Dato Mirnawan Cup joy for SA u17 girls
Holly Hofmeyr‘s strike late in the third chukka proved to be enough as the South African u17 girls team defeated the Australia Crocs 1-0 on Monday, day two of the Dato Mirnawan Cup, in Malaysia.
After going down 1-3 against Queensland (Australia) in their opening match, the South African girls were eager to turn the tide and secure their first points of the tournament.
Coach Natalie Esteves’ players dominated their opener, owning the majority of ball possession, but they failed to turn their opportunities in the final third into goals.
Apart from the lack of finishing, there were plenty of positives to be taken away from the match against Queensland, including the manner in which the side bossed proceedings in midfield, and the link-up play, which led to some eye-catching, flowing moves.
The side knew they weren’t far off the mark and they took on board some lessons learned in Sunday’s loss to deliver a win on Monday.
The match was tightly contested from the get-go, with both teams enjoying their fair share of possession in first chukka.
Soon, though, South Africa started to play themselves into dangerous positions and create goal-scoring opportunities.
The contest’s key moment arrived in the third chukka, when they won a penalty corner and executed a variation. When the ball landed on Holly Hofmeyr‘s stick, she slammed it into the back of the net.
The South African girls then held onto their slender lead the rest of the way.
“I think one thing that we did, which we did really well, was fighting back despite the heat and conditions,” Hofmeyr said after the game.
“The halftime team talk helped us. We came together as a team and fought back.
“In our next game, it’s going to be important for us to go forward and use the chances we create in midfield.”
Busiwe Mayekiso, who scored South Africa’s goal in their 1-3 loss on Sunday, added: “One thing we can work on is probably connecting on the field.
“We must be able to trust each other as a team and work together.”
The South African team returns to match action on Thursday, 6 November, when they tackle the Malaysia Tigers at 12:00 SAST.
