With a cool head – sport

Actually, she hadn’t planned a visit to the Straubinger Gäubodenvolksfest, says Nadine Nurasyid, head trainer of the Munich Cowboys. “But after the game I had to go there for a short time.” For Nurasyid there was no frustration drinking on the last day of the second largest folk festival in Bavaria, there was no reason for that. Rather, after the dramatic course of the game, she wanted to “just come down and celebrate a little longer”.

Her cowboys had strained the head coach’s nerves a bit during the guest appearance with the Straubing Spiders, which the Munich team won 17:16 on Sunday. With the win, they secured second place in the southern squadron of the German Football League (GFL), which is equivalent to the home advantage in the playoffs against the higher rated northern teams. “An invaluable advantage,” says Nurasyid, who used to play and train with Straubing.

So the head coach knew what was in store for her team. Newly promoted Straubing is the surprise team of the season, the Spiders play courageous American football, annoy the favorites in droves and could have secured home advantage even with a win against Munich. The Spiders had already qualified for the playoffs – and they were highly motivated. “A provincial derby against Munich is something special, especially if we can play it at home. We only have one goal from the start – home win,” said captain Max Andorfer in advance Idowa. Andorfer and his team also wanted to use all their might to make people forget the severe bankruptcy from the previous week when they were beaten up by the Allgäu Comets at 7:43.

The cowboys are used to residues from this season – but also to turn them

Accordingly, Straubing started hotly, made some changes in their own defense and visibly caught the cowboys on the wrong foot. “We found it difficult to get going,” admits Nurasyid. In the second quarter, quarterback Wyatt Simith threw a simple pass into the hands of the Straubing defense, which he would otherwise probably still use after a visit to the Gäuboden folk festival. They took advantage of the mishap and carried the ball into the end zone: touchdown.

With 0:13 from the point of view of the Munich Cowboys it was halftime, the drop in performance raised questions in this otherwise strong season for the Cowboys. However, Nurasyid did not scold their players: “There is no time, it was just about what we can do better.” Also: “It wasn’t our first deficit this year, we know the situation.”

With this self-image, the cowboys returned to the field at the Am Peterswöhrd stadium. The footballers from the state league team VfB Straubing usually play there, and the Spiders convert the small stadium into the “Spiders Dome” for home games. Suddenly the Munich offense got going, running back Brandon Watkins carried the ball twice into the opposing end zone, the Cowboys were 14:13 ahead, Nurasyid’s adjustments worked. The head coach, who has held this office since this season, is also responsible for the defense, so she was challenged twice. And doubly satisfied.

“But then we made it more exciting than necessary,” says Nurasyid angrily. Straubing’s Simon Schwetz managed a field goal from 52 yards – almost 50 meters, a proud distance. The 1525 spectators cheered, the victory of the small Lower Bavarians from the provinces against the big Munich seemed possible again.

In the playoffs it is now against the third of the strong north group. The home right could be valuable

“But our trademark at the moment is just tight games that we then win,” says Nurasyid, laughing over the phone. The Cowboys had already won the Saarland Hurricanes in mid-August by 30:27, against the Allgäu Comets in July at 21:20 a point difference was enough to win. Just like Sunday. The Cowboys got the ball again. Although they couldn’t fight their way all the way to the front, a field goal from Robert Werner then secured the win a minute before the end. “That’s what makes us stand out at the moment,” says Nurasyid. “We keep a cool head when things don’t go that way. We play disciplined without getting emotional.”

On Saturday, the Munich team will play a worthless home game against Frankfurt, then on September 10th the playoffs against the third from the northern squadron will start in the Dante Stadium. What is possible? “First of all,” says Nurasyid. The two best teams in the north are probably too strong, but something could go against the third, who has not yet been determined.

Basically, the final round starts again from zero anyway. Nurasyid hopes that the team will then be able to bear the experience of tight games with a positive outcome – who will soon be able to go to a folk festival with the whole team. The team went home on Sunday. “They are in full working mode, there is no alcohol during the season.” But when the season is over, whenever that will be, of course it could be different.