South Africa closed their Junior World Cup campaign in superb style with a confident five nil victory over Korea to secure fifteenth place and end the tournament on a high.
The opening goal arrived from a brilliant counter after defending a penalty corner. South Africa broke with pace and although the first strike was saved the rebound sat up perfectly and was hammered into the roof of the net to set the tone for the afternoon.
The lead was doubled in the second quarter through Thabelani Metu who intercepted a loose pass on the halfway line and surged forward with intent. She showed great composure as she entered the circle and picked out the bottom right corner with a clinical finish.
South Africa were not done. Moments before the break they made it three when Ntsopa Mokoena positioned herself perfectly from a Taheera Augousti penalty corner delivery and guided the ball home with authority. The African Champions were in complete control and looked full of confidence.
The third quarter brought another moment to celebrate as Anja Tromp claimed South Africas fourth and her second of both the match and the tournament. The chance arrived from a penalty corner earned through a successful referral. The strike crashed into the keepers pads but still had enough power to force its way through and find the backboard.
The final touch of quality came in the closing minutes from Teshawn de la Rey. After injecting the penalty corner she made herself available at the post and executed a perfect deflection to round off the scoring at five nil.
It was a performance full of purpose and enjoyment and South Africa will be delighted to sign off the tournament with a big win and a clear reminder of their potential. Fifteenth place may not have been the target at the start of the journey but the way they finished will give them plenty to build from.
