Dominant Põlva Serviti Overpowers ASK Zemessardze/RSU with Convincing Victory

February 23, 2025

ASK Zemessardze/RSU faced a challenging matchup against Põlva Serviti in the Baltic Handball League, with the visitors delivering a commanding performance to secure a 31-15 victory. This match mirrored their previous encounter, where Põlva Serviti also claimed a dominant win.

Match Summary

Põlva Serviti started the match strong, with Tõnis Kase scoring the opening goal within two minutes. Despite a promising early effort from ASK Zemessardze/RSU, including goals from Mareks Černousovs and Gints Greikšs, Põlva Serviti quickly established control. Jürgen Rooba and Kermo Saksing led the visitors’ attack, capitalizing on defensive gaps to extend their lead.

By halftime, Põlva Serviti had already built a six-goal advantage (17-11), despite some resistance from the home side. The second half saw Põlva tighten their defense, allowing just four goals while netting 14 themselves. Jürgen Rooba continued his excellent form, finishing as the game’s top scorer with seven goals.

Key Performers

• Põlva Serviti
  • Jürgen Rooba – 7 goals, 10 shots
  • Kermo Saksing – 5 goals, 6 shots
  • Sander Sarapuu – 3 goals, 3 shots
• ASK Zemessardze/RSU
  • Gints Greikšs – 3 goals, 6 shots
  • Mārtiņš Stepuļenoks-Stukanovs – 2 goals, both from seven-meter shots
  • Renārs Grebeņņikovs – 3 goals, 4 shots

Decisive Moments

• Opening Dominance: Põlva Serviti raced to a 5-3 lead within the first 10 minutes, capitalizing on ASK Zemessardze/RSU’s missed opportunities.
• Strong Defensive Performance: In the second half, Põlva Serviti allowed just four goals, effectively shutting down their opponents.
• Clinical Finishing: Põlva Serviti converted key opportunities, while ASK Zemessardze/RSU struggled with accuracy, missing crucial shots.

Põlva Serviti’s victory today has significantly impacted the playoff race, effectively ending Viljandi HC’s hopes of automatically qualifying for the semi-finals—even if they secure a win against ZRHK TENAX Dobele. However, Dobele still has a path to the semi-finals if they triumph over Viljandi today. In the event of a Dobele victory, they will be tied on points with Põlva after the main round. Since head-to-head results serve as the tiebreaker in such cases, Dobele would advance due to their superior record in direct encounters with Põlva.