South Africa u17A scores second successive win over Zimbabwe u18A
South Africa u17A carbon copied their result from Tuesday, when they cantered to a comfortable 4-0 victory over Zimbabwe u18A in their Allistar Fredericks Africa Challenge contest at St David’s Marist Inanda, in Sandton, on Wednesday evening.
The win gave the hosts a 2-0 lead in the four-match series, which they’re using as part of their preparation for the annual Dato Mirnawan Cup, to be played in Malaysia in November.
“I think we definitely improved from yesterday,” Omari Pienaar-Geyer, the SA u17A coach, told SuperSport Schools Plus. “I am so excited to see what we can do tomorrow with a few more tweaks and combos,”
South Africa aimed to pick up from where they left off on Tuesday and quickly asserted themselves, enjoying the lion’s share of the possession. However, that advantage failed to translate into a goal in the face of a stubborn Zimbabwean defensive effort, despite several circle entries from the home team.
In fact, Zimbabwe almost took the lead, against the run of play, in the latter part of the second chukka when Joice Mandozana received a through-pass that put her in a one-on-one with Annika Kloppers, in goal for South Africa. Mandozana, though, was unable to get a shot off, although South Africa conceded a short corner.
“It was a slow start, but our fundamentals improved, and our tactical play and playing together got better,” Pienaar-Geyer said.
Three minutes later, South Africa made the visitors pay dearly for missing their goal scoring opportunity. After a couple of re-awards of a penalty corner, they went the direct route, and Jemma Ferreira unfurled a flick to goalkeeper Janelle Wightman‘s left, which ricocheted off the stick of the player on the post and into the back of the goalbox.
That goal raised Ferreira’s tally to three goals in the tournament after she struck twice on Tuesday, with those two also coming from penalty corner conversions.
Three minutes later, South Africa made 2-0 when Jamie da Silva drilled the ball into the back of the net off South Africa’s sixth penalty corner.
Zimbabwe started the third chukka brightly, enjoying long attacking phases in the early going. However, the core of South Africa’s defence, Katherine Sickle, Ella Bowyer, and Ferreira, held firm and frustrated the visitors.
Soon, South Africa had reestablished control. They had Zimbabwe chasing shadows as they strung together passes, moving the ball smartly in their own half before attacking with flair in the opposition’s half.
“In the last chukka, we really stepped up our aggression in the press to turn over the ball. With most of the ball possession, we need to keep a solid structure at the back,” Pienaar-Geyer explained.
While South Africa’s aggressive pressing caused headaches for the visitors, it wasn’t the source of the home side’s third goal. That came from an intercept by Timari Jonker close to the halfway line. After briefly carrying the ball forward, she picked out Sarah-Ellen Groenewald, who cut left and then fired a sweetly-struck tomahawk past the Zimbabwe ‘keeper with six minutes remaining in the contest.
Her goal put the game out of Zimbabwe’s reach. However, the hosts were not done yet. They grabbed their fourth from a penalty corner, with the captain Phillipa Viljoen converting from the second castle.
South Africa has another date with Zimbabwe’s u18A side on Thursday at 17:00. While coach Pienaar-Geyer is not focused on the scoreline, she is hoping to see a more clinical performance from her team.
“Our biggest focus is to keep getting better. Every match is a chance to improve,” Pienaar-Geyer said.
Result
South Africa u17A: 4 (Jemma Ferreira, Jamie Da Silva, Sarah-Ellen Groenewald, Phillipa Viljoen). Zimbabwe u18A: 0.
South Africa u16A: 7. Zimbabwe u16A: 0.
