SuperSport Schools Plus

St Mary’s trounces Danville, wins for DGC, Witteberg, and St John’s

By CS Chiwanza , in Hockey | Featured Hockey | News , at 2024-05-11 Tags: , , , , ,

Captain Georgia Pollock was on the score sheet for St Mary's DSG, who handed Danville Park Girls' High a 5-1 defeat in Kloof.
Captain Georgia Pollock was on the score sheet for St Mary’s DSG, who handed Danville Park Girls’ High a 5-1 defeat in Kloof.

Elizabeth Anderson was in fine form as she bagged a brace to lead St Mary’s DSG (Kloof) to an emphatic 5-1 win over Danville on Saturday morning.

Durban Girls’ College and St John’s DSG also recorded big wins. DGC walloped Epworth 5-1 and St John’s cruised to a 4-1 victory over St Anne’s.

In the Free State, Amy Kotzè and Sumari Eksteen bagged doubles and Arnè Maritz also scored for Witteberg as they rolled over Goudveld 5-0.

St Mary’s didn’t look like a team that had won four on the trot at the start of their game on Founders Field against the visitors from Durban. They appeared nervy and did not retain possession well.

That shaky start provided Danville with an opportunity, which the Sian Davis-captained team grabbed with both hands, with Megan Hulett netting to give the visitors a shock early lead.

The goal, however, seemed to be the wake-up call Carla Ann Mackay’s charges needed. They immediately asserted themselves on the visitors in search of an equaliser.

Georgia Pollock, the St Mary’s captain, returned to the game last week after an extended lay-off due to an injury she suffered on their Netherlands preseason tour and Saints marked her return with a 4-1 win over Our Lady of Fatima earlier in the week.

However, Pollock had to wait for her second outing before she found the back of the net for St Mary’s. But she did so in style by scoring the equaliser against Danville. From that point on, the Kloof girls were dominant, setting up shop in the Danville half.

Anderson, who was KZN Raiders’ leading goal scorer at the recent u21 IPT, was on the score sheet, as usual. Prior to Saturday’s match, she had netted eight times in St Mary’s last four outings. Another two on Saturday took her haul to 10 in their last five.

Jamie da Silva added two more to complete the home team’s comfortable victory.

“I think we were outletting and moving the ball around better than we have played before, but I think that [execution in the] final third is evading us at the moment,” coach Mackay said after the game.

“We need to be more clinical with finishes and tap-ins at that final post. I think we need someone finishing there every single time. We just have to find someone that dominates in that position,” Mackay told Supersport Schools Plus.

While the St Mary’s gaffer was impressed by her side’s performance, she admitted to being a little concerned about their penalty corner conversion rate. “Our PC conversion rate is not great,” Mackay said candidly. “It’s really not great unless it’s coming off the top. Our variations tend to not really give us any sort of outcome. And they work really hard to win the PCs.

“It’s really disappointing. It should be easy points on the board,” Mackay reckoned. Apart from that, though, she had good reason to be pleased with her side’s showing, which was highlighted by good ball movement, which stretched Danville and brought Saints success down both flanks.

When St Mary’s takes on Thomas More next week, before doing duty in the St Anne’s Cup on the weekend, Mackay said she would like to see a little more patience and more clinical finishing.

Chardinay Penniston’s Durban Girls’ College is enjoying a good run. They are still unbeaten since a loss to St Mary’s Waverley at the St Mary’s Festival, which they went on to win.

This week, DGC showed why they have been on such an impressive winning streak by scoring 12 goals against Thomas More, Maris Stella, and Epworth.

Neither Thomas More nor Maris Stella was able to breach the well-oiled DGC defence as they fell 0-2 and 0-5 on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. Epworth managed a consolation goal on Saturday.

RESULTS

St Mary’s DSG 5-1 Danville
Durban Girls’ College 5-1 Epworth
St John’s DSG 4-1 St Anne’s
Witteberg 5-0 Goudveld.

CS Chiwanza
error: Sorry ol' chap, those shenanigans are not permissible.