The South Africa men’s hockey team opened their two match series against the Netherlands team in front of an absolutely packed Hartleyvale Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Photo – Jan van Zyl
The match was preceded by a poignant minute of silence in memory of CassaCassiem, setting a reflective tone before a night of world class sport in Cape Town.
The Dutch opened the scoring in the first quarter when Pepijn van der Heijden converted a penalty corner to give the visitors an early lead. South Africa responded with intent and earned a triple penalty corner opportunity of their own, but Dutch goalkeeper Derk Meijer stood firm. The score remained 1–0 at the first break.
The second quarter highlighted exactly why the Netherlands are reigning Olympic and Pro League champions, and among the favourites for the World Cup later this year. Slick, high tempo combinations saw Koen Bijen extend the lead before captain Thierry Brinkman added a third to make it 3–0. South Africa continued to create moments, including another penalty corner and a promising chance for Niel Raath, whose effort flew just over the crossbar.
The third quarter was South Africa’s strongest spell, with both teams cancelling each other out in an intense and physical contest. Cullin de Jager was particularly impressive in goal for the hosts, producing a number of sharp interventions. At the other end, Jamie Seale went close before a superb build up released Kenton Melville clean through on goal. His effort lifted over the bar, drawing a collective gasp from the Hartleyvale crowd.
Early in the fourth quarter, a moment of ill–discipline saw South Africa reduced to ten men, and the Netherlands capitalised almost immediately. Thijs van Dam produced a brilliant deft touch to make it 4–0. Koen Bijen then added his second in the closing moments to complete a 5–0 victory for the visitors.
Despite the scoreline, there were encouraging signs for the South Africans against one of the best teams in world hockey. The two sides meet again on Friday at 15:00 in the second and final match of the series.
