Waterkloof and St Anne’s make strong St Mary’s Festival starts
Thursday’s pool stages of the St Mary’s Waverley Festival loaded up on action, with Hoërskool Waterkloof taking an early lead in Pool A after winning all three of their matches.
They showcased skill, teamwork, and a devastating counterattack to claim maximum points.
The Pretoria school started their run of victories with a 2-0 win over Somerset College.
They were given a scare by The Wykeham Collegiate (TWC) in their second game but pulled off a 1-0 win.
In their third clash, they found Pearson a tough nut to crack, but two stunning length-of-the-field goals took them into a 2-0 lead and, ultimately, a 2-1 victory.
Durban Girls’ College (DGC) was not far behind after two impressive victories and a draw. Their strong play kept the defending champion in contention as the battle for the top spot intensified.
The KwaZulu Natal girls beat Penryn 3-0 in their opener before edging out the St Mary’s Waverley Festival XI 1-0. They had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Somerset College.
Die Hoërskool Menlopark also grabbed two wins and a draw. They occupied third place with seven points at the end of the day.
Coach Brad Brook‘s team had a slow start as they finished their first match against the St Mary’s Festival XI in a goalless stalemate. However, they stepped up their game against Somerset College in their second outing, scoring a 2-0 victory, and they repeated that scoreline in a win over TWC.
In Pool D, St Anne’s Diocesan College strung together three wins on the trot to sit atop the standings. The games themselves were tight, however.
Coach Morné Odendaal‘s side scored narrow 1-0 wins over Collegiate Girls’ High School and Herschel Girls School before a more emphatic 3-1 victory against Paarl Girls’ High, who failed to pick up a win in three matches. They struggled to find momentum and will be eager to reverse course on Friday.
Paarl Gimnasium and Oranje are lurking should St Anne’s experience any setbacks on day two. Both teams won two and drew one on Thursday.
RESULTS
POOL A
POOL D
Paarl Gim 5-0 Kingsmead
Our Lady of Fatima 0-0 Oranje
Paarl Girls’ High 0-5 Herschel
St Anne’s 1-0 Collegiate
Kingsmead 0-2 Herschel
Paarl Gim 1-0 Our Lady of Fatima
Collegiate 0-1 Oranje
Paarl Girls’ High 1-3 St Anne’s
Collegiate 1-1 Paarl Gim
Oranje 3-0 Paarl Girls’ High
Herschel 0-1 St Anne’s
