Western Province not getting carried away after Boland win, says Meyer
Western Province u18A captain Stephan Meyer said his team needs to stay grounded and humble after they recorded an impressive 5-0 win over Boland A on Tuesday, day three of the SASHOC National Week in Bloemfontein.
Province later, bagged their second victory of the day beating KZN Coastal B 4-1.
The tournament, being hosted at the University of Free State, is inexorably working its way towards the playoffs, with the final scheduled for Friday, 21 June.
In defence of the title, which they captured with a 100 percent winning record last year, Province took on Boland in a highly anticipated Western Cape derby, which many believed would decide which team finishes atop Pool A.
Both teams entered the match with flawless records. Boland started their week with a 4-0 win over Border A, before beating Western Province B 3-1 on Monday.
Province, on the other hand, scrapped their way to a 3-1 win over Southern Gauteng B on day one, but on day two they hit their straps, thumping Border A 9-0 in a one-sided encounter.
The last time Boland and Western Province met was in 2023’s semi-finals, with Province winning that contest 4-2.
On Tuesday, they started like a house on fire and within five minutes they had taken the lead.
After recovering the ball deep in Province’s half, Litha Kraai put on the afterburners and found Ethan Lee in space, with just one defender and the goalkeeper in sight. Instead of going himself, Lee set up Jordan Paulsen for a tap-in and the game’s opening goal.
Immediately after that, Boland had a chance to reply from a penalty corner, but Reuben Sendzul‘s drag flick was blocked by Dayle Gertson, and that opportunity went abegging.
Boland was then made to pay for employing a high line when Province launched another counterattack from their half through Kraai.
He sprinted the length of the field and was tackled just outside the circle, but Cohen Williams picked up the loose ball and found Joe Gitlin, who made it 2-0.
Before the end of the chukka, coach Bryce West‘s charges made it 3-0. This time around, Gertson’s drag flick was saved by Beor van Reenen, but Josh Mettler pounced on the rebound to give Western Province a healthy lead after the first quarter-of-an-hour.
Province kept their feet on the gas in the second chukka, and they quickly made it 4-0 through Paulsen. Credit for that goal must go to Mettler, however. After scanning the field, he delivered a brilliant through ball to Paulsen, who danced his way around Van Reenen to strike for a second time.
Boland was a much-improved side in the third chukka, displaying more energy and intent. Their efforts were, however, kept at bay by Noah Venter, who has conceded only once in the tournament thus far.
Western Province added one more goal in the final chukka, courtesy of a Gertson drag flick, to seal an emphatic 5-0 win.
“It’s a big derby, and it always feels good to win it,” Province skipper Meyer told SuperSport Schools Plus after the match.
“We had a game plan, and I think we executed it well today. The coach is proud of us, and we stuck to what we needed to do. But it’s only three games played. The job isn’t done. We are nowhere near done. We have to stay locked in.
“It’s crucial! (to stay grounded). The one thing we can’t do is allow this victory to get to us. There are no easy games here, but if we come out fighting like we did today, we can win.”
Province will be back in action on day four and will be the odds-on favourites to finish top of Pool A, with a last pool clash against Western Province B at 14:25.
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Scorers
Western Province A 5 (4): Jordan Paulsen (2), Joshua Mettler, Joe Gitlin, Dayle Gertson. Boland A 0.
Western Province A 4 (1): Litha Kraai, Jordan Paulsen, Joshua Le Roux, Cohen Williams. KZN Coastal B 1 (1): Sibusiso Cele.
