The downfall of the Darmstadt Dukes

It was a memorable match day on a rainy November day. Even many years later, the deep purple of the jerseys will still be reflected in the memories of the Dukes players, as they suffered two heavy defeats against St. Wendel (1:15) and Erlensee (2:17).

The first match against St. Wendel started with a bang, leading to a 0:9 deficit at half-time. In the second half, St. Wendel scored two more quick goals before Ruben was able to score a consolation goal for the Darmstadt team. This briefly sparked a glimmer of hope on the horizon, but St. Wendel scored more goals and the defeat was sealed with a final score of 1:15.

The second act in this drama of decline was finally sealed by the game against Erlensee. After 17 minutes of play, the score was already 13-0 in favour of Erlensee. Once again, Ruben scored the first goal of the game for the Dukes, bringing the half-time score to 13-1. Despite the most adverse circumstances at the start of the second half, our captain Tim kept his composure when Stephan received a two-minute penalty. In the meantime, Max was able to score a goal to make it 2-15, before the game was ultimately lost 2-17.

However, as the water continued to rise around us, our goalkeeper Tim remained steadfast between the posts and saved what could be saved in both games.

In the end, however, our opponents loomed before us like a giant iceberg. There was no turning back; our fate was sealed. And so, on this weekend of the third match day of the 2025/26 season, the Darmstadt Dukes went down against the teams from St. Wendel and Erlensee.