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Erasmus, an integral cog, as Eunice pursues more clean sheets

By Avuyile Sawula , in Hockey | Featured Hockey | News , at 2024-04-03 Tags: , , ,

Eunice goalkeer coach, Christelle Erasmus alongside first team goalkeeper, Kaitlyn Going. Photo: Monique de Gouveia
Eunice goalkeepers’ coach Christelle Erasmus alongside first team goalkeeper, Kaitlyn Going. Photo: Monique de Gouveia

Conceding fewer goals and scoring more will be the main items on the agenda for Eunice High School this week at the annual St Mary’s Waverley Hockey Festival in Johannesburg.

The prestigious event, sponsored by Standard Bank, runs from Thursday to Sunday.

Eunice will be defending the title they won last year with a 1-0 win over the hosts, St Mary’s, in the final.

That victory was one of the highlights of an outstanding season for the Bloemfontein school, which enjoyed a superb run, despite a hectic schedule, to end the year as the number one ranked team in the country.

However, with a much younger side in 2024, Eunice has been challenged, coming up short in a number of matches. But, given their pedigree, good things are still expected of them this season.

Their last outing as a unit was at the Greg Beling Festival in East London where coach Nika Coertzen’s side picked up wins over DSG Makhanda (2-1), Stirling High (2-0), and Affies Girls (3-1).

They did, however, concede eight goals during their time in the coastal city, although five of those came in one game against Rhenish, which ended in a 1-5 defeat. Someone who will be eager to see Eunice’s defence clamp down on opposition attackers is the team’s goalkeepers’ coach, Christelle Erasmus.

It’s rare to find school hockey teams with specialised position coaches, but Erasmus says goalkeepers are the core of the team.

“It’s not a role you see a lot, especially in high schools, but I think it’s one of the most important roles,” she told SuperSport Schools during the Greg Beling Festival in East London.

“It becomes even more important for the team if you have someone passionate about goalkeeping, like me.”

Erasmus played goalkeeper at school and during her university days. She believes to get the best out of a shot-stopper, they must be led by someone who was once in their shoes.

Eunice goalkeeper, Kaitlyn Going in action for her side during this year's Greg Belling Festival in East London. Photo: Monique de Gouveia
Eunice goalkeeper, Kaitlyn Going in action for her side during this year’s Greg Beling Festival in East London. Photo: Monique de Gouveia

“You need someone to coach you in a specialist position,” Erasmus said.

“Yes, you’ve got strikers, midfielders, and defenders, but the goalkeeper is basically your anchor, and if that person is goal-driven, focused, then that can rub off on the team, and they can also feel secure on the turf.

“My role in coaching is tremendous, and I think, to coach that, you must have done it before. You must know how it works and have researched it.”

At Eunice, Erasmus oversees all the goalkeepers from u14 to the first team. The players are taught the same skills, trained using the same drills and playing tempo, and they go on to put what they’ve learned in practice into action on the turf.

“We have coached three times a week, and they are all coached together,” Erasmus explained.

“We are teaching them the same thing, on the same level, so we are coaching everyone on a first-team level, which is important for me.

“The important thing is that if they can commit to it, it will work, and help them grow,” she concluded.

Eunice faces a tough road if they are to be successful in defence of the St Mary’s title. They’re in Pool A, alongside Herschel Girls, Clarendon High School for Girls, Pretoria High School for Girls, Hoër Meisieskool Bloemhof, Roedean School, Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria (Affies), and Hoërskool DF Malan.

The Bloemfontein girls begin their campaign on Thursday at 07:45 against DF Malan.

You can watch that match, and all the St Mary’s Waverley Hockey Festival action, LIVE on SuperSport Schools.

 

Avuyile Sawula
error: Sorry ol' chap, those shenanigans are not permissible.