Haycock’s goal lifts Waterkloof to Belgotex Sport Girls Challenge glory
Elaine Haycock scored the all-important goal that helped Hoërskool Waterkloof to secure a 1-0 win over Collegiate Girls’ High on the Western Province Cricket Club’s A Astroon Sunday afternoon.
That victory, in the final of the Belgotex Sport Girls Hockey Challenge, meant Klofies became the second winner of the trophy, succeeding Paarl Gimnasium.
The event brings together a potent collection of many of South Africa’s top teams, and Waterkloof’s coach, Omari Geyer-Pienaar, shared her thoughts on winning the prestigious event with SuperSport Schools News after the final: “We are incredibly proud of the girls for winning the Challenge. Our midfield worked super hard,” she said.
Lenique Vogel, one of Waterkloof’s midfield stars, took home the Player of the Tournament Award; Paarl Gimnasium’s star striker, Alanda Rademeyer, accepted the Top Goalscorer accolade for her 12 goals; and DSG Makhanda‘s shot stopper, Abigail Meihuizen, was named the Goalkeeper of the Tournament.
Commenting on her charges’ title-winning efforts, Pienaar-Geyer said they demonstrated what it meant to work hard for one another. That was especially important in the final against a tactically solid Collegiate side that denied them the room to play with freedom.
The teams traded volleys of attacks, but neither side could find an opening until regulation time was almost over. Then, in the 57th minute. Elaine Haycock eventually found a chink in the armour of the Collegiate defence. She took her chance, drilling the ball into the back of the net to score the goal that proved to be the tournament-winner.
“It could’ve been anyone’s game, but we’re happy it was ours,” Geyer-Pienaar said. “Across the whole tournament, the same spirit shone through – unity, resilience, and playing for one another. That’s what carried us through each match and ultimately brought us this win.”
Waterkloof’s victory over Collegiate was their sixth successive win in an indomitable run to the title. The ladies from Pretoria collected maximum points in Pool E, edged out St Mary’s DSG Kloof 3-2 in a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals, and then secured a 3-2 win over the defending champion, Paarl Gimnasium, in the semis.
Pienaar-Geyer did not expect an easy outing in the final. Collegiate headed into the tournament buoyed by a successful National All Girls Festival campaign. They reached the semifinals of that event, where they lost to Oranje, the eventual winners. But they carried their positive momentum into the Girls Challenge.
“We made sure that we stuck to our processes and principles. We also made sure that we were always team-oriented and just supporting one another,” Michael Abrahams, the Collegiate coach, said of his team’s path to the final.
Unfortunately for Collegiate, they didn’t go all the way. However, they have proved, beyond a shadow of doubt, that they are one of the elite teams of the 2026 season. Their record includes wins over Rhenish, Oranje, and DSG Makhanda.
Summing up her side’s winning performance, Pienaar-Geyer said: “We defended with real grit when it mattered and scored some unbelievable team goals that came from everyone contributing.
“At times, we had to reset and dig deep defensively, but every player held their role and stood strong,”
Durban Girls’ College and St Andrew’s School for Girls, who finished ninth and seventeenth, claimed the Plate and Bowl titles, respectively.
The four-day event also featured u16 and u14 components, comprising 24 teams, too. Paarl Gim successfully defended the u16 title with a convincing 4-0 win over St John’s DSG, while Bloemhof defeated Rhenish 2-1 in a Stellenbosch rivalry clash to capture the u14 crown.
RESULTS
Cup
1/2: Waterkloof 1-0 Collegiate
3/4: Paarl Gim 3-2 DSG Makhanda
5/6: St Mary’s DSG Kloof (4) 0-0 (3) Herschel
7/8: Reddam House Constantia 2-1 Affies
Plate
9/10: Durban Girls’ College 2-1 St Anne’s
11/12: Pearson 2-0 Garsfontein
13/14: St John’s DSG 2-0 Parel Vallei
15/16: Stellenberg 4-1 St Cyprian’s
Bowl
17/18: St Andrew’s School for Girls (5) 0-0 (4) St Mary’s Waverley
19/20: York 3-1 Springfield
21/22: Fairmont 4-2 Durbanville
23/24: Rustenburg Girls’ High 2-1 DF Akademie
