Western Province A picked up two crucial wins on Thursday, day three of the U16 SASHOC National Week in Hilton.
Province, who went down 1-2 against KZN Coastal A on day two, needed maximum points, and they delivered against quality opposition.
In their first match of the day, coach Jody Erasmus‘s side defeated the defending champion, Southern Gauteng A, 2-1, before edging out Northern Gauteng B 1-0 later in the day.
Against Southerns, Troy Werner and Max Fourie found the back of the net for the boys in blue and white, while Christian Luwaydon scored for the Gauteng side.
Later on, Coby van Rooyen‘s strike in the second half sealed the win for WP, strengthening their position in Pool A.
KZN Coastal A came into the day as one of the unbeaten teams, and they maintained their perfect record. Coach Keegan Hezlett‘s troops scored twice to beat Northern Gauteng B 2-1.
In another tight Pool A clash, Northern Gauteng A survived a late scare against Southern Gauteng B to win 3-2.
Hanns Arndt was the Northerns’ hero with a brace of goals in the second half after Lethabo Lefakane had opened the scoring in the third minute.
The boys from Pretoria were unable to maintain their winning form and were beaten 3-1 by Southern Gauteng A in the day’s final match. Matthew Jung scored twice to increase his tally to a tournament-leading seven, while Tanner Napier also got his name on the scoresheet.
Pool B was filled with goals and a major upset.
KZN Inland A entered the day winless and needed a big win to keep their slim hopes of qualifying for the next round alive.
Coach Damian Kimfley‘s side duly delivered an emphatic victory against the KZN Inland B team, outscoring their local rivals 6-0.
They made a dominant start from the get-go, and Inland A opened the scoring in the seventh minute through Joshua Smith.
Santi Matroos had his goalscoring boots on and scored a hat-trick, netting in the second, third, and fourth chukkas. Ntshabiseng Ntshingila and Thabani Fakude added the other two goals.
Western Province B also grabbed a significant win, stunning previously unbeaten Southern Free State A 2-0, thanks to goals by Tyler Klopper and Luca Barry.
The most anticipated clash, however, was between Boland A and Eastern Province A.
It was a repeat of the 2024 final, in Bloemfontein, which Boland won after a penalty shootout.
At St Anne’s DSG, on Thursday, captain Luke van der Merwe got them off to a cracking start, scoring with only two minutes played.
Ethan Darke responded for EP, but Bryan Hardine put Boland ahead again.
It took until the final chukka for EP to respond. With 14 minutes left, Athenkosi Tungata found the back of the net to make it 2-2.
However, Boland, as they’ve done all week long, refused to settle for a draw and took it to the final play of the game. In the dying seconds, they were awarded a short corner, and Thomas Henn delivered the goods to seal a dramatic win for coach Shaun McIntyre‘s side.
After that victory, only Boland and KZN Coastal A remain unbeaten.
Day 3 – Results
Pool A
KZN Coastal A 2-1 Northern Gauteng B
Western Province A 2-1 Southern Gauteng A
Northern Gauteng A 3-2 Southern Gauteng B
Western Province A 1-0 Northern Gauteng B
Southern Gauteng A 3-1 Northern Gauteng A
Pool B
KZN Inland A 6-0 KZN Inland B
Western Province B 2-0 Southern Free State
Boland A 3-2 Eastern Province A
Fixtures – Day 4
Pool A
10:35 – Western Province A vs Northern Gauteng A
12:00 – Southern Gauteng A vs KZN Coastal A
14:50 – Southern Gauteng B vs Northern Gauteng B
Pool B
07:45 – Eastern Province A vs KZN Inland A
09:10 – Western Province B vs KZN Inland B
13:25 – Boland A vs Southern Free State A
14:50 – KZN Inland A vs Western Province B
