Mistra Opens Baltic Sea League Weekend with a Victory, Climbs to Third Place
March 20, 2025
Mistra kicked off the final weekend of the Baltic Sea Women’s Handball League in style, securing a crucial win that propelled them to third place in the standings. The Estonian side faced Latvian team SK Latgols at Raasiku Sports Hall in the first of three matches scheduled for the weekend.
Despite early struggles with finishing, Mistra managed to keep the game level once they found their attacking rhythm. A penalty goal from Merili Heinla brought the score to 7:7 in the 11th minute. However, a series of technical errors allowed Latgols to seize momentum, going on a 4:1 run over the next ten minutes. The Estonians, however, regained their composure, and after a red card for their opponents, they entered halftime with a 15:13 lead, thanks to three key goals from Gertu Jõhvikas.
A defensive switch by the Latvians early in the second half failed to turn the tide, as Mistra tightened their defense and capitalized on fast breaks led by Daniela Tuusis, extending their lead to 20:14 by the 37th minute. Though Latgols managed to close the gap slightly, a crucial strike from Jennifer Mednikova reestablished a commanding 26:20 advantage in the 48th minute. The final moments were largely a formality, with Mistra sealing a 35:27 victory.
Top scorers for Mistra were Maarja Treiman with seven goals, Gertu Jõhvikas with six, and Daniela Tuusis with five. On the opposing side, Marija Dergaceva netted six times for Latgols. “In the second half, we imposed our pace and we were well-supported by Veronika Fomina in goal. We minimized turnovers, and after a disappointing league performance earlier, we can be pleased with today’s display,” analyzed Mistras head coach, Toomas Heinla.
Looking ahead, Heinla acknowledged the challenge of the remaining two matches: “Unfortunately, we will be going into them with a reduced squad. We will be missing Kim-Ly Hoang’s leadership on the court and Nora Randmäe’s presence in goal on both Saturday and Sunday. It won’t be easy, but we will
give it our all.“
With this win, Mistra now holds a proud third-place position in the Baltic Sea League standings. The team travels to Finland tomorrow, where they will first face league leaders Cascada-Garliava from Lithuania, before concluding the international campaign on Saturday against defending champions GrIFK.
Baltic Sea Women’s League standings
| Place | Team | G | W | D | L | +/- | Diff | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | CASCADA – HC Garliava SM | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 137 : 100 | 37 | 8 |
| 2. | Vilnius Eglė | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 139 : 104 | 35 | 6 |
| 3. | HIFK | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 93 : 69 | 24 | 6 |
| 4. | Mistra | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 130 : 139 | -9 | 6 |
| 5. | GrIFK | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 95 : 69 | 26 | 4 |
| 6. | REIR / Dobele SS | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 125 : 141 | -16 | 4 |
| 7. | SK Latgols | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 126 : 160 | -34 | 2 |
| 8. | Jēkabpils SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 102 : 165 | -63 | 0 |
Schedule
Thursday, March 20
19:00 Mistra vs SK Latgols 35:27 (15:13)
Friday, March 21
15:00 Jēkabpils SS vs HIFK
17:00 GrIFK vs SK Latgols
19:00 Vilnius Eglė vs REIR / Dobele SS
21:00 Mistra vs CASCADA – HC Garliava SM
Saturday, March 22
11:00 SK Latgols vs Vilnius Eglė
13:00 CASCADA – HC Garliava SM vs Jēkabpils SS
15:00 HIFK vs Mistra
17:00 REIR / Dobele SS vs GrIFK
Sunday, March 23
10:00 Vilnius Eglė vs HIFK
12:00 GrIFK vs CASCADA – HC Garliava SM
On the Photo: Jennifer Mednikova (in red/with the ball) and Mistra started the Baltic League weekend with a victory. (Photo by: Joonas Kuuskla / Eesti Käsipalliliit)