Unbeaten Eunice and Bloemhof through to the next round
Pool A’s top teams, Eunice and Bloemhof, qualified for the next round of the annual St Mary’s Hockey Festival without losing a single match, a feat managed by only two other teams in the tournament.
They finished pool play tied on 19 points and were separated only by goal difference.
In the next round, they will be grouped together with the top three teams from Pool B in a new group, Pool E. It is here that they will battle it out in the hope of continuing on along the path to the final.
Eunice is hoping to reach and win back-to-back titles. If they made it that far, it would be their third St Mary’s Festival triumph. Bloemhof, on the other hand, will be hoping to chart a path to their maiden St Mary’s Festival trophy.
Heading into their last pool match, Eunice was guaranteed a top-three slot, with five wins and a draw from six games. Herschel, their opponent in that game, needed a win for direct qualification, and to avoid having to depend on others’ results to advance, to the top 12. A draw would have left them in a tricky situation, hoping that Affies lost their last match against Pretoria High School for Girls (PHSG).
When Eunice took on PHSG, who had struggled in their previous matches, coach Nika Coertzen gave some of her younger players a chance to accumulate more meaningful playing time. They showed as much fight and hunger as the regular starters and helped bump up the team’s goal difference.
The Trusten Barnard-captained side walloped PHSG 6-0, which was the biggest margin of defeat the Pretoria side had suffered at the festival. Their previous worst loss was 0-5 against Bloemhof, on day one.
If the game against PHSG was a cakewalk, their contest against Clarendon was a gauntlet. Luwan Sedras’ charges were well prepared for Eunice, and they gave them a good run for their money.
“We didn’t execute the gameplan well against Clarendon. It was a tough game. But it was a good learning experience,” said Coertzen after her team had picked up a 2-1 win.
That battle against Clarendon solidified their resolve and they were determined maintain their unbeaten record against Herschel, who were in a must-win situation. Stacey-Lee Gedult’s charges took the fight to Eunice on Friday evening in a thrilling contest, but at the end it was Eunice who had held off Herschel 2-1.
“We are taking things a game at a time,” Coertzen said, choosing not to delve too much into her side’s undefeated run at the tournament.
After day two, five teams remained unbeaten. One of those sides was Bloemhof.
Coach Jenny King‘s charges have controlled opposition teams with distinction. Nothing about the way they have played has betrayed the fact they had a shorter pre-season than most of their opponents at the festival.
Their run of six wins and a draw, scoring 14 goals without conceding one, tells the story of a well-oiled unit. They had three games on Friday, against Clarendon, DF Malan, and Roedean. Bloemhof scored five unanswered goals. “We are taking it a game at a time,” reckoned King.
Affies headed into Friday’s schedule in need of some victories to keep their hopes of a top-12 finish alive. The previous day, they had won one, lost one, and drawn one. On Friday, the Nicolene Terblanche-coached side appeared revitalised. They trumped Clarendon 1-0 in their first outing and then played to a 0-0 draw with DF Malan.
Maricha van Greunen and her team needed another win and for Bloemhof to overcome Herschel. The stars aligned. They achieved the victory they required and Bloemhof defeated Herschel 2-1.
In their new group, Pool E, Eunice, Bloemhof and Affies will be joined by Pool B table-toppers Durban Girls’ College, St Anne’s and Menlopark.
Pool A Results
Roedean 1-1 PHSG, Affies 1-0 Clarendon, Bloemhof 1-0 Clarendon, Eunice 6-0 PHSG, Affies 0-0 DF Malan, Roedean 0-2 Herschel, DF Malan 0-1 Herschel, Roedean 0-1 Affies, Eunice 2-1 Clarendon, Bloemhof 2-0 DF Malan, PHSG 0-1 Herschel, Bloemhof 2-0 Roedean, Clarendon 0-0 DF Malan, Affies 1-0 PHSG, Eunice 2-1 Herschel
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