VfL Wolfsburg are out to defend their title, whereas SC Sand cannot wait for this rematch. The DFB Women’s Cup final on Saturday will be one of the highlights in this season’s calendar. SC Sand’s goalkeeper Carina Schlüter is likely to feature and she will need to be at her best for the underdogs to have a chance of winning. She speaks to DFB.de about her dream of lifting the trophy, her sudden rise to becoming a regular in the team and about the special call she received from head coach Steffi Jones.
DFB.de: Miss Schlüter, will the cup final on Saturday be the biggest game of your career?
Carina Schlüter: Yes, without doubt. My teammates have already told me loads of stories about the DFB Cup from previous years. They all rave about it, even when they lost 2-1. It was still a big thing for everyone. We want to win the title this year. Of course we are the outsiders but we can do it.
DFB.de: Really? VfL Wolfsburg have been pretty impressive recently and are now the German champions.
Schlüter: We still have a chance. We already drew with them 0-0 this season. It is definitely impressive how Wolfsburg marched to the title in the Bundesliga. We respect them but we are not scared of them. If we can put in a good performance, then anything is possible. I’m sure of that.
DFB.de: You managed to secure your Bundesliga status with a few games to go in the Bundesliga at SC Sand. Did that mean that you could then turn your full attention to the DFB Cup?
Schlüter: We still wanted to finish the Bundesliga season well and I think we made sure we did that. Nevertheless the final was certainly a big theme in the dressing room but more so externally. There were a lot of things that had to be prepared. For a small club like SC Sand that is just how it is. Now we are finally there and we cannot wait to try and cause an upset.
DFB.de: What do you need to do to get the right result?
Schlüter: It is much easier said than done. The longer it stays at 0-0, the better our chances are. We need to ensure that we don’t concede early on. That would make everything much more difficult.
DFB.de: The spotlight will likely be on you as the goalkeeper.
Schlüter: I love those kinds of games. My first match for SC Sand was last summer against VfL Wolfsburg, which was when we drew 0-0. Afterwards I was voted player of the matchday by the DFB.de fans. That was not a bad way to make my debut. We need to deliver a similar performance to that. That applies to the whole team, not just me.
DFB.de: You’ve been at Sand almost a year now. What has been your experience of it?
Schlüter: I came here from Herforder SV. My main objective was to get game time if possible. That I now play almost every game is obviously brilliant. It’s all gone incredibly quickly. I feel really happy here at Sand. We are one big family here. They’ve looked after me really so everything is going great at the minute.
DFB.de: You aren’t only a starter at your club in the Allianz Frauen-Bundesliga. You recently were part of the Germany squad that beat Canada 2-1.
Schlüter: It was a fantastic experience for me to be able to be there. It was certainly one of the highlights of my career. I still don’t know how I got the call for it some time ago. I didn’t recognise the number. I sat with my housemates in our apartment in Sand. When I got the call, it was Steffi Jones at the other end. I couldn’t believe it at first.
DFB.de: And then?
Schlüter: She personally passed on the lovely news to me that she wanted me in the squad for the match against Canada. I was speechless, happy and completely taken by surprise all at the same time. I then packed my things and met everyone at the meeting point in Erfurt. Even though I didn’t play, I was still able to collect a lot of valuable experience. I would obviously be delighted if this can be more than just a one-off experience.
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VfL Wolfsburg are out to defend their title, whereas SC Sand cannot wait for this rematch. The DFB Women’s Cup final on Saturday will be one of the highlights in this season’s calendar. SC Sand’s goalkeeper Carina Schlüter is likely to feature and she will need to be at her best for the underdogs to have a chance of winning. She speaks to DFB.de about her dream of lifting the trophy, her sudden rise to becoming a regular in the team and about the special call she received from head coach Steffi Jones.
DFB.de: Miss Schlüter, will the cup final on Saturday be the biggest game of your career?
Carina Schlüter: Yes, without doubt. My teammates have already told me loads of stories about the DFB Cup from previous years. They all rave about it, even when they lost 2-1. It was still a big thing for everyone. We want to win the title this year. Of course we are the outsiders but we can do it.
DFB.de: Really? VfL Wolfsburg have been pretty impressive recently and are now the German champions.
Schlüter: We still have a chance. We already drew with them 0-0 this season. It is definitely impressive how Wolfsburg marched to the title in the Bundesliga. We respect them but we are not scared of them. If we can put in a good performance, then anything is possible. I’m sure of that.
DFB.de: You managed to secure your Bundesliga status with a few games to go in the Bundesliga at SC Sand. Did that mean that you could then turn your full attention to the DFB Cup?
Schlüter: We still wanted to finish the Bundesliga season well and I think we made sure we did that. Nevertheless the final was certainly a big theme in the dressing room but more so externally. There were a lot of things that had to be prepared. For a small club like SC Sand that is just how it is. Now we are finally there and we cannot wait to try and cause an upset.
DFB.de: What do you need to do to get the right result?
Schlüter: It is much easier said than done. The longer it stays at 0-0, the better our chances are. We need to ensure that we don’t concede early on. That would make everything much more difficult.
DFB.de: The spotlight will likely be on you as the goalkeeper.
Schlüter: I love those kinds of games. My first match for SC Sand was last summer against VfL Wolfsburg, which was when we drew 0-0. Afterwards I was voted player of the matchday by the DFB.de fans. That was not a bad way to make my debut. We need to deliver a similar performance to that. That applies to the whole team, not just me.
DFB.de: You’ve been at Sand almost a year now. What has been your experience of it?
Schlüter: I came here from Herforder SV. My main objective was to get game time if possible. That I now play almost every game is obviously brilliant. It’s all gone incredibly quickly. I feel really happy here at Sand. We are one big family here. They’ve looked after me really so everything is going great at the minute.
DFB.de: You aren’t only a starter at your club in the Allianz Frauen-Bundesliga. You recently were part of the Germany squad that beat Canada 2-1.
Schlüter: It was a fantastic experience for me to be able to be there. It was certainly one of the highlights of my career. I still don’t know how I got the call for it some time ago. I didn’t recognise the number. I sat with my housemates in our apartment in Sand. When I got the call, it was Steffi Jones at the other end. I couldn’t believe it at first.
DFB.de: And then?
Schlüter: She personally passed on the lovely news to me that she wanted me in the squad for the match against Canada. I was speechless, happy and completely taken by surprise all at the same time. I then packed my things and met everyone at the meeting point in Erfurt. Even though I didn’t play, I was still able to collect a lot of valuable experience. I would obviously be delighted if this can be more than just a one-off experience.
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