Boland to “empty the tank” in SASHOC National Week semis, says Du Toit
Boland u18A captain Michael Du Toit said his team intends to leave everything on the park when they battle Southern Gauteng A in the first of the two semi-finals at the u18 SASHOC National Week in Bloemfontein on Thursday.
The clash starts at 11:20; you can catch it LIVE on SuperSport Schools.
Boland cemented their spot in the final four after recording a hard-fought 2-1 victory over KZN Coastal B in their last Pool A encounter on day four.
The win meant coach Jacques Grobler‘s side would finish their round-robin stage matches in second place, with 12 points after four victories from their five matches, during which they scored 13 goals.
Their journey to the semi-finals was characterised by smart hockey, teamwork, execution when it mattered the most, and a desire to finish off matches.
After a fiery start on day one, when they beat Border 4-0, Boland made it two wins in a row with a convincing 3-1 defeat of Western Province B on Monday.
On Tuesday, however, they succumbed to a heavy 0-5 defeat against Western Province A in their first match of the day. Later, they bounced back with a convincing 4-1 win over Southern Gauteng B.
LD Nel scored a brace, while Reuben Sendzul, and the skipper, Du Toit, also made it onto the scoresheet to ease some of the pressure on the side from the Western Cape.
Against the Coastal B side, goals from Sendzul and Ethan Leonard helped them to the win. With that important strike on Wednesday, Sendzul increased his goal haul to seven thus far this week. He’ll be keen to bolster those numbers in the big playoff games that lie ahead for Boland.
After the clash, Du Toit told SuperSport Schools Plus he was pleased with his side’s performance. However, they still need to put in a lot of work if they are to win the tournament, he added: “Today’s game was a little bit tricky, and we were fatigued after the double-header yesterday, but we pulled it off,” he said.
“We know what to work on. We know our game plan, and we’re just going to keep on working on ourselves.
“We are quite stoked to be in the semi-finals. The boys have worked hard, but we are not done. We have to push more on Thursday.”
Despite clinching a place in the final four and opening up an opportunity to make a run at the title, it could be argued that the Bolanders haven’t yet played to their full potential. Knockout hockey is a different game, however, and Grobler’s charges will contest them aware of the importance of winning the small battles.
“We realise that we haven’t been at our best yet. We are still trying to work on our format and everything [else],” Du Toit admitted.
“Tomorrow is going to be difficult. We will have to graft hard. There are no easy teams here.
“We are going to give it our all, leave nothing in the tank, and work hard for that win. We have great connections as a team, on and off the field, so that needs to come to the fore in the semi-final,” the captain concluded.
Scorers
Boland A 2 (2): Reuben Sendzul, Ethan Leonard. KZN Coastal B 1 (1): Zach Williamson.
