Southerns A maintains clean record, Southern Free State A find their feet
Southern Gauteng A recorded a fourth successive win, with a 4-0 defeat of Western Province B on Tuesday and are already sure of a semifinal berth at the SASHOC National Week in Bloemfontein.
Defending champions, Southern Free State A, meanwhile, bounced back from a loss to Northern Gauteng A and claimed a 3-1 win over Western Province A to remain in contention for a final four place.
Natasha Le Roux’s Southern Gauteng side, which is yet to concede a goal, did not let their standards slide despite coach Madenieya Kazie‘s side being a B team.
“Day three is always a tough one if you have played four games, and this was our fourth game,” Le Roux said. “However, I think we went into it in high spirits, which is always good.
“Western Province B has had quite a few good results this week, so we didn’t underestimate them. The girls went in hard, and we scored early, which set the pace, and from there on things went better.”
Reabitswe Phume, the Southern Gauteng A captain, echoed her coach’s sentiments: “Our mentality is to respect every side that is here, and because Western Province was a B side that doesn’t mean they are a lesser team. They did hold us, which was quite good.’
The highveld side has been one of the most disciplined outfits so far in the tournament, having picked up only four green cards, three of which came in their Jukskei derby clash with Northern Gauteng A on day one.
“The big thing for us is going into each game with humility, giving respect to the opposition and the umpires,” Hannah Quinton, the Southerns’ vice-captain, said.
Le Roux’s side is top of Pool A, but the coach is taking nothing for granted: “I think if you count your chickens before they hatch, you might lose a chicken along the way. Tomorrow, we have Southern Free State. We will go back to the board, go back to basics,” she shared.
Despite having scored the joint-most goals in the tournament so far, Southern Gauteng A does not have a player among the top three individual highest scorers. The leading goal-scorer, Southern Free State’s Bianca Rees-Gibbs, has struck the backboard six times, followed by Arista van Zyl, of Northerns, on five and then Ruby Kraus, of KZN Coastal, on four.
The highveld side has three players with three goals to their names: Amber Fairon, Hannah Smyth and Emily Weaver. That trio is followed by the captain and vice-captain, Phume and Quinton, who have scored two goals each.
More than anything, this speaks to the side’s ability to find the back of the net without relying on a single player. They are not planning to change that when they lock horns with the defending champions.
“Tomorrow is just another game for us. We go in with the same mentality: discipline and focus. We will have a team talk, analyse the game, and hopefully execute the gameplan.
“I like the bond we have created within the team, so we are going in with a positive mindset,” Phume explained.
Southern Gauteng A’s appointment with Southern Free State takes place at 11:20. Sulette Kotzee’s side played themselves back into contention for a semifinal spot with a 3-1 win over Western Province A, which enabled them to leapfrog Northern Gauteng A, who were held to a 2-2 draw by Border A.
Southern Free State A headed into Tuesday’s clash following a bruising loss by three goals to Northern Gauteng A. “Yes, it was a bad loss. But I think it is good to have one loss in the tournament because it switches you on,” Mia Schimper, the vice-captain of the home team, said. “Losses help you to learn from your mistakes and you don’t relax. It also got us mentally strong,” she added.
After their defeat, the Free State players did not hang their heads in despair. They produced enough good moments in their loss from which they could draw strength. Anriette Otto and company make a habit of celebrating moments, no matter how small they may appear.
“The girls knew it was one of our two quarter finals. We have the other one tomorrow,” the Southern Free State coach Sulette Kotzee, said.
“They knew we needed the points because a loss would have knocked us out of the tournament. We played more connecting hockey. We weren’t just bound to one channel, and we created 2-v-1 situations, and we took our chances.
“If the girls play like they played today, we will have a good match tomorrow,” she reckoned.
While Southern Free State A performed better as a unit compared to the first two days, it was Schimper and Anne Prinsloo who buoyed them with strong showings in defence and in the middle of the park.
“Today, I stepped up really well and played better than the other days. I carried the ball into the circle and down the baseline and made good passes. I think we were also good as a team, and we got outcomes,” Prinsloo said.
The Southern Free State versus Southern Gauteng A showdown will be one of the bigger games on the last day of pool clashes, pitting the Pool A leaders against the side in the second place after Wednesday’s action.
Third place belongs to Northern Gauteng A, who are two points behind the Free Staters and who face Western Province B on Thursday.
Results
Southern Gauteng A 4-0 Western Province B
Southern Free State A 3-1 Western Province A
Border A 2-2 Northern Gauteng A
KZN Coastals A 1-0 Southern Gauteng B
Boland A 2-1 KZN Inland A
Western Province B 0-1 Western Province A
Eastern Province A 1-0 Northern Free State
