South Africa’s u.21 junior women’s hockey side kept their best for last to secure a superb 3-2 victory against the USA in a playoff match for seventh and eighth spots at the 2021 FIH Junior Women’s Hockey World Cup in Potchefstroom.
The South Africans scored three fantastic goals on the NWU Astroturf and although they took a 3-0 lead, they still had to keep the Americans at bay who showed their fighting spirit with two comeback goals.
Edith Molikoe was named the player of the match for her effort in the middle of the park as her hard working and relentless approach heaped dividends for the hosts, who were in goal scoring mood from the first whistle.
Bianca Wood opened the scoring for the green and gold in the 6th minute with a well-taken field goal, before Jean-Leigh du Toit scored her second goal of the tournament via a penalty corner.
The South Africans went in 2-0 at halt-time and tripled their lead when Mikkela le Roux slotted in from close range.
Photos: Wouter Pienaar
The Americans were never rout of it and kept the game interesting to the final whistle thanks to goals from Josie Varney and Abigail Tamer.
SA managed to hold out in the last two minutes through good tactical possession of the ball to secure seventh place in the tournament. “It’s a privilege to be on this type of platform, knowing that we’ve played so well. We got the opportunity to play against the best teams in the world,” stated Molikoe.
