{"id":31289,"date":"2023-12-12T10:29:21","date_gmt":"2023-12-12T08:29:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=31289"},"modified":"2023-12-12T10:29:21","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T08:29:21","slug":"day-3-goals-galore-as-kzn-province-and-gauteng-stake-a-claim-before-play-offs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=31289","title":{"rendered":"DAY 3 | Goals galore as KZN, Province, and Gauteng stake a claim before play-offs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"There was a total of 33 hattricks scored between the nine matches played on day three of the girls\u2019 section at the\u00a0Schools Water Polo South Africa Inter-Provincial Tournament<\/strong>\u00a0hosted at the\u00a0Newton Park Swimming Pool<\/strong>\u00a0in\u00a0Gqeberha<\/strong>\u00a0on Monday.<\/p>\n

Western Province A<\/strong>,\u00a0Central Gauteng A<\/strong>, and\u00a0KwaZulu-Natal<\/strong>\u00a0all secured vital wins, and in the process booked their spots for the quarterfinals scheduled to kick off on Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n

KwaZulu-Natal bounced back well after a tough 3-15 defeat against reigning champions Central Gauteng on day two.<\/p>\n

Paul Martin<\/strong>\u2018s side came out of the gates strongly against Eastern Gauteng, scoring a mammoth 22 goals courtesy of a fiver from\u00a0Caitlin McMurray<\/strong>, and four goals each by\u00a0Christy Dudas<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Emma Thornton<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Amber Lewis<\/strong>\u00a0was also on song, and accurate in front of goal, adding a hat trick to her team\u2019s tally.<\/p>\n

Later in the day, KZN were back in the pool against\u00a0Western Province B<\/strong>, a side known for its fighting spirit and a never-say-die attitude, which was visible in their 16-9 triumph against Eastern Gauteng the previous day.<\/p>\n

It was not an easy ride for the KwaZulu-Natal ladies, as the girls from Cape Town gave them a solid run for their money.<\/p>\n

Braces by\u00a0Amy Hargroves and<\/strong>\u00a0Caitlin McMurray<\/strong>, and solitary goals from\u00a0Georgina Stephenson<\/strong>, and\u00a0Marlise Pretorius<\/strong>\u00a0gave the side a 6-3 lead at the halfway mark.<\/p>\n

Coach Martin\u2019s speech at the break must\u2019ve been inspiring as his team returned to double their lead, and conceded only one goal in the process, and just like that they had booked their spot in the tournament\u2019s quarterfinals.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo far, we haven\u2019t played our best water polo this whole tournament. I\u2019m hoping that it clicks now in the knockout stages,\u201d Martin told\u00a0SuperSport Schools<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019\u2019 a lot of talent here. It\u2019s a young talented team, but it\u2019s more a case of cutting out those individual errors.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf seven players in the water don\u2019t make mistakes, you\u2019re going to be a good side. We want to get the basics right and stop trying to be too fancy and just work as a unit,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Another coach who was relieved to make it past the group stages was Western Province\u2019s\u00a0Nicola Barrett<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

After playing to a 16-16 draw against the hosts earlier in the tournament, Western Province have delivered one emphatic performance after another.<\/p>\n

On day three, the Western Cape side was made to work extremely hard for their win against the\u00a0Central Gauteng B<\/strong>\u00a0team. In-form players like\u00a0Hannah Banks<\/strong>,\u00a0Amy Van Breda<\/strong>, and\u00a0Tyra Penney<\/strong>\u00a0all came to the fore, scoring crucial goals in a tight 14-8 victory.<\/p>\n

\"\"Their second match of the day against the Northern Tigers was an exhibition, or one that was used as a \u201cpractice\u201d match, ahead of the knock-out stages as the Capetonians overwhelmed the Tigers, scoring 28 goals while conceding only three.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, head coach, Nicola Barrett was ecstatic with her charges\u2019 showing in the pool after that nerve-wracking draw against the hosts on Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think [in] that game, we came in very slow and struggled with our defence, and it just felt a little bit sluggish. But we regrouped, and I think the girls responded well to the other top team in the pool, Gauteng B,\u201d\u00a0Barrett<\/strong>\u00a0said after the day\u2019s play.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe needed it (the wins). We were in a dark place as a team on Sunday, but we pulled ourselves out of it, and we are in a good space now.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the confidence from these last two matches is epic, and we are looking forward to the playoffs,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Reigning champions, the Central Gauteng A team, continued their dominance in the pool and maintained their 100 percent record in the tournament.<\/p>\n

First up, they made light work of Buffalo City, outscoring them by\u00a024 goals<\/strong>\u00a0to\u00a0eight<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Lauren Fox, Georgia Eccles, Mia Loizides, Georgia Cope, and Charlotte Crick<\/strong>\u00a0all scored hattricks in the win.\u00a0Tori Voke<\/strong>, who scored a brace against the Gauteng side, was a shining light for Buffalo City, who struggled to find any momentum.<\/p>\n

\"\"Reacting to the match, Gauteng\u2019s head coach,\u00a0Etienne Le Roux<\/strong>\u00a0said he was delighted that his side would enter the playoff stages unbeaten, adding that he expects his players to maintain their tempo.<\/p>\n

In other matches, Nelson Mandela Bay picked up another win, beating Zimbabwe\u00a014-8<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Central Gauteng B<\/strong>\u00a0bounced back from their earlier defeat to Province\u2019s A side by scraping through against Zimbabwe, and\u00a0Buffalo City concluded the round-robin stages in the best way possible with a narrow win over Western Province B in the last match of the day.<\/p>\n

