Wits miss chance of progressing into Sasol League by a whisker
BRAAMFONTEIN – Wits Ladies FC were unfortunate not to progress through to the Sasol League at the weekend. Former national team player and Wits Ladies coach, Nthabeleng Modiko, is, however happy with how the team fared in 2017 overall.
Wits Ladies FC claimed bragging rites as Gauteng’s top women football side and was crowned the 2017 Safa Regional League Championship Play-Off winners at the TUT Stadium in Pretoria.
This after two weekends of fiery match-ups in which five teams battled it out to reign supreme.
Wits, who are Johannesburg Regional League champs for the first time, received a hostile reception from Ekurhuleni Regional League title holders, Luso Africa Ladies FC and were handed a 2–0 defeat in their opening encounter. They then prevailed 2–1 against Rosina Sedibane Academy Ladies FC on 18 November. The other teams involved were Sedibeng champs, ElmaGreen Ladies FC; Tshwane Regional League winners, Rosina Sedibane Academy Ladies FC; and the West Rand’s Aqua Ladies FC.
With a spot in the Sasol League up for grabs, Wits orchestrated an improved performance on 25 November, only to be denied on goal difference. The Braamfontein outfit finished third behind Rosina Sedibane with seven points, this, after netting two unanswered goals against ElmaGreen Ladies FC and being held to a 2–2 draw by Aqua Ladies FC.
Only the top two teams on the Safa Regional Championship Play-Offs table advance into the Sasol League.
The Wits campaign caps off a bittersweet year for their coach, Nthabeleng Modiko who is in her first year in charge. “In my view, this game was unfortunate to have been hampered by heavy rains, however, we created and missed a lot of our chances – it got frustrating towards the end,” said Modiko.
“We really needed to bury all our chances…[but despite that] I am super proud of the character the girls showed. They worked really hard and I appreciate their efforts throughout the entire season.
“It’s just unfortunate, but we have learnt from this experience.”
Modiko blamed poor finishing for the team missing out on a place in the Sasol League, South Africa’s premier women’s football tournament. “We have had a few problems with converting our chances and it’s been something that we’ve worked hard on for the most part of the season. But I’m happy with the opportunities and goals that we did manage to bag.”
After the pulsating year, the team will now enjoy the Christmas break before making a return in the league in February next year.
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