By TUMELO THAMANGA
Front row (left to right): Nolwandle Mwelase, Karabo Mavuso, Ncamisile Mbhele, Nadene Kupemba (C), Goodness Maumo.
Photo: Supplied
Rhodes University Football Club’s road to redemption in the USSA Football tournament took place from 2-7 July. After last year’s pitfalls and relegation to Section B of the tournament, improvement was expected, but no one could have predicted that the RU Trojans (the women’s team) would take home silver in the B league on their return.
The Trojans’ opening match against the University of Mpumalanga signalled their intentions. Playing counter-attacking football, they pressed their opponents off the ball and attacked with potency and intensity. Once Zizo Balintulo opened her goal account, they scored in quick succession. UniMpumalanga could not stop the Trojans’ lethal style of play as they bossed and dominated the game. The Trojans lay down an emphatic marker with the 5-1 victory.
A 5-1 drubbing against UCT in their next match tested their strength and discipline, however, and jeopardised their qualification to the semis. A 2-0 win against Sol Plaatjie was crucial in booking a place opposite Stellenbosch University (Maties).
Having come to the tournament with only 11 players, the Rhodents were reduced to 10 against Maties. After conceding an early goal in the opening five minutes, the team was quick to equalise and then take the lead with striker Karabo Mavuso scoring before half-time.
Maties equalised and led for much of the second half. In the final minute of the game, however, Goodness Maumo’s corner-kick was turned in for an own goal and the Trojans secured a penalty shootout lifeline. Ncamisile Mbhele pulled out some fine saves to secure the victory for her side.
“It starts by the individual mindset and we were very lucky that our goal was the same and we managed to put that into reality. Playing with only 11 players throughout the whole tournament was not easy but we kept our focus on the end goal and the results were what we all wanted, said Mbhele.
The Trojans made it to the finals, but lost to the only team that beat them – UCT. They were, however, the only Eastern Cape team, male or female, in all sections of the tournament to make it into the finals and receive Silver medals at a National level. This meant that, out of all 29 teams in attendance, both A and B pools, the Trojans finished 19th out of 29.
Captain Nadene Kupemba expressed the importance of the team’s achievement to Rhodes’ sport.
“For some of the women on the team, we have been playing Football for Rhodes for more than two years and winning second Place at USSA with just 11 women has just proven to the University that females in sports do matter, ” said Kupemba. “We are serious, and we are here to stay. We have shown prospective female soccer players that there is a future for competitive soccer at Rhodes and that we plan on being recognised as athletes with a purpose to represent not only Rhodes but our gender.”
