De Jager stars as SA bags second win at Dato Mirnawan Cup

Keegan de Jager, of Kearsney College, scored a late hat-trick to help the South African u17 boys team seal a morale-boosting 4-2 win over the Malaysia Tigers at the Dato Mirnawan Cup, in Bukit Jalil, on Monday.

Ahead of the match, South Africa had their sights on bagging a second straight win after beating the Australia Crocs 2-0 on the opening day.

They were eager to make a statement against one of two home sides but were struck a massive blow in the first chukka when the Tigers struck twice to take a 2-0 lead and set South Africa a huge challenge if they were to grab a share of the spoils or win the game.

The comeback, though, began in the second chukka when Jacques van Dyk, of Stellenberg High, pulled one back, and with that goal the game’s momentum began to shift.

The third chukka was goalless, but the team talk shared by coaches Justin Collins and Michael Abrahams ahead of the fourth chukka worked like a charm.

The South African side was more assertive, challenged for every ball, and put the Tigers under immense pressure.

In the 49th minute, the contest tilted in favour of SA when they won a short corner, and De Jager’s drag flick flew into the back of the net to make it 2-2.

There was no stopping South Africa after that, and two more PCs, in the 55th and 59th minutes, resulted in De Jager scoring from both to seal his hat-trick and complete the comeback.

Speaking after the game, Logan Lackey, one of the co-vice-captains, said he was pleased with the character shown by the side.

“The game was really good,” he said. “Last year, we were in the same position against the same team, but we couldn’t get the outcome we wanted. I’m glad we could walk away with the win this year.

“When we were 0-2 down, I still had hope. There’s always that little bit of hope you have, but I’m glad we pushed through.”

Lackey also revealed what coach Collins had said in the dugout at halftime.

“The coach told us not to drop our heads but to work together and trust each other, and everything will work out.”

The South African team has a rest day on Tuesday before returning to action on Wednesday, 5 November, against Malaysia Speedy at 12:00 SAST.

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Avuyile Sawula

Avuyile Sawula is a multimedia sports journalist, broadcaster, and writer. He possesses a journalism degree from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. During his time in the media industry, he has worked for various online media publications covering a variety of sporting codes. He also has a broadcasting background, having worked as a news journalist at one of Cape Town’s commercial radio stations. His reporting beats include hockey, rugby, water polo, and cricket. Apart from writing, he has a knack for creating sports content, video editing and running.

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