Rhenish back with a bang, Herschel wins Herschfield Derby
After going down in the final of the All Girls’ Festival against Collegiate Girls’ High and playing out a 1-1 draw with Herschel Girls School, it might have appeared that Rhenish Girls’ High had lost their early-season momentum.
The girls from Stellenbosch countered that narrative with a dominant performance on Friday night, thumping St Cyprian’s School 6-0 in Cape Town.
The much-needed victory for coach Chris Gerber and his charges meant they returned to winning ways after some bumpy outings in recent weeks.
In their first match after the All Girls’ Festival, Rhenish drew 1-all with Herschel, with Pippa Viljoen finding the back of the net.
It was a solid outing from Rhenish. They created many opportunities against a good defensive unit, but their execution in the final third let them down.
That wasn’t the case against St Cyprian’s, who have enjoyed a good season. Gerber’s side dominated proceedings. They moved the ball well and pounced on their chances.
Skipper Leah du Plessis scored two field goals before Viljoen got in on the action with a brace of her own. Frankie Henn and Lily Newton completed the drubbing.
“The way we kept the ball and moved it impressed me a lot. I think that was the key to our success,” Gerber told SuperSport Schools Plus after the game.
“We also have a very good defensive system this year, and [it worked well] against St Cyprian’s. They came out firing in the first five minutes, and what we did well was just to calm down and play at our pace. Overall, it was a good performance.”
While Rhenish soaked up their win away from home, Herschel claimed the bragging rights in the Herschfield Derby against Springfield Convent School, despite playing away from home.
Both sides were confident heading into the clash. The week prior, Herschel had drawn with Rhenish, while Springfield had beaten La Rochelle 1-0.
It was the visitors, though, who scored a 2-0 victory, courtesy of strikes by Samantha Flint and Sophie Maurel.
Paarl Girls’ High also enjoyed a good outing on Friday night. They claimed a 3-0 win over their town rivals, La Rochelle. It was their second consecutive win in as many matches after they beat Somerset College by the same score a week ago.
This time around, Anne Nel, Cassie Fairbairn, and Halle Williams scored for coach Marc Landman’s side.
In other matches, Parel Vallei defeated Somerset College 2-1, and HMS Bloemhof was lifted to a 2-1 win over Reddam House Constantia by goals from Mari Steyn and Nina Louw-Stanich, while Emma Hibbert struck for Reddam.
Stellenberg overpowered Wynberg Girls’ High, running away to a 7-1 victory. Zanay Gerber netted a hat-trick while Bea van den Berg picked up a pair of goals, and Juane Meiring and Stella Zwiegers made it seven.
There were also wins for Westerford High School over Curro Durbanville, while Hoërskool Durbanville put four past DF Malan.
RESULTS
Herschel Girls School 2-0 Springfield Convent School
Paarl Girls’ High 3-0 La Rochelle
Rhenish Girls’ High School 6-0 St Cyprian’s School
Parel Vallei 2-1 Somerset College
HMS Bloemhof 2-1 Reddam House Constantia
Westerford 1-0 Curro Durbanville
Durbanville 4-0 DF Malan
Stellenberg 7-1 Wynberg Girls’ High