A hat-trick of goals by\u00a0Tori Voke<\/strong>, alongside\u00a0Roxy-Lee van Eek\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0brace and the bravery of goalkeeper,\u00a0Maya Klopper<\/strong>, who made crucial saves in the last two quarters, proved just enough for the Eastern Cape side as they held on for a nervy 9-8 win.<\/p>\n

Results | Day 3<\/strong><\/p>\n

KwaZulu-Natal 23-3 Eastern Gauteng<\/strong><\/p>\n

KwaZulu-Natal \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0Caitlin McMurray (5), Marlise Pretorius (2), Christy Dudas (4), Emma Thornton (4), Amber Lewis (3), Annabelle Hardie, Taylor Cherry, Claire Hind, Amy Hargroves, Cara Meldrum.\u00a0Eastern Gauteng \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0Alana Vermaak, Megan Keira Venter, Maddison Griffin.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Western Province A 14-9 Central Gauteng B<\/strong><\/p>\n

Central Gauteng B \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0Cecilia Petersen, Humairaa Bodiat (2), Amy Smith (2), Amy Mather, Amy Stubbs (2), Emma Morley.
\nWestern Province A \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0Emma Catto (2), Hannah Banks (4), Amy Van Breda (2), Erin-Belle Nordgaard (2), Tyra Penney (3), Morgan Christian.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Central Gauteng A 24 \u2013 8 Buffalo City<\/strong><\/p>\n

Buffalo City \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Jasmine Koch, Tori Voke (2), Tatum Knox, Jenna Tarr, Gemma Hannafay, Julianna Saffy, Alison Woodin.
\nCentral Gauteng A \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Kara Wicht (2), Lauren Fox (4), Georgia Eccles (3), Mia Loizides (3), Georgia Cope (3), Francesca De Villiers (2), Charlotte Crick (3), Jenna Penney (2), Ruby Carlson.<\/p>\n

Nelson Mandela Bay 14-5 Zimbabwe<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nelson Mandela Bay \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Teagan Harty (2), Amelia Brown (3), Amie Jenner (3), Matipa Karimazondo (3), Anna Pinto, Jorja Ross.
\nZimbabwe \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Natalie Hazelden, Erin Bent (3), Zoe Denslow.<\/p>\n

KwaZulu-Natal 12-7 Western Province B<\/strong><\/p>\n

KwaZulu-Natal \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Georgina Stephenson, Amy Hargroves (2), Marlise Pretorius, Caitlin McMurray (2), Emma Thornton (2), Taylor Cherry (2), Amber Lewis, Christy Dudas.
\nWestern Province B \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Isabella Tooley, Kate Formby,\u00a0<\/strong>Tara Ross (3), Amy Pettipher (2).<\/p>\n

Western Province A 28 \u2013 3 Northern Tigers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Western Province A \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Tyra Penney (4), Roxanne Uys (4), Alexa De Villiers, Erin-Belle Nordgaard, Olivia Geddes (5), Tetra Hollenbach (3), Tayla Kreymborg, Hannah Banks (3), Isabella Roche, Morgan Christian, Emile Van Heerden (4).
\nNorthern Tigers \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Ngandu Darina Muzungu (3).<\/p>\n

Central Gauteng A 28 \u2013 2 Eastern Gauteng<\/strong><\/p>\n

Eastern Gauteng \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Maddison Griffin, Myra Strydom.
\nCentral Gauteng A \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Jenna Penney (2), Gina Sguazzin, Georgia Eccles (2), Charlotte Crick (2), Francesca De Villiers, Kara Wicht (3), Georgia Cope (3), Ruben Carlson (3), Lauren Fox (5), Mia Loizides (6).<\/p>\n

Central Gauteng B 16-12 Zimbabwe<\/strong><\/p>\n

Zimbabwe:\u00a0<\/strong>Jessie Sparrow, Natalie Hazelden (3), Erin Bent (3), Lauren Ashwin (2), Charlotte Martell, Bailey Knox (2).
\n<\/strong>Central Gauteng B:\u00a0<\/strong>Amy Smith (2), Morgan Harrison, Humairaa Bodiat (2), Emma Van Rensburg, Amy Stubbs, Amy Mather (3), Jessica Black (4), Morgan Harrison, Cecillia Petersen.<\/p>\n

Buffalo City 9-8 Western Province B<\/strong><\/p>\n

Buffalo City:\u00a0<\/strong>Tatum Knox, Roxy-Lee van Eek (2), Alex Albers, Tori Voke (3), Jasmine Koch (2).\u00a0Western Province B:\u00a0<\/strong>Kiara Bester, Amy Pettipher (2), Tara Roos, Isabella Tooley (2), Leila Hibling, Nicole Bantom.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There was a total of 33 hattricks scored between the nine matches played on day three of the girls\u2019 section at the\u00a0Schools Water Polo South Africa Inter-Provincial Tournament\u00a0hosted at the\u00a0Newton Park Swimming Pool\u00a0in\u00a0Gqeberha\u00a0on Monday. Western Province A,\u00a0Central Gauteng A, and\u00a0KwaZulu-Natal\u00a0all secured vital wins, and in the process booked their spots for the quarterfinals scheduled to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":31292,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=31289"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31289\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/31292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31289"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}