Top seeds thrive on day one of the St Anne’s Cup
St Mary’s DSG, Kloof, Durban Girls’ College (DGC), St Anne’s, and Eunice headed into the St Anne’s Cup, being hosted by St Anne’s in Hilton, as the top seeds. All four reached the semifinals last year, and they did not disappoint on day one of the 2025 event.
That quartet was unbeaten at the close of the first day of the tournament, which runs through until Sunday, when the final takes place.
Despite featuring three teams, Pool A was a two-horse race between St Anne’s and Menlopark. They took turns at competing to see who could fire more goals past the Worcester Gimnasium goalkeeper before they went head-to-head.
St Anne’s teed off first and drilled seven unanswered goals past Worcester Gim. That margin of victory was the biggest of the day until Menlopark balled out against the Western Cape side. Coach Brad Brook‘s charges were on song and rolled to a 9-0 victory.
St Anne’s and Menlopark went head-to-head later in the early evening, and the hosts sparkled on their way to a 2-0 win to secure a quarterfinal showdown against Our Lady of Fatima on Saturday morning.
St Mary’s DSG, Kloof, ruled the roost in Pool B. They got their title defence off to a positive start with a 2-1 win over The Wykeham Collegiate (TWC).
Coach Nolwazi Nkabinde’s side faced a sterner test when they went up against Waterkloof later in the day. There were moments when St Mary’s DSG Kloof found themselves under the pump as the Klofies went on the offensive.
Jenna-Leigh Freese and Ella Bowyer stood firm in the midfield and at the back, however, as St Mary’s faced down the challenge and emerged 2-1 victors, courtesy of a brace from Georgia Short. That victory secured them a quarterfinal fixture against St John’s DSG, who finished second in Pool C.
The Pietermaritzburg school came in behind Eunice in their group. Coach Nika Coertzen’s side reached the semifinals last year and the Bloemfontein girls hit the ground running in their first outing, putting on a dominant showing in a big 8-1 win over Noordheuwel.
That win was the second-highest margin of victory on day one, matching the margin recorded by St Anne’s against Worcester Gim.
Coertzen’s charges followed up that comprehensive win with a 2-1 triumph over St John’s DSG. By finishing atop Pool C, they booked a quarterfinals showdown with the Pool B runner-up, Waterkloof.
Last year’s finalists, DGC was the first side to advance to the quarterfinals. Coach Chardinay Penniston’s ladies overcame the challenges of Our Lady of Fatima and Voortrekker (Bethlehem) by identical scores.
First up, at 08:00 in the morning, they locked horns with familiar foes, Our Lady of Fatima, who gave them a good run for their money However, DGC had a little more in the tank and triumphed 2-1.
In the afternoon, DGC squared up to Voortrekker. The ladies from Bethlehem put up a good fight and enjoyed the better of the opening half, but DGC came from behind to snatch a 2-1 win.
Their reward is a tricky tie against Menlopark for a place in the semifinals.
RESULTS
Pool A
St Anne’s 7-0 Worcester Gim
Menlopark 9-0 Worcester Gim
St Anne’s 2-0 Menlopark
Pool B
St Mary’s DSG, Kloof 2-0 TWC
Waterkloof 3-0 TWC
St Mary’s DSG, Kloof 2-1 Waterkloof
Pool C
St John’s DSG 2-1 Noordheuwel
Eunice 8-1 Noordheuwel
Eunice 2-1 St John’s DSG
Pool D
DGC 2-1 Our Lady of Fatima
Our Lady of Fatima 2-0 Voortrekker (Bethlehem)
DGC 2-1 Voortrekker (Bethlehem)
