Rhenish cruises into the National All Girls’ Festival final
Nicola van der Merwe, Sarah-Ellen Groenewald, and Pippa Viljoen helped Rhenish Girls’ High School cruise into the final of the National All Girls’ Sport and Cultural Festival on Tuesday.
Rhenish, who topped Pool A on the opening day, Monday, with four wins from four matches, carried on with that momentum when faced with two crucial fixtures on the second day.
In their first match, the aforementioned trio scored a goal each in a convincing 3-0 win over Paarl Girls’ High in the quarterfinals. Later, they eliminated the 2024 champions, Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria (Affies), scoring a 2-0 semi-final victory after goals by Van der Merwe and Viljoen.
After six matches and two days of action, Rhenish had compiled a perfect record of six wins in six matches. That ensured their progress to the title game.
The Stellenbosch school celebrated three big milestones on Monday, too, when Puck Bakker played her 150th game for the 1st XI, Grace Hobbs her 100th, and Frankie Henn her 50th.
The school commented, “We are so proud of their dedication, passion, and commitment to the team. Well done, girls!”
Meanwhile, another dominant side, Collegiate, who also went four for four on day one, moved on to the final.
In the quarterfinals, they took on a resilient Rustenburg Girls’ High and scored a 2-0 win. Then, in the semi-finals, and facing Rhenish’s great Stellenbosch rivals, HMS Bloemhof, who finished as the runner-up at the St Mary’s Waverley Festival, they claimed a 2-1 victory.
A mouthwatering final is in the offing, with both teams putting together outstanding runs to the title decider. Not only was Rhenish unbeaten, but they kept a clean sheet throughout the first two days. That’s only a touch better than Collegiate, who have conceded only one goal.
The Gqeberha girls, though, scored 17 goals on day one, without reply, while Rhenish netted 14 times. Collegiate added four more goals on Tuesday, while Rhenish tacked on five.
While Affies won’t be able to defend their title on Wednesday, they’re still assured of a high finish. They beat Eunice 2-1 on Tuesday, with goals from Marise Ras and Janke Schoeman, while Clare Volschenk replied for the Bloemfontein side.
Affies will meet Bloemhof in the playoff for third place.
Oranje Meisieskool bounced back from a tight loss to Bloemhof in a quarterfinal shootout to edge out Rustenburg Girls’ High 1-0, courtesy of a goal from Imce Botha.
The victory secured them a chance to fight for a top-five spot against Eunice. Meanwhile, Wynberg Girls’ High School, registered their first win after a challenging winless run in their backyard.
The hosts sneaked a 1-0 win over Danville Park Girls’ High in a tight contest. They’ll aim to build on that good result on Wednesday.
RESULTS
Collegiate 2-0 Rustenburg (QF1)
Bloemhof (3) 0-0 (2) Oranje (QF2)
Rhenish 3-0 Paarl Girls’ High (QF3)
Affies 2-1 Eunice (QF4)
Wynberg Girls’ 1-2 Pietermaritzburg GHS (9-12)
Danville 1-1 La Rochelle (9-12)
Danville 0-1 Wynberg Girls’ High (9-12)
Pietermaritzburg GHS 2-1 La Rochelle (9-12)
Durban Girls’ High 0-1 Pretoria HSG (13-18)
St Michael’s 0-0 Clarendon (13-18)
Westville 0-2 Queenstown (13-18)
St Michael’s 0-1 Durban Girls (13-18)
Clarendon 1-1 Pretoria HSG (13-18)
St Michael’s 0-2 Pretoria HSG (13-18)
Queenstown 2-0 Durban Girls’ High (13-18)
Clarendon 2-0 Westville (13-18)
Collegiate 2-1 Bloemhof (SF1)
Rhenish 2-0 Affies (SF2)
Rustenburg 0-1 Oranje (5-8)
Paarl Girls’ High 0-2 Eunice (5-8)
Westville 1-3 Pretoria HSG (13-14)
Queenstown 0-0 Clarendon (13-14)
