Saturday, the first day of the KwaZulu-Natal Engen Knockout Challenge at the King’s Park Grounds, showcased challenging matches and hard-fought clashes.
Boys’ Competition
In Group A, Empire United secured two victories to finish top of the group. In tight contests, Empire United edged out both Kusekhaya and Senzokuhle by 1-0 margins. In the day’s other Group A game, Senzokuhle scored a 2-0 victory over Kusekhaya.
In Group B, one of the tournament’s favourites, AmaZulu, claimed back-to-back 2-0 victories over Umkhanyakude and Future Stars to take first place. After suffering a defeat to AmaZulu, Umkhanyakude bounced back with a 1-0 win over Future Stars.
Catch the KZN Engen Knockout Challenge on SuperSport Schools
In Group C, Trouble Tigers took top spot ahead of Durban City and Ethekwini City Styles. They defeated Durban City 1-0 to pick up three points and then added another point after a 1-1 draw with Ethekwini City Styles. Durban City finished with one win and one loss after a 2-1 victory over Ethekwini City Styles.
No group was more closely contested than Group D, with both Midlands Warriors and Rovers United claiming four points and sporting similar records.
In their opener, Midlands Warriors scored a 2-1 victory against KZN Academy. In their second match, they were held to a scoreless draw by Rovers United. Rovers then defeated KZN Academy 2-1.
Girls’ Competition
In the girls’ competition, Durban Ladies, who have won the KZN Engen Knockout for the past three years, were made to graft hard, but they ended the day with two wins on their record, beating both TB Stars and Heroes 2-1.
Heroes edged out TB Stars 1-0 in their meeting.
In Group B, the Sharks Academy impressed, outplaying Adams City 4-0 in their first game. In their second outing, they downed KwaMashu Sisters 2-0. KwaMashu Sisters and Adams City shared a goalless draw.
In Group C, Ezemvelo also posted a perfect winning record. They opened their challenge with a 3-1 victory over Sunflower and then handed the Durban University of Technology (DUT) a 2-0 loss. DUT made a strong recovery, scoring a 2-1 victory against Sunflower.
In Group D, Lindelani Ladies beat Adams Academy 2-0. Lindelani, though, fell to a 0-3 loss against Toti Ladies, who also secured a 1-0 victory over Adams Academy.
RESULTS
Saturday, 11 July
BOYS
Group A
Senzokuhle 2-0 Kusekhaya
Empire United 1-0 Kusekhaya
Empire United 1-0 Senzokuhle
Group B
AmaZulu 2-0 Umkhanyakude
AmaZulu 2-0 Future Stars
Umkhanyakude 1-0 Future Stars
Group C
Durban City 2-1 Ethekwini City Styles
Trouble Tigers 1-0 Durban City
Ethekwini City Styles 1-1 Trouble Tigers
Group D
Midlands Warriors 2-1 KZN Academy
Rovers United 2-1 KZN Academy
Midlands Warriors 0-0 Rovers United
GIRLS
Group A
Durban Ladies 2-1 TB Stars
Durban Ladies 2-1 Heroes
Heroes 1-0 TB Stars
Group B
Sharks Academy 4-0 Adams City
KwaMashu Sisters 0-0 Adams City
Sharks Academy 2-0 KwaMashu Sisters
Group C
DUT 2-1 Sunflower
Ezemvelo 3-1 Sunflower
Ezemvelo 2-0 DUT
Group D
Lindelani Ladies 2-0 Adams Academy
Toti Ladies 3-0 Lindelani Ladies
Toti Ladies 1-0 Adams Academy
