Mouthwatering semi-finals await at u16 SASHOC National Week
In a classic north versus south contest, Southern Gauteng A takes on Western Province A on Saturday in one of the two semi-finals of the u16 SASHOC National Week.
The second semi-final, between Boland A and Eastern Province A, is a rematch of the 2024 final.
Both matches will be held at Hilton College on Saturday afternoon.
Southerns and Province meet at 12:15. Not only will Southerns be eyeing a place in the final, but they’ll also be eyeing revenge. When the sides last met, in the playoff for fifth place last year, Province claimed a 2-0 win.
On their way to the semi-finals, Southerns dominated Pool B, collecting maximum points. Coach Siya Sityana’s side beat Northern Gauteng A 6-2, outplayed KZN Inland A 4-2, saw off Southern Gauteng B 5-3, defeated Eastern Province A 3-1, and then hammered KZN Inland B 7-0 in their final outing.
Blaine Candy enjoyed an outstanding Friday in the circle, scoring three times in Southerns’ back-to-back wins. That lifted him to seven goals for the tournament, just one behind the leading goal scorer, Luc Boyall of KZN Coastal A.
Candy was on the scoresheet in his side’s 3-1 triumph over Eastern Province, with Matthew Jung and Kade Lottering also finding the back of the net. Then, he was one of two Southerns’ players to bag a brace in their 7-0 romp over KZN Inland B. Rourque van Rooyen also struck twice, while Thomas Collins, Matthew Jung, and Kade Lottering added a goal each.
Province, after three wins and two draws, placed second in Pool A with 11 points. Coach Sam Holmes’ side, in a big surprise, was held to a 1-1 draw by KZN Coastal B in their first outing. They cruised past Southern Free State A next time out, winning 4-1, outplayed Western Province B 2-1, edged out KZN Coastal A 3-2 in a key clash, and then drew 2-2 with Boland A, who finished at the summit of Pool A.
Boland’s focus will be on a second title in succession. In 2024, they shared a 2-2 draw with Eastern Province A in the final but claimed the title 1-0 in a penalty shootout.
Coach Shaun McIntyre’s side won four of their five group games, beating Western Province B 7-3, Southern Free State A 5-1, KZN Coastal A 4-3, and KZN Coastal B 3-1. They drew 2-2 with Western Province, as previously mentioned.
Against Western Province, Boland overturned a 0-2 deficit to force a draw after their neighbours came out of the blocks quickly. Ross Wille put Province ahead through a short corner conversion in the 10th minute and Zach Hillman doubled Province’s lead with a second penalty corner conversion three minutes later.
Boland gained a foothold in the game when Nicholas Knoll registered his first goal of the tournament with a strike in the 18th minute, but they then spent the next 35 minutes chasing an equaliser. It came, eventually, through Luke van der Merwe.
Boland’s semi-final opponents, Eastern Province A, won four of their five group contests: beating Southern Gauteng B 4-1 in their opener, KZN Inland B 2-0, Northern Gauteng A 4-3, and KZN Inland A 5-1. Then came their loss to Southern Gauteng A on Thursday.
The Boland versus Eastern Province semi-final starts at 15:05.
RESULTS
Pool A
Boland A: 2 – Nicholas Knoll, Luke van der Merwe. Western Province A: 2 – Ross Wille, Zach Hillman.
KZN Coastal A: 5 – Daniel Rea (3), Luc Boyall, Luke Lambert. KZN Coastal B: 1 – Sibeko Sisekelo.
Southern Free State A: 3 – Eben Stander, Kaden Hendersen, Ethan Seager. Western Province B: 2 – Max Fourie, Cuan Cadiz.
Pool B
Southern Gauteng A: 3 – Blaine Candy, Matthew Jung, Kade Lottering. Eastern Province A: 1 – James Chree.
Southern Gauteng B: 2 – Mpilo Chabe, Delon Blignaut. KZN Inland B: 0.
KZN Inland A: 3 – Santiago Matroos (2), Rayhan Fitz. Northern Gauteng A: 1 – Ethan Jaftha.
Southern Gauteng A: 7 – Blaine Candy (2), Rourque van Rooyen (2), Thomas Collins, Matthew Jung, Kade Lottering. KZN Inland B: 0.
