14 May 2023
In front of a lively, packed crowd on Maritzburg College’s Reunion Day, the Red Army were held to a 2-2 draw by a never-say-die Westville 1st XI which was missing four players due to injury. College had to make do without their captain, Bryn Brokensha.
In ideal conditions, the home team started the match smoothly and effectively, moving the ball about the field with assurance, and it didn’t take long for them to reap a reward for their endeavours, with Asanda Khumalo putting College ahead from a penalty corner with a fizzing drag flick.
Westville worked their way into the contest slowly and began to threaten on the counter. Then, they made College pay from a turnover on the halfway line. Heath Stott, a member of the Griffins’ under-16 A team, who had started on the bench, experienced the thrill of scoring for the 1st XI on his debut by slotting home a ball played towards the penalty spot from the baseline.
College, though, hit the front again when Julian Konnigskramer struck before half-time. “A good finish,” College coach Kyle Emerson reckoned.
At half-time, both teams made some adjustments to their press. College had enjoyed the better of the first half, mostly because they had effectively countered Westville’s attempts to prevent them exiting their half, but after the break the visitors were far more effective and pulled off a number of tackles high up the field to create opportunities to level.
From a penalty corner, College goalkeeper Nick Holmes calmly dealt with a powerful drag flick which was a little too close to him, putting up a big glove to keep the ball out of the net.
Westville kept scrapping, however, and they found an equaliser after a goalmouth scramble, with Caleb van Loenen providing the vital final touch to make it 2-2.
Cam Mackay’s charges nearly stole a win with only 30 seconds left when they turned over possession deep in College territory. College goalkeeper Nick Holmes faced a one-on-one, but he stayed big and rejected Westville’s bid for a last-gasp win.
In the end, a 2-2 draw was, honestly, a fair reflection of the game.
The Reunion factor
Assessing his team’s performance, College coach Kyle Emerson said: “The pressure of Reunion is always a factor. You have a bigger crowd. There is a real hunger and will to win, which sometimes forces you into mistakes. At times we didn’t keep it simple enough and play to our plan. There were a lot of unforced errors.”
Westville, he said, also played their part in putting pressure on College. “Credit to Westville. They pressed high, and they were able to keep the intensity up and they didn’t allow us to move the ball around the back.”
“When we were able to move the ball, like in the first half, we split them apart. We didn’t take enough chances there. We created a couple more.”
Griffins’ coach Cam Mackay has been singing from the same hymn sheet all season long, too: not enough chances turned into goals.
“We were quite frustrated that we didn’t end up winning with those last three or four chances with five minutes to go,” he said. “I think they were better than us in the first half, and we were chasing the ball a little bit too much. The press didn’t work at all.
“I don’t think either goalkeeper was tested much today. The finishing was pretty poor from both teams.
“In the first half, College had the rub of the green, and they were a lot better than us. In the second half, we were better than we were in the first half, and I think we created more chances than they did.”
“It was a good tactical battle,” Kyle Emerson reckoned. “We both changed our presses [in the second half]. We both changed our outlet, and they did well. It was a good game of hockey.”
Director of Hockey’s thoughts
It was a first Maritzburg College Reunion Day for the school’s Director of Hockey, Mark Sanders. “It’s much the same as any other fixture, but busier,” he said. “The hype around it is more intense. It’s good. Nice to have the buzz, and nice to see everybody supporting and cheerful.”
Giving his thoughts on the battle of the two first teams, he said: “I thought we were really good. Westville did well to change things up after halftime to prevent us from out-letting. We gave away the ball in midfield, which was really good from them, and it opened up the game from them. It created more opportunities.
“I thought both goals from them were particularly soft from us defensively – not to take anything away from Westville – but we conceded two soft goals. That was the hard part for us, and we ended up having to chase the game towards the end.”
Leave a Reply