The unexpected call: Rookie Wiggins comes to Spain’s help

Centre back Alicia Fernández was an integrant part of the Spanish team, unlocking the attack with her passes, being the first-choice penalty shooter and a very disciplined defender. When she went out with a knee injury, Spain lost a part of their spark.

But what how to manage the loss of the first two goalkeepers? They are hard to replace, especially when those two goalkeepers have featured prominently in major tournament and were key in Spain’s success over the last decade.

Silvia Navarro, who was playing at her sixth EHF EURO, got injured in the preliminary round against Montenegro. When Mercedes Castellanos followed suit during the match against Poland, Spain were left reeling, scrambling for solutions.

Left without their most experienced goalkeepers – Navarro, 43, and Castellanos, 34 – Spain needed bring someone in and pair up with Maddi Aalla, the 25-year-old goalkeeper from Super Amara Bera Bera.

This is where Nicole Wiggins Sancho, 21, suddenly appeared at her maiden international tournament.

Wiggins was not even born when Navarro started her career, at Mar Valencia in 1997.

“When I watched Mercedes get injured, I was watching the game with my teammates from KH-7 BM. Granollers. They were joking, saying that I was going to replace her in the Spain national team. I could not think about that really, I was just sad to see so many injuries,” says Nicole Wiggins.

Indeed, Wiggins’ phone lighted up almost instantaneously, receiving a late call-up to Spain’s national team to put out the fire started by the two injuries.

Wiggins slotted in the position immediately, saving two shots against Germany, eight against Romania, and nine against the Netherlands.

In total, the 21-year-old rookie has 19 saves for a 27.1% saving efficiency at the EHF EURO 2022, a tournament she was not supposed to play in.

“After the game, I went home, prepared my luggage and I was on the first flight to Podgorica to play for Spain,” says Wiggins.

“It is a dream, yes, to be here, with this team and trying to do the best for this side. It is an amazing feeling, so we are trying to do our best under these very difficult circumstances. It is an exciting experience and I cannot wait for the next games.”

Wiggins was on the bench when Spain lost what looked like a certain draw in the match against Romania. They had just equalised with few seconds left on the clock when Bianca Bazaliu produced one of the highlight goals of the tournament.

Aalla was just entering the court after a seven-on-six attack that saw Spain tie the score. But Bazaliu’s rocket from 14 metres hit Aalla and went in, giving Romania a 28:27 win.

“I think that was a very, very strong shot. Try to save it when the ball comes with a speed of over 100 km/h, it will be very, very difficult always. We were all surprised and Maddi did the best she could under those circumstances,” says Wiggins.

With Spain trying to qualify for the EHF EURO semi-finals for the first time since 2014, when they finished runners-up to Norway, Wiggins got her chance in the next game against Netherlands.

She made some key saves after playing throughout the whole match in the 29:29 draw that saw Spain’s chances for a place in the final weekend dramatically lowered.

Was it a special game for her?

“As you probably guessed from my name, my father is half-English, half-Dutch. So, yeah, you might as well imagine as we had a big discussion before the game. He said he is split, 50% for Spain, 50% for the Netherlands,” says Wiggins, adding with a laugh: “But then I told him I, his daughter, am playing in this game and he changed his opinion immediately.”

The fundamentals are there, so we might just see Wiggins playing for ‘Las Guerreras’ more from now on, as a generational change will happen at some time between the goalposts.

And she will always remember the EHF EURO 2022 as her first international tournament, where she made the first steps in international handball.