Defending champs make strong Noordvaal Cup start
Hoërskool Monument, the defending champions, showed why they remain the team to beat by picking up two wins on Thursday, the opening day of the Noordvaal Cup, at Hoërskool Pietersburg, in Limpopo.
Helpmekaar Kollege, Hoërskool Nelspruit, and Hoërskool Zwartkop impressed by also going two for two.
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Monnas, under the guidance of coach Divan Geyser, wasted no time in sending out a strong message to their challengers. Facing a tough opener against Hoërskool Waterkloof, they came away from a tightly contested clash with a 1- 0 victory
In their second outing, Monument scored a more convincing 3-0 win over Hoërskool Rustenburg. From the opening whistle, the Krugersdorp school set the tempo, and they quickly converted a penalty corner to go ahead after only four minutes. Rusties fought hard but were unable to penetrate Monument’s disciplined defence.
Although Monnas controlled the contest, they were only a goal to the good at halftime. They doubled their advantage in the third chukka, however, and ensured they would win with a third goal in the final chukka, which took the match beyond Rustenburg’s reach.
Rustenburg, after their loss to Monument, bounced back with a 1-0 victory over Waterkloof.
In Pool B, Helpmekaar Kollege emerged as one of the standout teams of the opening day, scoring two sound victories. Their first match, against Hoërskool Middelburg, was hard fought, but Helpies edged it 1-0.
In their second match, Helpmekaar dominated the hosts, Hoërskool Pietersburg, posting a commanding 4-1 win, which established them as potential title contenders. The hosts, meanwhile, stayed in the running with a 2-1 win over Middies.
Pool C delivered some interesting moments, especially from Hoërskool Nelspruit, who scored two comfortable victories.
First up, they defeated Potchefstroom Gimnasium 3-0, dominating from the start and building up a 2-0 lead by halftime. Then, against Midstream College, they again won 3-0. Midstream also fell 0-3 to Potch Gim.
In Pool D, the opening match was a real thriller, with Hoërskool Zwartkop holding off HTS Witbank to claim a 3-2 win. The game was fast-paced and produced good goal scoring chances, but it was Zwartkop who made the most of them.
Stung by that defeat, HTS Witbank came back with a bang, hanging a 5-1 loss on Hoërskool Sasolburg,
Zwarries, then, bagged maximum points for the day by beating Sasolburg 4-2.
Results
Pool A
Monument 1-0 Waterkloof
Monument 3-0 Rustenburg
Waterkloof 1-0 Rustenburg
Pool B
Helpmekaar Kollege 1-0 Middelburg
Helpmekaar Kollege 4-1 Pietersburg
Pietersburg 2-1 Middelburg
Pool C
Nelspruit 3-0 Potch Gim
Nelspruit 3-0 Midstream
Potch Gim 3-0 Midstream
Pool D
Zwartkop 3-2 HTS Witbank
HTS Witbank 5-1 Sasolburg
Zwartkop 4-2 Sasolburg
