Kira Totaram-Jacobs showed off her skills and versatility, while Zieke Rossouw, Emma Hibbert, and Inam Gungubele found the back of the net in Western Province A‘s 3-0 win over Northern Gauteng A in the final of the SASHOC National Week on the Lower Astro at St Anne’s DSG on Saturday.
“The reality of it has not sunk in yet,” Olu Ncukana, the victorious coach, told SuperSport Schools News.
“I am proud of the girls. This title has been a long time coming. We have worked really hard to get to this point.”
Ncukana uttered a self-fulfilling prophecy on Tuesday, the second day of the tournament, when he declared that his side had what it took to win the title. When asked what inspired that confidence, the coach shared that it was because everyone was on the same page.
“We all agreed that we win and lose as a team of 19. There has been a belief in the process. As coaches, we also put faith in our senior players to express themselves on the field,” Ncukana explained.
One of those senior players was their captain, Nina Wides, who took control of on-field matters with aplomb. Kira Totaram-Jacobs was another who rose to the challenge, taking on her job with enthusiasm, regardless of the position she was asked to perform it in.
Totaram-Jacobs, who usually plays in the midfield, was deployed on the left flank in the final. She frustrated the Northerns’ attackers down her wing and made some industrious runs in that channel. Unfortunately for her, none of those excursions yielded results in the first half because Northern Gauteng was rock-solid at the back.
Their style and execution frustrated Province, and the teams went into the halftime break deadlocked at 0-0.
“The plan was not to change much as we headed into the second half. Yes, we tweaked a couple of things tactically, but the important thing was for us to stick to our process and attack a little more,” Ncukana revealed.
Province employed a high press against Northerns, which limited the Highveld side’s outletting options. In the 33rd minute, Totaram-Jacobs’ pressure on the Northerns’ defence resulted in a turnover deep in the Northerns half.
She located Zieke Rossouw with an excellent pass to the right flank. Rossouw then drove into the circle, where she uncorked a shot at the far post. Annika Kloppers, the Northerns goalkeeper, had no chance.
Inam Gungubele almost made it 2-0 a couple of minutes later, when she burst into the Northerns’ circle. However, Kloppers pulled off a brilliant save to deny her the goal.
Province continued launching wave upon wave of attacks and created another opportunity in the 39th minute. Kloppers couldn’t keep that one out, with Emma Hibbert firing a shot into the far post to double Province’s lead.
Gungubele, who repeatedly troubled the Northerns’ defence with her runs, was rewarded in the 45th minute. Totaram-Jacobs fired a crash ball from range, and Gungubele, who had positioned herself well, deflected the ball past Kloppers for Province’s third.
Northerns tried to fight back in the final chukka. However, they were met by a resolute Province defence.
In the end, Ncukana’s side cantered over the line for their first IPT title of the decade. They came close in 2022, finishing in second place. This time, though, their name will get added to the Sandra Jordaan Trophy.
Results:
Final: Western Province A 3-0 Northern Gauteng A
3/4: Eastern Province A 3-1 KZN Coastal A
5/6: Southern Gauteng A 3-0 KZN Inland
7/8: Boland A 1-0 Southern Free State A
9/10: Western Province B 5-3 Northern Gauteng B
11/12: Eastern Gauteng A 3-0 Border A
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