Four teams unbeaten after third day of u16 SASHOC National Week
Four teams – Boland A, Eastern Province A, KwaZulu Natal Coastal, and defending champions, Western Province A – remain unbeaten after the third day of the u16 SASHOC National Week in Bloemfontein.
Boland A and Eastern Province A, the runaway leaders of Pool B, have set the stage for a thrilling encounter on day four after they shrugged off the challenges of Southern Gauteng A and Boland B respectively on Sunday.
Andrew Beynon’s Eastern Province side delivered a statement of intent when they walloped Border 8-1 on the opening day of the interprovincial tournament, and they have been on fire ever since then.
On Sunday, they finally conceded a goal, in their fourth game, but it was just the one in a convincing 4-1 victory over Boland B.
Lucy Holderness opened the scoring in the 15th minute before Kerrin Gillies struck twice in the space of five minutes in the second quarter to give her side a three-goal lead. That double vaulted Gillies to the top of the goal scoring charts, with five goals, moving her above her teammate Jana Prinsloo (4) and Asanele Zuma (4).
Boland A also surrendered a goal for the first time on Sunday. It came in a tightly contested clash with Southern Gauteng A, which went down to the wire.
Chris Gerber‘s charges took an early lead through Phillipa Viljoen in the seventh minute, who converted a penalty corner for the second time during the week. Then, Nicola van der Merwe, who scored a last-minute goal against Southern Gauteng B on day two, extended Boland’s lead with a 25th minute goal.
Kirsten Cikes pulled Southerns back into the contest with a 39th minute goal, but Boland held onto their one-goal lead until the end.
Those results confirmed Eastern Province A and Boland A as the semi-finalists from Pool B. However, the winners of the pool will be decided on Monday when the sides go head-to-head.
In Pool A, Western Province A triumphed 4–2 over Southern Free State A to maintain their hold on top spot and guarantee themselves a place in the final four.
Emma Hibbert starred for the Louise Conradie-coached outfit with a brace, while Kira Totaram-Jacobs and Chelsey McGregor pitched in with a goal each. Chanette Jansen van Vuuren struck twice in the fourth chukka as Southern Free State mounted a fightback. It was, however, too little too late.
Second-placed KwaZulu Natal Coastal A played to a 0-0 draw against their neighbours KZN Inland A. That draw, and a win later in the day, has opened a window of hope for Inland A, who, mathematically, still have a shot at the next round.
In their second outing, Phillip Smerdon‘s charges registered a 2-1 win over Southern Free State A. Beayu Chiang and Kate van Breda found the back of the net for Inland in the 24th and 30th minutes before Claire Volschenk pulled one back in the 49th minute, which made for a tense finish to the match.
Inland’s chances for making the semi-finals now depend on Western Province maintaining their unbeaten run when they play KZN Coastal A on day four, while Inland A would also need to convincingly beat Northern Blues A.
RESULTS
KZN Coastal A 0-0 KZN Inland A
Western Province A 4-2 Southern Free State A
KZN Coastal B 0-3 Northern Blues A
Border 1-6 Southern Gauteng B
Eastern Province A 4 -1 Boland B
Southern Gauteng A 1-2 Boland A
KZN Inland A 2-1 Southern Free State A
