The final four is far from decided as teams head into the last round of group stage matches at the U16 girls’ SASHOC National Week. One team has already secured a semi-final place. After Thursday’s group matches, five others’ hopes of a final four place remain alive.
The event, taking place at Hilton College and St Anne’s DSG, concludes with the crowning of the champion on Sunday.
Pool A
The tournament’s leading goalscorer, Charley-Rose Boyall, secured KwaZulu-Natal Coastal A‘s place in the top four with her 47th-minute strike against Western Province A. That goal lifted Coastal A to a hard-fought 1-0 win.
KZN Coastal A, the team with wins in every match, leads Pool A with the maximum 12 from four games. On Friday morning, they have a date with second-placed Northern Gauteng A. The ladies from the Highveld need a win against Coastal A to guarantee their spot in the semifinals.
Coach Mark Lamprecht‘s side took a step towards a top-two finish in Pool A with a 4-1 win over KZN Inland B on Thursday morning. Monique Gerber led the scoring with a brace before Li-May Swanepoel and Tristyn Mara added a goal each in the last six minutes of the game. Abigail Moodley netted for Inland B.
Northerns A has nine points from three wins and a single loss in four outings. They are slightly ahead of third-placed Southern Free State A, who have seven points from two wins, one loss, and a draw in four matches.
Southern Free State A, who were held to a 1-1 draw by KZN Coastal B, could still make it through to the semifinals. To qualify, they have to defeat Western Province A in their final group game on Friday and hope that KZN Coastal A defeats Northerns A.
Province A has an outside chance of making it to the final four. However, they would need Northerns A to lose to Coastal A, and they would need to win against Southern Free State A by a wide margin. KZN Coastal B and KZN Inland B are out of the running for top honours.
Pool B
Eastern Province A (EP) has one foot in the semifinals following their narrow 3-2 win over Boland A on Thursday afternoon.
Josie van Heerden put Eastern Province A into the lead in the eighth minute, but Zoe Jacobs equalised for Boland A two minutes later. Just seven minutes after that, Van Heerden restored Eastern Province A’s lead with her second.
Boland A clawed their way back into the contest and restored parity through Megan Bennie in the 43rd minute. However, coach Zimasa Dunywa‘s Eastern Province side responded well, with Sophia Jansen firing them in front again in the 48th minute. That goal proved to be the match-winner.
With the victory, Eastern Province A, who are in first place in the pool, increased their points’ haul to nine, with three wins from their four games. They meet second-placed KZN Inland A in their final pool outing on Friday morning. Should Inland win, they would move above EP in the standings. A victory or a draw would leave EP in first place.
Eastern Gauteng kept things interesting in Pool B with an upset 1-0 win over KZN Inland A. Chloe-Page Lunt struck in the 27th minute, and that was enough to secure Eastern Gauteng’s first victory of the tournament.
Despite the loss, Inland A remains in second place, with six points from two wins in their three matches. They take on Eastern Province A and Boland B on Friday. Only victories in both matches would guarantee them a place in the semifinals.
Eastern Gauteng’s defeat of KZN Inland A meant the door remained ajar for Southern Gauteng A.
Southerns, who boosted their case with back-to-back wins on Wednesday, failed to maintain the momentum from those victories and succumbed to a 0-2 loss to Boland B on Thursday morning. That leaves them with two wins, two losses, and six points.
However, they could qualify for the semifinals should two things happen: they overcome Boland A on Friday afternoon, and KZN Inland A loses both of their Friday matches.
Results
Pool A
Northern Gauteng A 4-1 KZN Inland B
KZN Coastal A 1-0 Western Province A
Southern Free State A 1-1 KZN Coastal B
Western Province 3-1 KZN Inland B
Pool B
Boland B 2-0 Southern Gauteng A
Eastern Province A 3-2 Boland A
Eastern Gauteng 1-0 KZN Inland A
