The defending champion, KwaZulu-Natal Coastal A, is through to the semi-finals of the u16 girls’ SASHOC National Week, along with their neighbour, KZN Inland A, Eastern Province A, and Northern Gauteng A.
The event, taking place at Hilton College and St Anne’s DSG, concludes with the crowning of the champion on Sunday.
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On Friday, KZN Coastal A completed a clean sweep of their group matches with a 5-2 win over Northern Gauteng A. Coach Yoche Blair‘s charges powered to a 3-0 lead in the first 22 minutes of action.
Sophia da Costa drew first blood in the fifth minute, then Charley-Rose Boyall doubled the lead in the 19th minute, and Rebecca Thompson made it 3-0 three minutes later. Mia du Toit kept Northerns in the contest with a goal on the stroke of half-time.
Coastal A restored their three-goal lead through Jessica Savage in the final seconds of the third chukka. Boyall, the event’s top scorer in 2025, has been in prolific goal-scoring form and recorded her second goal and Coastal A’s fifth with four minutes remaining in the match.
Dunay Kruger issued an immediate response on behalf of Northerns A. However, it was too little, too late. With five wins from five matches, KZN Coastal A finished at the top of Pool A. Their reward is a semi-final showdown with Eastern Province A, who finished second in Pool B.
Eastern Province A’s last order of business in the group stage was a clash with KZN Inland A on Friday morning. Coach Zimasa Dunywa‘s side needed a win or a draw to keep their final four dreams alive. They secured a 1-1 draw, which was enough to see them into the final four.
It took until the last minute of the third chukka for the deadlock to be broken in a tight contest, with McKenzie du Bourg giving Inland A the lead. Sophia Jansen replied for Eastern Province A in the 48th minute.
Inland A headed into their final group match with one foot in the semi-finals. A draw would have earned them a second-place finish. However, the hosts were not keen on settling for the bare minimum. They powered to a 5-0 win over Boland B.
Du Bourg opened the scoring in the 11th minute, and Jade Gobey doubled the lead a minute later. Gobey, who was having a good game, made it 3-0 on the stroke of half-time. Page Williams killed whatever slim hopes of a comeback Boland B might have had with a brace in the 37th and 45th minutes.
That emphatic win catapulted Inland A to the summit of Pool B. They will meet Northern Gauteng A in the semi-finals.
The first semi-final, between KZN Inland A and Northerns A, commences at 10:50 on the St Anne’s DSG Lower Astro. The second semi-final, pitting Coastal A and Eastern Province A, starts at 13:40, also on the Lower Astro.
Results
Pool A
KZN Coastal A 5-2 Northern Gauteng A
Western Province A 3-2 Southern Free State A
KZN Coastal B 2-0 KZN Inland B
Pool B
Eastern Province A 1-1 KZN Inland A
Boland B 0-0 Eastern Gauteng
Boland A 1-1 Southern Gauteng A
KZN Inland A 5-0 Boland B
