Outeniqua teams head to Woodridge with a point to prove
Hoërskool Outeniqua‘s first-team boys’ and girls’ sides will make the trip from George to Thornhill this weekend to face Woodridge College in high spirits.
The much-anticipated derby features the boys in action at 16:00 on Friday and the girls taking to the turf at 11:00 on Saturday.
Both Outeniqua sides are favoured to win after enjoying a stellar month on the turf, which included bossing proceedings in their last two outings against Hoërskool Framesby and Glenwood House, respectively.
The boys’ side, led by coach Kirk Mendoza, thumped Framesby 7-0 before recording an emphatic 8-2 victory over Glenwood House during the week.
The girls, meanwhile, were also ruthless in front of goal and beat Framesby 4-0 before making light work of their town rivals, Glenwood House, winning 5-0.
The focus for the Kwaggas now shifts to a more challenging clash against Woodridge, away from home.
Speaking to SuperSport Schools Plus ahead of the game, coach Mendoza reflected on his team’s performances and highlighted areas in which he’d like to see improvement.
“Our main focus is to keep our structure and trust in our system,” he said. “Our movement of the ball is what has impressed me the most.
“The ability to keep structure and keep moving the ball like we do for four chukkas is the key to our success thus far, and that is very pleasant to see.”
Mendoza will need to get his side ready and fired up for Woodridge, who head into the match having beaten St Dominic’s Priory 2-1 in their most recent outing, which was preceded by a 2-2 draw with Victoria Park.
“Woodridge should be a good test for the guys,” he said.
“In that game, we would like to work on converting more circle entries with positive outcomes and improving our decision-making during the game. I believe this will improve our consistency and aid in growing our programme.”
The girls’ team, led by coach Niel Smit, will also be focused on continuing their impressive run.
They’ve created numerous opportunities in their last outings and found the back of the net with relative ease against Framesby. On the scoresheet were Maija Badenhorst (2), Mia Buxman, and Carlien Oosthuizen.
Despite their good run of form, coach Smit believes there are some key areas that Outeniqua needs to sharpen up.
Reflecting on the Framesby game, he said: “I think our passing was an area where we made a big difference. Connecting and finding each other helped create our chances and allowed us to score goals.
“Finishing is an area we want to improve on, including short corners, as it is a great opportunity to put some points on the board.”
Both teams will be eager to finish term two strongly before the learners shift their attention to the mid-year exams.
