Even though the disappointment of losing in the semi-final of the Varsity Sports Hockey tournament was huge, coach and captain of the Steinhoff Maties Hockey men’s team did find enough to be positive about looking forward to the rest of the season.
Coach Ashlin Freddy and captain Dylan Swanepoel both mentioned tighter team cohesion.
Maties men lost 0-1 to Tukkies in the semi-final of Varsity Hockey on Monday in Stellenbosch. This was the first time since August 2012 that Maties lost on their home ground. The result was even more disappointing because Maties have been dominating all their opponents since their loss to UJ in the first match of the Varsity Hockey tournament. They scored 43 goals in eight matches.
Keenan Horne, Shannon Boucher and James Drummond all scored six goals. Eight other players also got on the scoreboard. Daniel Bell scoring five goals and Dylan Swanepoel and Reece Arendse hit the back of the goal box four times. Horne was named Super Striker three times and Man of the Man twice.
“Monday was extremely disappointing; I don’t think we gave a good account of ourselves. We pushed hard physically and played with really good intensity in the league phase. In the semi-final we never got close to those levels that were so successful for us. We spoke about discipline before the game and this really let us down. We played large amounts of the game without our full compliment on the field and yet we still dominated the game,” said Freddy.
Swanepoel added: “I am pleased with the way the tournament went. We made lots of progress as a team even though we couldn’t put it in the right performance when it counted most. However, like I said we have made huge strides as a team, and now we must keep improving as we turn our focus back to the league and USSA.”
Freddy also preferred to look at the positives from the tournament. “I feel as a group we got a lot closer. We also started to discover how far we can push the boundaries physically which meant we could play with a really high intensity which was very successful for us. We had the best defensive record in the league phase only conceding 7 goals in seven games (the next best was 16!) and we also topped the scoring chart with 43 goals (next best was 33). The first years definitely grew from game one to game eight, with the steep learning curve they coped really well. It will give us a good platform as we shift our focus to the league and then prep for USSA.”
Maties play WPCC at the Maties Astro on Sunday. “It is going to be a real mental test for us. We have some really young players who have tasted disappointment for the first time, and the more experienced guys have been in this situation before. We are playing against a very experienced side that have a 100% record thus far. Playing during exams is never easy, as we put a big emphasis on academics, which adds difficulty to our task on Sunday.”
Action starts at 16:30.
AFRIKAANS
Ten spyte van nederlaag, bly Steinhoff Maties positief
Selfs al is die teleurstelling van die nederlaag in die halfeindronde van die Varsity Sport-hokkietoernooi groot, glo afrigter en kaptein van die Steinhoff Maties-hokkiemanspan dat daar genoeg is om oor positief te wees met die oog op die res van die seisoen.
Afrigter Ashlin Freddy en kaptein Dylan Swanepoel het beide ‘n sterker spaneenheid genoem.
Maties het 0-1 teen Tukkies verloor. Dit was die eerste keer sedert Augustus 2012 dat Maties op hul tuisveld verloor het. Die nederlaag was nog meer teleurstellend omdat Maties hul teenstanders oorheers het sedert hul nederlaag teen UJ in die eerste wedstryd van die toernooi. Hulle het 43 doelwitte in agt wedstryde aangeteken.
Keenan Horne, Shannon Boucher en James Drummond het al drie 6 doele aangeteken. Agt ander spelers het ook doele behaal. Daniel Bell vyf keer die doelhok laat raas, terwyl Dylan Swanepoel en Reece Arendse die agterkant van die doelhok vier keer getref het.
“Maandag was uiters teleurstellend. Ek dink nie ons het goeie rekenskap van onsself gegee nie. Ons was fisiek en het met baie goeie intensiteit in die liga-fase gespeel. In die halfeindstryd het ons egter nie eens naby aan daardie vlakke gekom nie. Dissipline was ook ‘n probleem vir ons. Ons moes groot dele van die wedstryde sonder almal op die astro speel,” het Freddy vertel.
Swanepoel het bygevoeg: “Ek is tevrede met die manier waarop die toernooi verloop het. Ons het baie vordering as ‘n span gemaak, selfs al het ons nie die klas vertoning gelewer wat ons kon in die belangrikste wedstryd nie. Ons moet nou egter fokus op die liga en USSA en aanhou werk aan dit wat ons reg gedoen het in die toernooi.”
Freddy verkies ook om na die positiewe aspekte van die toernooi te kyk. “Ek voel as ‘n groep het ‘n goeie eenheid gevorm. Ons het ook begin om te ontdek hoe ver ons die grense van ons fisieke vermoëns skuif wat beteken ons kan met ‘n baie hoë intensiteit speel wat baie suksesvol vir ons is. Ons het die beste verdedigende rekord in die ligafase gehad deur net 7 doele in sewe wedstryde (die naasbeste was 16!) af te staan. Ons het ook die meeste doele (43) aangeteken. Die volgende span was op 33. Die eerste jaars het ook baie geleer en gegroei. Dit was ‘n steil leerkurwe, maar dit sal baie beteken vir die res van die liga en die USSA-toernooi.”
Maties speel Sondag tuis teen WPCC. “Dit gaan ‘n groot geestelike toets vir ons wees. Ons het ‘n paar baie jong spelers wat vir die eerste keer teleurstelling ervaar het. Ons speel teen ‘n baie ervare span wat ‘n 100% rekord tot dusver het. Om tydens die eksamens te speel, is nooit maklik nie, want ons plaas groot klem op akademie wat Sondag nog ‘n groter uitdaging maak.”
Aksie begin om 16:30.
