Vital saves by goalkeeper Joshua Brand, and some brave defending, saw Paarl Gimnasium hold South African College High School (SACS) to a 2-2 draw in Paarl on Friday night.
Gim, after a slow start to the season, has hit its stride in the latter part of the term and put together another gritty performance against one of the country’s top sides.
Heading into the clash, SACS was undeniably favoured to win after beating Wynberg Boys’ High 7-0 last week, while the home side had thumped HTS Drostdy 9-0.
SACS has dominated past meetings between the sides, but last year, Gim held the Cape side to a 2-2 draw.
In last year’s match, it was John Coetzee and Juan Swanepoel who netted for Paarl Gim in their final year of school, while Litha Kraai and Cameron Corderio scored for SACS.
Similar fireworks were expected on Friday.
It took SACS 10 minutes into the opening chukka to draw first blood. After winning a free hit near the halfway line, Mohlodi Maseko threw an overhead pass to Kraai, who entered the circle with time on his hands and slammed the ball past Brand for the opener.
Both outfits upped the ante in the second chukka. The tempo of the game increased, and the midfield battle intensified.
Gim levelled matters midway through the quarter. After going on a counterattack, Jordan White found himself one-on-one with Ethan October in goal and scored to make it 1-1.
SACS continued to create chances after conceding, but Brand stood firm, pulling off some incredible saves to keep his side in the game.
Kraai then missed a golden opportunity from a penalty stroke late in the half, and the scores were deadlocked at the halfway point.
Kraai, however, was on the mark in the third chukka from a short corner.
That goal seemed to have galvanised SACS, and they looked lively on attack while restricting Paarl Gim’s offensive efforts.
The hosts, however, showed a never-say-die attitude and were rewarded with five minutes left in the final chukka when Mikal Janse van Rensburg‘s attempt found its way into the back of the net.
SACS pushed for a winner in the dying seconds, but Daniel de Wet‘s and Corderio’s link-up was stopped, and the match ended in a stalemate.
Gim became the second Boland outfit to hold SACS to a draw this season. Previously, they drew 3-3 with Paul Roos Gimnasium in May.
In an upset, Wynberg Boys’ High suffered a 1-2 loss to Langa Hockey Club in a league encounter in Cape Town.
Results:
SACS 2-2 Paarl Gimnasium
Langa Hockey Club 2-1 Wynberg Boys’ High
