7 September 2024
(Article by Marlowe Bloem)
On a cool and overcast Friday afternoon, Maritzburg College hosted Port Shepstone High School in the final of the Cowie Cup. The contest brought together the 2022 winners, College, and the defending champions, Sheppie.
From the opening whistle, the home side enjoyed the better of the possession, but Port Shepstone defended well, shifting effectively as a unit to cut down on the space that College sought to work their way through the south coast side’s defences.
The Red, Black and White enjoyed immediate success down the right flank through the tricky Zipho Makangela, but there was little give in the middle of the field from the visitors. They, in turn, tried a more direct approach, also up the middle, but College’s disciplined defensive line caught Port Shepstone offside frequently.
The opening stanza was a tight affair. College dominated possession with good positioning and precise passing, and by making good use of the width of the field. Sheppie High’s defence was sturdy, however. With little possession they played long ball counter-attacks. However, College tended to win back possession quickly.
Halftime score: 0-0.
At the break, Maritzburg College made some telling adjustments, opting for a more attacking approach in the second half. They brought on a third striker, Nzolo Ngcemu, brought the left flank into the game far more, and moved Malachi Momple to defensive midfielder to control the ball distribution from there. Those moves all paid off.
Braydon Middleton, the left wing-back became a prominent source of attacking ball, which stretched the Port Shepstone defenders, resulting in more space in the middle of the park, too.
College’s Director of Soccer, Nic Haswell, was, meanwhile, thrilled with Momple’s performance: “He’s a very special player with an unbelievably gifted left foot. He always seems to have time on the ball and nothing flusters him,” he said after the game.
“We switched him to defensive midfielder in the second half to get more control over the passing in the game. We felt we had a lot of the ball, but we weren’t making key passes from that central defensive midfield position. What an eye for a pass he has. He knows how to weight a pass, when to play it, and he can switch the play.”
As the pressure intensified, the light-blue and maroons were shown a couple of yellow cards, one as a result of a particularly cynical tackle after Makangela skipped through two would-be tacklers and charged towards goal.
In the 55th minute, College broke the deadlock. A 50-metre-long pass from a free kick reached Mazithi Qasha inside the Sheppie box. Cool as a cucumber, the striker took a touch, then lofted the ball over the goalkeeper and into the net.
The number 17 has been a special player for College over the past two seasons, scoring consistently, and the bad news for their opposition is he will be back for a third year in the 1st XI in 2025. Haswell warned, Qasha still has a lot of developing to do, so we have not yet seen the best of him.
The home side doubled their lead only two minutes later. Ground passes from a free kick near halfway found Philasande Khuzwayo on the left flank. He cut inside and curled the ball around the left centre-back. His exquisitely executed shot fizzed past the diving goalie and settled into the bottom right corner.
Fulltime score: 2-0 in favour of College.
“Port Shepstone were a very good side. They didn’t give us too much space, they didn’t give us much to work with. But I think sticking to our guns and trusting what we’ve worked on carried us across the line,” Maritzburg College coach Chemon Petersen said.
Throughout the game, Port Shepstone’s momentum was broken up by the Red, Black and White’s very effective offside trap. That’s something they have worked on for the past three years, Petersen reckoned.
“They [our defenders] did exceptionally well in communicating and judging when to use it,” he said. “There were many times when Port Shepstone could have got in behind us and made it a one-on-one game with the ‘keeper. But we were very good.”
Then, he shared the old but true maxim: “Offence wins you games. Defence wins you Championships. That sums it up for us. The defensive unit was amazing.”
Nic Haswell said he was thrilled that College’s matric players had enjoyed a happy send-off. He first praised the captain KG Matshoge, saying: “He’s a young man with such heart and maturity. It’s an absolute pleasure to work with him.”
Then, he addressed the impact of the grade 12 boys on their teammates, adding: “They deserve this. They’ve been through some heartbreak. They were part of last year’s team and they thought that winning would happen naturally, as all teenagers do. They learned the hard way that you have to work for each and every result. To see them grow through that process and learn from their mistakes, you can’t ask for any more as coaches.
“The way they stuck together as a team, and the way they kept that belief, that doesn’t just happen. That comes through maturity from the captain, in particular, and the matrics.
“They carried us in the Raw Cup and today, as well. I felt all of the matrics stood up, and were determined to win this game. That composure and leadership really rubbed off on the team.”
Throughout the season, Maritzburg College played themselves into positions to challenge for silverware, but they kept missing out.
The KZN Inland League, Primo Big 10 and Pietermaritzburg and Midlands FA Cup, now renamed The Jody Momple Cup, all found new homes. With a strong finish, however, College laid claim to the two trophies they missed out on last year, the Raw Cup and the Cowie Cup, and that was particularly satisfying for them, especially after those misses earlier in the season.
“What a team!” Haswell said. “These boys have learnt from the mistakes that they made in the Kloof tournament, in particular. What is very special for me is the character that they have shown.”
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