will now try to use in the return leg.
Excelsior Maassluis, by contrast, reached the first leg off the back of a nervy escape from direct relegation. Four days before the match in Noordwijkerhout they trailed 1-0 at Barendrecht but rallied in stoppage time to win 1-2, a late turnaround that kept them in contention and now carries momentum into the second leg.
The two clubs have a close recent history: they had met six times in league competition before this play-off tie, with Excelsior Maassluis holding a slight edge of three wins to VVSB’s two and one draw. That narrow head-to-head record underlines how little separates the teams and why the 1-1 scoreline will feel neither decisive nor surprising to either set of supporters.
The tension in the tie is clear from the sequence of results that led each team here. VVSB’s convincing 0-3 at FC Rijnvogels won them the period title and third-place finish that created this chance; Excelsior’s stoppage-time rescue at Barendrecht showed the kind of resilience that can flip two-legged ties. VVSB could not turn home advantage into a lead that they held, while Excelsior showed the finishing touch that has kept them alive in the campaign.
Everything now travels to Sportpark Dijkpolder on Saturday at 14.30. Hooi’s late goal has given VVSB hope and a foothold away from home, but the tie is open — the winner will move on to face the winner of DVS'33 against FC Rijnvogels in the second round, and both clubs know one result on Saturday will determine who keeps promotion within reach.
