Friday’s schedule opened with the match for ninth place. The Polish team entered the game as slight favorites on paper. However, the last four encounters between the two sides had never ended with more than a two-goal difference. This trend was broken in the battle for ninth place, as Poland won 5–1 and finished ninth at the championships. The United States handled Singapore, securing their victory only after an overtime.
Germany – Poland 1:5 (1:0, 0:1, 0:4)
Friday’s program began with the matchup for ninth place between Germany and Poland. The Polish team entered the game as slight favorites on paper. However, the last four encounters between the two teams had never ended with more than a two-goal difference. More than three and a half thousand fans attended the school match in the arena, creating a fantastic atmosphere. From the start, the floorball game was evenly balanced. Germany took the lead in the eighth minute thanks to Anna-Lena Best. Poland, however, soon managed to equalize, with Zuzanna Bogdańska scoring after successful forechecking. The tied score lasted until the 53rd minute, when Samson once again found the net following effective forechecking. Poland then took control of the match, increased their lead, and confirmed it with two empty-net goals. They finish ninth at the championships. Germany leaves with tenth place.
USA – Singapur 4:3 p.p. (1:2, 1:0, 1:1, 1:0)
Singapore started the match for the final second-to-last position at the championships better. They were trying to make up for the heavy 1:8 defeat from their group-stage meeting. After goals by Puh and Watkins, they took a two-goal lead. However, the Americans managed to equalize before the end of the second period. In the final period, Marie Häggström put the USA ahead 3:2, but Singapore, thanks to Ellyana Azman, sent the game into overtime. Captain Häggström had the final word, securing 15th place for the United States with her second goal of the match. The team from Asia failed to record a single win at the tournament and finishes last.
Australia – Japan 2:3 p.p. (0:0, 0:1, 2:1, 0:1)
Two teams that had faced each other in the preliminary round battled it out for 13th place. It was clear after the first period that this would be a very evenly matched game, with no goals and no clear favorite. The Australians came out more motivated in the second period. Few expected the Japanese to be the first to celebrate. The heroine of the last game, Abe Yu, opened the scoring. The Japanese entered the final period with a slight advantage. However, the Australians did not want to give up and quickly equalized. Their joy did not last long, though, as the Japanese increased their lead shortly thereafter. The Australians found an answer to that as well. The regular playing time did not produce a winner and ended with the same score as their previous match, 2-2. The Australians put more pressure on in overtime, but the Japanese scored with a quick move and are celebrating 13th place.
Netherlands – Estonia 6:4 (3:1, 2:1, 1:2)
The battle for 11th place offered plenty of drama. With strong support from Dutch fans, the Netherlands opened the scoring in the first half. The well-coordinated play of captain Marissa Meijer and striker Jasmine Van der Veen gave the players in orange such a taste for victory that they repeated it immediately, with their teammates subsequently increasing the lead to 3-0. However, the Estonians were not deterred and reduced the deficit at the end of the period. The second period was a back-and-forth affair, with the players in orange opening the scoring again, the Estonians reducing the deficit, and the Dutch finding the answer. The biggest drama took place in the final period, when the Estonians surprised their opponents by reducing the deficit. With a few minutes to go, the score was 5-4 and the Estonians were desperate to equalize, but the Dutch sealed the win with a shot into an empty net. Both teams are celebrating their success, though. The Dutch finished 11th in their first championships in ten years, while the Estonians moved up to 12th place compared to their previous two tournaments.
Sweden – Latvia 16:3 (7:1, 5:2, 4:0)
A long day of games concluded with a clash between two countries separated by the Baltic Sea. Sweden entered the match against Latvia as overwhelming favorites. The last four meetings between the teams had all ended with a double-digit goal tally against Latvia. The two sides last met at the championships two years ago, also in the quarterfinals. Back then, Sweden turned the match into a shooting gallery and crushed Latvia. The quarterfinal in Ostrava followed the same pattern. From the opening face-off, Sweden were the more active team, setting the pace of play. They scored their first goal five minutes in, and from there, the Swedish goal machine switched on. Although Latvia managed to reduce the deficit halfway through the first period with a beautiful goal by Anna Ankudinova, it was only an isolated success. After that, it was once again only Sweden who found the net. The most successful nation in the floorball´s history handled their role as favorites with complete confidence. By halfway through the match, they were leading 8-2 and kept extending their advantage. Latvia threatened only through very occasional counterattacks, while Sweden’s dominant performance secured them an easy path to the semifinals, where they will face Switzerland.
