The Woodridge teams had a busy period of hockey last week with both boys’ and girls’ sides in action against Kingswood, St Andrew’s and DSG. The boys played Kingswood and St Andrew’s and produced some close results. The U14 clash against St Andrew’s was a standout match as Woodridge won 1-0 in a closely contested game. Both teams fought to the final whistle and this made for some exciting hockey. The girls’ teams took on a tough DSG contingent and were unfortunately left behind when it came to results. Several sides struggled to find their momentum and composure and few of the games went their way as most of the DSG teams proved too strong.
However, there were some positive performances, with the U16A team showing great fight to draw their game 0-0. An outstanding performance by goalkeeper Daniella Smith saw her make save after save and this allowed the team to progress positively. They put themselves in great positions to get the ball into the goals, but were just unable to capitalise on those. However, the game that kept everyone on the edge of their seats was the first team clash which was jam-packed with action throughout. The Woodridge team made a storming start and were rewarded with a penalty corner in the fifth minute. They kept playing attacking hockey to ensure DSG were under constant pressure. The second chukka saw DSG pick up their momentum and they put the pressure back onto Woodridge team. This eventually resulted into a 2-1 lead for the Makhanda team going into the final chukka. Finding themselves on the back foot, Woodridge needed to leave everything on the field to get a positive result from the game.
This determination was eventually rewarded through a penalty corner goal scored by Ruby Webb and a brilliant individual field goal from Iman Bonnasse to give them a thrilling 3-2 win. The Woodridge U16 and first team soccer teams learnt plenty of lessons in their matches against St Andrew’s and will be the better for the experience. It was the first-ever competitive game for most of the U16 players and though they competed well, Woodridge came under pressure when they conceded two goals in the first half. They managed to pull one back in the second half, but the score ended in a deserved 4-1 win for the experienced St Andrew’s team.
The first team game was an exciting encounter as both sides tried to get the upper hand, with St Andrew’s getting the first goal late in the first half and Woodridge equalising five minutes later. The Andreans, though, seized the advantage when they scored their second goal on the brink of halftime. Both teams played well, creating chances and passing the ball effectively, but the match situation changed quickly with a flurry of goals soon after the restart. The absence of the Woodridge first-choice goalkeeper due to injury was felt and though they managed to score again late in the game, it was a tough loss as the game ended 7-2 to St Andrew’s. That avenged their loss against Woodridge in their previous encounter and though the margin did not accurately reflect the game, they deserved to take the spoils.
On the netball court, the Woodridge first team had another tough challenge, losing 27-16 to DSG. The winners took the initiative by building a six-goal lead in the first quarter and though Woodridge fought back well, it was not enough. Special mention must be made of defenders Onthatile Phago and Palesa Motaung, who made the DSG shooters work hard for every goal.
