DGHS ready to tackle Kingsway, Maris Stella braces for St Mary’s clash
Durban Girls’ High School tackles Kingsway in a KwaZulu-Natal league match on Wednesday, which they hope will also serve as good preparation for the All Girls Festival, which takes place in Potchefstroom next week.
DGHS coach Avril Jacobs’ primary focus in the preseason was on conditioning and fitness. Skills with poor or average fitness might help her team win a game or two, but that does not guarantee consistency. “I believe they have to be athletes first before being hockey players,” she explained.
That approach helped DGHS through three festivals, which kicked their season into gear. At one of those, the annual Spar Tournament, they did not lose a match and finished third after posting one win and four draws.
They followed that up with a stellar performance at the Crawford La Lucia Hockey Festival over the Easter weekend. Led by Gift Arinze, Jacob’s charges realised the goal they had set out to achieve. They won the title.
While outworking other teams has been the bedrock to their success, DGHS has also built its identity around its defence, well marshalled by Holly McDonald, which has been tough to breach.
Teams that have managed to get past McDonald and company have then found themselves confronted by Divine Arinze. The goalkeeper is having the best season of her career, pulling off great stops to keep DGHS in the game on a number of occasions. Her excellence was recognised at the Crawford Easter Festival and Maris Stella Indoor Tournament, where she was named the top goalkeeper.
Last Friday, she was in top form when DGHS pulled off a 1-0 win over Reddam Umhlanga in their first league match, with Kaylee Heere scoring the all-important goal.
One of DGHS’s goals for this season is to make it all the way at the All Girls Festival, which runs from 1-4 May. While matches against Kingsway have traditionally brought favourable results, they’re not taking the school from Amanzimtoti lightly. They want to head into the All Girls Festibal with a win in the pocket and the momentum that it provides.
Our Lady Fatima plays against a familiar foe, Ashton, also on Wednesday. They meet multiple times each season, in the league and at tournaments. Earlier this year, they went head-to-head in the Spar semi-finals, with Our Lady of Fatima scoring a comfortable 3-0 win. They will be focussed on extending that run of success against the girls from Ballito.
St Mary’s DSG will seek a return to winning ways when they square up against Maris Stella on Thursday. Carla Ann Mackay’s charges were involved in a five-goal thriller against Durban Girls’ College over the weekend and emerged second-best, but it was tight, with DGC claiming a tight 3-2 victory.
St Mary’s DSG is clearly one of the elite teams in South Africa in 2024, but coach Gowan Jones‘s Maris Stella girls won’t be timid when they take to the Astro against the team from Kloof. Jones explained: “One of our goals for the season is for our teams to play with no fear of the opposition and have the freedom to play the game.”
During their preseason, Maris Stella focused on the style of play Jones, the SA national men’s goalkeeper, wants them to play, particularly in the areas of outletting and the press.
Chardinay Penniston‘s Durban Girls College (DGC) visits St Anne’s with the intention of extending their unbeaten run as they continue to chase their season’s goals, which include a top-12 finish this year.
Fixtures
Wednesday: DGHS vs Kingsway, Our Lady Fatima vs Ashton
Thursday: Maris Stella vs St Mary’s DSG (Kloof), St Anne’s vs DGC
