Drama-filled day as KZN Coastal sneaks into SASHOC National Week semis
The fourth day of the u18 SASHOC National Week in Bloemfontein produced jaw-dropping action and remarkable comebacks, and left several players rueing their missed chances, as the four semi-finalists were decided.
KZN Coastal A will take on Western Province A, while Boland A and Southern Gauteng A will go toe-to-toe in the other final four clash on Thursday at the University of the Free State.
Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools.
Heading into the final day of group stage action, Pool A was already decided, with Province and Boland securing their places in the semi-finals on Tuesday.
Coach Bryce West’s Western Province team compiled a flawless record, five wins from five matches, while Boland lost only once, against Province.
Pool B is where a flurry of possibilities came into play with five teams heading into the day with a shot at securing a semi-final place.
Overnight, Southern Gauteng A and KZN Coastal A occupied the top two positions, with eight and six points respectively. But Thursday’s games could possibly upend the finishing order in the group.
Coach Anthony Woodhouse‘s Southerns’ boys were shocked early in the morning, going down 2-5 against a hungry KZN Inland A side, which was also trying to salvage their campaign.
That defeat left the pool wide open and meant Southerns would need help to progress when KZN Coastal A and Northern Gauteng met later in the day.
Northerns were also in with a shot at sneaking into the top two, but only a win would do against Coastal after they played to a couple of draws earlier in the week.
Their clash against coach Cam Mackay’s side ended in a tense 1-1 draw. Luken Brunette opened the scoring for Northerns, but Lethabo Mathobela replied for KZN Coastal.
That result meant the final match of the day between KZN Inland A and the hosts, Southern Free State, would determine which one of three teams – KZN Coastal, KZN Inland or Southern Free State – would secure a semi-final spot.
The equation was simple for coach Damian Kimfley‘s Inland side and coach Wayne Coetzee’s Free Staters: Win and you’re in. Draw and no top four.
Neither side capitalised on their opportunity. KZN Inland grabbed an early lead through a penalty corner drag flick from their captain Jarred Kitto. Free State struck back in a similar manner, with Matthias Visser rocketing a PC drag flick past Nick Holmes, in the Inland goal.
At the conclusion of the game, KZN Coastal A could breathe a sigh of relief. Their seven points left them one adrift of the table-topping Southern Gauteng A.
“I didn’t expect that to happen (for Inland to draw with Free State),” Coastal coach Cam Mackay told SuperSport Schools Plus after the match.
“I think both teams had really good results coming into that match, so a draw was not expected, even though we should expect draws because the group has been a little bit messy.
“I haven’t thought about tomorrow,” he continued, “but a goal of ours was to make the semi-finals, and I think the way we’ve played for the majority of the time, the boys deserve it.”
Coastal faces a daunting task on Thursday, taking on an on-song Western Province A in the second semi-final at 14:10.
Mackay said his team would be up for the challenge. “We will have to regroup and try to think about what we’re going to do tomorrow,” he said.
“We have a bit more recovery time, more time to think, but we don’t fear Western Province. They’re a great team and we have respect for them, but being in the semi-finals was a goal and we’ve achieved that.”
Day 4| Results and Scorers
Pool A
Boland A 2 (2): Reuben Sendzul, Ethan Leonard. KZN Coastal B 1 (1): Zach Williamson.
Border A 2 (1): Helio Ruiters, Hisharm Pillay. Southern Gauteng B 0.
Western Province A 5 (2): Litha Kraai (2), Ethan Lee, Stephan Meyer, Dayle Gertson. Western Province B 0 (1): Matthew Lassen
Pool B
KZN Inland A 5 (2): Grant Bridgeford (2), Julian Koningkramer, Banele Dlamini, Tino Hove. Southern Gauteng A 2 (2): Nashaan Matroos (2)
Southern Free State A 1 (4): Matthias Visser (3), Duane Romain. Eastern Province A 1 (1): Ben Ristow.
KZN Coastal A 1 (0): Lethabo Mathobela, Northern Gauteng A 1 (1): Luken Brunette.
KZN Inland A 1 (1): Jarred Kitto. Southern Free State A 1 (1): Matthias Visser.
Results| Section B
Pool X
KZN Inland B 2-1 Southern Free State B
Mpumalanga 3-1 Boland B
Eastern Province B 2-1 North West
Pool Y
Northern Free State 2-1 Limpopo
Eastern Gauteng 5-0 Eden
Northern Gauteng 0-0 Northern Cape
Eastern Gauteng 3-0 Northern Free State
Northern Gauteng 7-1 Limpopo
Day 5| Fixtures
08:45 – Southern Gauteng B vs KZN Inland A ((Play-off 5-8)
09:55 – KZN Coastal B vs Southern Free State A (Play-off 5-8)
11:20 – Boland A vs Southern Gauteng A (Semi-final 1)
11:35 – Western Province B vs Northern Gauteng A (Play-off 9-12)
14:10 – Western Province A vs KZN Coastal A (Semi-final 2)
14:25 – Border A vs Eastern Province A (Play-off 9-12)
