Eastern Province powers into SASHOC National Week semi-finals
Eastern Province A will battle KwaZulu-Natal Coastal in the second semi-final of the girls’ section of the u18 SASHOC National Week on Friday at 13:40 at Maritzburg College.
Looking ahead to the final four clash, Geowynne Gamiet, the Eastern Province coach, told SuperSport Schools Plus: “Coastal has strong runners and they press high.
“They are going to be a tough opposition, but we will bring our A-game and bring everything into the match.”
Gamiet’s side has executed one of the best turnarounds of the past 12 months. Last year, Eastern Province finished a lowly ninth at the SASHOC National Week. They went away, regrouped, and have returned a stronger and better side.
Captained by Abigail Holderness, they have strung together a five-match winning streak that catapulted them to the summit of Pool A. They’re aiming to extend their winning run against KZN Coastal.
On their way to the semi-finals, Eastern Province overcame powerhouses that included the defending champions, Southern Gauteng A, plus one of the perennial favourites, Southern Free State A, and Boland A, who have also qualified for the semi-finals.
However, those five wins have not lulled them into a false sense of security ahead of their fixture against KZN Coastal.
The Chardinay Penniston-coached side subjected Eastern Province to a 3-1 defeat when they met in the group stages last year. Gamiet’s outfit is working towards a different outcome this year.
Eastern Province confirmed their place in the semi-finals on Wednesday already. But that didn’t mean they took their final Pool A match against Northern Gauteng B lightly, and the Sky Blues gave EP a tough workout.
“It was probably our toughest encounter,” Gamiet said after a testing 1-0 win. “The girls have been scoring freely throughout the tournament, but Northerns defended so well. They frustrated us at every turn.”
Eastern Province was forced to be patient, and they grudgingly complied. “They learned a tough lesson. Sometimes you have to grind out a win, and that is what they did,” said Gamiet.
The Eastern Province coach is wary of KZN Coastal’s attacking threat. Zezethu Kunene, Jamie da Silva, and Jenna-Leigh Freese have shown a knack for scoring goals that matter, and the trio all scored in Coastal’s tightly contested 3-3 draw against Western Province A in their final group match on Thursday.
Gamiet hopes that, facing skilful opposition, his defenders will keep up their outstanding form at the back. They’ve been guided well by goalkeeper Rebecca Haswell, who has marshalled her defenders well and kept them calm when the pressure has ratcheted up.
“They are a dogged lot. They fight hard and sometimes get angry when they give the ball away in defence.” Gamiet said. “Rebecca has done a lot to make sure that they remain composed and on their toes.”
With KZN Coastal focused on improving on their third-place finish of 2024, buoyed by strong backing from their home supporters, Eastern Province will need to be on top of their game to secure a place in the title decider.
Results
Pool A
Boland A: 3 – Pippa Viljoen, Leah du Plessis, Skylar Bougaard. Southern Gauteng A: 1 – Azania Petersen.
Southern Free State A: 4 – Bianca Rees-Gibbs (2), Carli Oosthuizen (2). Southern Gauteng B: 1 – Juliet Horton.
Eastern Province A: 1 – Mike Holder. Northern Gauteng B: 0.
Pool B
Northern Gauteng A: 3 – Lisa Grey, Amogelang Motlatle, Mia Pretorius. KZN Inland: 2 – Jasmin Kelly, Annabelle Balmer.
Western Province B: 2 – Anjum Kazie, Tatum Malherbe. Border A: 2 – Kishka Baartman, Busiwe Mayekiso.
KZN Coastal A: 3 – Jenna-Leigh Freese, Jamie da Silva, Zezethu Kunene. Western Province A: 3 – Samantha Flint, Isabelle Amm, Emma Hibbert.
KZN Inland A: 1 – Jasmin Kelly. Western Province B: 0.
