Engen Champ of Champs titles on the line on Sunday
There was excitement for some, disappointment for others on Saturday at the University of Pretoria‘s High Performance Centre, where the Engen Champ of Champs moved ever closer to the gold medal games.
The event features the provincial champion club teams in the u18 boys’ age group and at u20 women’s level. It’s also a stage upon which to unveil the next generation of South African football stars.
On Sunday, the action kicks off with the semifinals in the morning. Later in the day, the finals take place at the Tuks Stadium.
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In the boys’ competition, it’s Panorama versus Cape Town City for a place in the final, while Chippa United tackles Junior Birds in the other semifinal fixture.
In the girls’ competition, Durban Ladies take on Cape Town Roses, and the University of Johannesburg (UJ) goes up against EastHigh Girls Academy.
Gauteng champions, Panorama, finished top of group A but were pushed extremely hard on Saturday, which they began with a 1-1 draw against Junior Birds in their first match, followed by a narrow 1-0 victory over EastHigh Boys Academy.
EastHigh Boys Academy, meanwhile, edged out Postmasburg 1-0, while Junior Birds beat Bakgaka United 3-1.
In Group B, the most highly anticipated clash of the day featured Cape Town City and Chippa United, and it was the East London team, Chippa United, which rose to the occasion, claiming a 2-0 victory.
After that setback, Cape Town City rebounded with a 3-0 win over Potch Academy, while Chippa United suffered a bit of a letdown, sharing a scoreless draw with Kusekhaya Football Academy. Kusekhaya, the KwaZulu-Natal champions, also scored a narrow 2-1 victory over Potch Academy.
The KZN champions in the girls’ competition, Durban Ladies, is the only team to have maintained a perfect 100 percent record in the group stages, winning all their matches.
They finished at the top of Group A after overrunning Sisters 6-0 victory on Saturday before grinding out a 1-0 win over Royal Wizards.
After being overpowered by Durban Ladies, Sisters demonstrated strong character to force a 1-1 draw against Ixias Ladies, who subsequently endured 2-4 loss against EastHigh Girls Academy.
Royal Wizards, who finished in second place in Group A, reversed their score against Durban Ladies in their next outing, beating EastHigh Girls Academy by the same margin.
In Group B, UJ and Cape Town Roses both qualified for the semifinals. They also shared an outstanding 2-2 draw.
UJ, then, beat City Lads Ladies 2-1, and City Lads Ladies responded with a 2-1 win over Mafikeng Ladies.
Cape Town Roses drew 1-1 with Mafikeng Ladies, but the Cape Town side had done enough to advance to the semifinals.
RESULTS
Boys’ Competition
Group A
EastHigh Boys Academy 1-0 Postmasburg
Junior Birds 3-1 Bakgaga United
Panorama 1-1 Junior Birds
Panorama 1-0 EastHigh Boys Academy
Group B
Cape Town City 3-0 Potch Academy
Chippa United 0-0 Kusekhaya
Kusekhaya 2-1 Potch Academy
Chippa United 2-0 Cape Town City
Girls’ Competition
Group A
Ixias Ladies 1-1 Sisters
Royal Wizards 1-0 EastHigh Girls Academy
EastHigh Girls Academy 4-2 Ixias Ladies
Durban Ladies 6-0 Sisters
Durban Ladies 1-0 Royal Wizards
Group B
Cape Town Roses 1-1 Mafikeng Ladies
UJ 2-1 City Lads Ladies
City Lads Ladies 2-1 Mafikeng Ladies
UJ 2-2 Cape Town Roses
