Northern Gauteng A and Western Province A will meet in the title game of SASHOC National Week on St Anne’s DSG‘s Lower Astro on Saturday morning.
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Northern Gauteng A was the first to book a place in the final. The ladies from the Highveld defeated KwaZulu-Natal Coastal A 3-0 in the first semifinal. Then, Western Province A triumphed by the same score against Eastern Province A in the second semifinal.
With the win, Northerns qualified for the final for a second time in three years. They lost to Southern Gauteng A in the 2024 title decider after a penalty shootout, and will attempt to be crowned the provincial champion of South Africa for the first time since 2019 on Saturday.
“The girls kept well to the tactics that we wanted to achieve in the game,” Sinoxolo Mbekeni, the Northern Gauteng A head coach, told SuperSport Schools News. “We held the right zones and went forward with speed.”
Northerns made a strong start and were rewarded with a goal five minutes into the tie, scored by their sharpshooter, Lenique Vogel, who deflected the ball into the net. With that goal, she became one of five players who have netted five times in the tournament.
Northerns almost went 2-0 up in the final two minutes of the first chukka, but Eyenhle Nzama made a smart save to deny them a goal. It remained 1-0 at the halftime break.
The match featured a robust midfield battle. One of the standout players in that zone was Northern’s Chanette Jansen van Vuuren, who won several duels. She also produced two match-defining moments.
“She had a good game, dominated the midfield, and did the simple things correctly,” Mbekeni reckoned.
The first of those moments occurred in the 37th minute when she forced a turnover close to the halfway line. She drove hard to the edge of the KZN Coastal circle, where she threaded a pass to Moya Reinach, who beat the Nzama from close range for Northern Gauteng’s second goal.
Jansen van Vuuren then put the game beyond Coastal’s reach with another telling attack. She split the KZN side’s defence with Amogelang Motlatle, trading one-twos before receiving the ball on the edge of the circle. She then dribbled past Nzama, who had come off her line, and slotted the ball into the back of the net.
“Going into the final, I will remind the girls that they have nothing to lose. They have given themselves a chance to play in the final after doing the right things. They just need to finish strongly,” Mbekeni said.
Western Province A vs Eastern Province A
Western Province A headed to the tournament with a strong belief that they had the chops to lift the title. Coach Olu Ncukana‘s charges gave themselves a chance of doing that on Saturday by producing a polished performance in their 3-0 win over Eastern Province A.
“I’m confident the team will be up for it. It’s been a good week, and we’ve stuck to our tasks for the most part, so if we keep doing those things, we have a good chance,” Ncukana told SuperSport Schools News on the eve of the semifinal.
His charges needed to be at their best against the tournament’s lone unbeaten team. Eastern Province had won four and drawn one in their group matches, while Province had recorded four victories and one loss on their way to the final four.
From the first whistle, Eastern Province made their intentions clear by making bold runs into Western Province’s final third. Ncukana’s charges weathered the early assaults and then seized control of the game.
The first goal came in the 11th minute after Jamie Gall made a great run down the right flank before cutting the ball into the circle, where Salome-Rose Oosthuizen pulled off a brilliant save to deny Province the opener. Inam Gungubele was, however, well-positioned to collect the rebound and bury the ball into the back of the net.
“We kept it really simple and backed our processes. We pressed well and took our chances,” Ncukana said.
A clear example of that good pressing came in Western Province’s second goal. Eastern Province was trying to construct an attack from the back when Chelsey McGregor snapped up a loose pass. She quickly found herself in a one-on-one with Oosthuizen and smoothly scored to make it 2-0 in the 24th minute.
Five minutes later, Juané Meiring made it 3-0, drilling the ball hard from a penalty corner. Her shot was partially saved but looped up and over the goalkeeper and crossed the line.
Both Northern Gauteng and Western Province appear to be peaking at the right time, raising the prospect of a thrilling final on Saturday.
Results:
Semi finals
Northern Gauteng A 3-0 KZN Coastal A
Western Province A 3-0 Eastern Province A
Position 5 to 8
Southern Gauteng A 1-0 Boland A
KZN Inland A 2-0 Southern Free State A
Position 9 to 12
Northern Gauteng B 2-1 Eastern Gauteng
Western Province B (3) 1-1 (0) Border A
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