Rhenish, DSG Makhanda atop their Super 12 groups
Rhenish Girls’ High kicked off their title defence with panache, winning a trio of games as they marched to the top of Group A on Thursday, the first day of the Fairtree Super 12 Tournament at Oranje Meisieskool, in Bloemfontein.
DSG Makhanda, meanwhile, bagged two wins and a draw on their way to the summit of Group B.
“The girls moved the ball really well and stayed calm under pressure. It was really cool to see. And we were fantastic in defence, too,” Chris Gerber, the Rhenish coach, told SuperSport Schools Plus.
The three victories propelled the Stellenbosch school to the top of their group and provided them with a clear path to the semi-finals.
In their opening fixture, the defending champions issued a statement of intent when they took on St Mary’s DSG, Kloof, the team they faced in the 2024 final. Captain Leah du Plessis and Lily Newton scored as Rhenish beat their KZN counterparts 2-0.
The Rhenish skipper, who is enjoying an incredible purple patch that included her being named the Player of the Tournament and leading a Boland team laden with Rhenish players to the u18 SASHOC National Week title, was on the scoresheet again in her side’s second match. She netted once and Puck Bakker added another as they overcame Waterkloof 2-0.
In their final game of the day, Rhenish edged out their Stellenbosch neighbours, HMS Bloemhof, 1-0, thanks to a goal from Chelsey Woolf, who moved to Rhenish at the start of the third term. Formerly from Durban Girls’ College, she captained KZN Coastal to the u16 SASHOC National Week title and was named the Player of the Tournament. Her integration into the Rhenish side appeared seamless as she gelled well with the rest of the team.
Abigail Holderness was one of two players to bag a hat-trick on the opening day, firing three goals past Our Lady of Fatima goalkeeper Kayla Driver in a 5-2 win for DSG Makhanda over the Durban school.
Holderness added another goal against St Anne’s, while Ava van der Walt and Emily Walker also scored as DSG bagged a 3-0 victory over the Hilton school.
The Eastern Province side was aiming to make it three wins in three outings when they went up against Die Hoërskool Menlopark in their last match of the day. Try as they might, the Geowynne Gamiet-coached unit couldn’t get one over the Pretoria team and had to settle for a 1-1 draw.
Those two wins and a draw, though, left DSG on top of Group B and well positioned to secure a place in the semi-finals.
Friday’s other hat-trick came off the stick of Paarl Gimnasium‘s Alanda Rademeyer, who banged in three of her side’s four goals in a 4-0 drubbing of Our Lady of Fatima. Like Holderness, Rademeyer ended the day with four goals to her name, adding a further strike in a thrilling 2-2 draw with Collegiate Girls’ High.
With six goals from their two matches, Paarl Gim, in second, leads Collegiate, in third, on goal difference in Group A after both recorded a win and their shared draw. Collegiate netted three times and conceded twice in their two matches.
RESULTS
Group A
Rhenish: 2 (Leah du Plessis, Lily Newton). St Mary’s DSG Kloof: 0.
Eunice: 0. Waterkloof: 0.
Bloemhof: 1 (Elré Oosthuizen). Oranje: 0.
Rhenish: 2 (Puck Bakker, Leah du Plessis). Waterkloof: 0.
Bloemhof: 2 (Mari Steyn 2). St Mary’s DSG Kloof: 1 (Nicola Forbes)
Eunice: 2 (Georgia Kambanis, Claire Volschenk). Oranje: 1 (Marlene du Plessis)
Rhenish: 1 (Chelsey Woolf). Bloemhof: 0.
Eunice: 0. Waterkloof: 0.
St Mary’s DSG, Kloof: 2 (Jenna-Leigh Freese, Mia Borrageiro). Eunice: 0
Group B
DSG Makhanda: 3 (Ava van der Walt, Emily Walker, Abigail Holderness). St Anne’s: 0.
Paarl Gim: 4 (Alanda Rademeyer 3, Minke Botha). Our Lady of Fatima: 0.
Collegiate: 1 (Kate Brennan). Menlopark: 0.
DSG Makhanda: 5 (Abigail Holderness 3, Lauren Menage, Anna Olivier). Our Lady of Fatima: 2 (Mia Lopes, Gabby Hall).
St Anne’s: 1 (Iminathi Ngxola). Menlopark: 0.
Paarl Gim: 2 (Isabella Nel, Alanda Rademeyer). Collegiate: 2 (Kerrin Gillies, Eden Oliver).
DSG Makhanda: 1 (Alex Ovendale). Menlopark: 1 (Zoe Badenhorst).
