{"id":3914,"date":"2024-09-14T09:08:24","date_gmt":"2024-09-14T07:08:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/?p=3914"},"modified":"2024-09-14T09:08:24","modified_gmt":"2024-09-14T07:08:24","slug":"sa-hockey-ipt-2024-a-section-fantastic-day-of-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/2024\/09\/14\/sa-hockey-ipt-2024-a-section-fantastic-day-of-action\/","title":{"rendered":"SA Hockey IPT 2024 | A Section | Fantastic day of action"},"content":{"rendered":"

Semi-Final Drama Unfolds at St. Stithians College: Finalists Revealed in Thrilling Showdowns<\/strong><\/p>\n

The excitement reached fever pitch as big wins, dramatic comebacks, and nail-biting shootouts defined a high-stakes day of semi-final action at St. Stithians College. Both the Women\u2019s and Men\u2019s A Section finalists are now set, promising an exhilarating conclusion to the tournament.<\/p>\n

\n

Women\u2019s A Section<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Southern Gauteng 0-3 Northern Blues<\/strong>
\nIn a rematch of the 2021 IPT semi-final, Northern Blues reversed their previous defeat against Southern Gauteng in a commanding 3-0 win. The match was tight early on, with both teams missing opportunities from penalty corners. However, the Blues seized control just before halftime, thanks to the Fourie sisters. Tegan opened the scoring with a clinical finish, and Cerian added a second moments later.<\/p>\n

In the final quarter, Marguerite van Wyk delivered the knockout blow, coolly slotting home to make it 3-0, securing Northern Blues\u2019 place in the final once again.<\/p>\n

Western Province (3) 3-3 (1) South Africa U21<\/strong>
\nWhat a game! A breathtaking display of attacking hockey, staunch defense, and late drama, this match will be remembered for years. South Africa U21 took an early lead through Ane Janse van Vuuren, but Western Province responded with back-to-back goals from Daniella de Oliveira and Ashleigh Thomas, flipping the game on its head.<\/p>\n

Paige Thomas made it 3-1 with 13 minutes left, seemingly sealing the win for Province. But in a stunning turn of events, Germarie Spershott and Rea Phume scored for the juniors in the final minutes, forcing a shootout. Western Province kept their composure, with Marlise van Tonder emerging as the hero, guiding them to victory and securing a rematch against Northern Blues in the final.<\/p>\n

5-8 Playoffs<\/strong>
\nIn the classification matches, North West secured a commanding win over SG Witsies, while KZN Raiders guaranteed their A Section survival with a 2-0 victory over Free State.<\/p>\n

\n

Men\u2019s A Section<\/strong><\/h3>\n

South Africa U21 2-1 Western Province<\/strong>
\nThe reigning champions have been dethroned. South Africa U21 avenged last year\u2019s final defeat by knocking out defending champions Western Province in a hard-fought semi-final. The juniors dominated the first half, with View Mbate and Reuben Sendzul giving them a 2-0 lead by halftime.<\/p>\n

Western Province came out with renewed vigor in the second half, with Niel Raath pulling one back in the third quarter. Despite a late surge and some momentum lost due to an injury to Hans Neethling, Province couldn\u2019t find the equalizer, sealing their elimination from the tournament.<\/p>\n

Northern Blues (3) 2-2 (4) Southern Gauteng<\/strong>
\nIn yet another thrilling semi-final, Southern Gauteng\u2019s 100% tournament record continued as they edged out Northern Blues in a dramatic shootout. The game started with a bang, as JP Britz gave Southerns an early lead with a penalty corner goal in the first minute. However, Blues\u2019 star Brad Sherwood, who has been outstanding throughout the tournament, equalized with a penalty corner before giving his side the lead with a penalty stroke.<\/p>\n

Namibian international Liam Hermanus pulled Southerns level, and with no further goals, the match headed to a tense shootout. Cullin de Jager emerged as the hero, making a crucial save in the final round to send Southern Gauteng through to the final.<\/p>\n

5-8 Playoffs<\/strong>
\nIn the playoff matches, WP Peninsula cruised past Eastern Province, while KZN Raiders proved too strong for the Witsies, wrapping up a dominant win.<\/p>\n

\n

The stage is now set for the finals, with both the Northern Blues and Southern Gauteng in the women\u2019s and men\u2019s sections aiming to claim glory. The action promises to be unmissable as the tournament reaches its climax!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Semi-Final Drama Unfolds at St. Stithians College: Finalists Revealed in Thrilling Showdowns The excitement reached fever pitch as big wins, dramatic comebacks, and nail-biting shootouts Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3887,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[117],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hockey"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3914"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3914\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3915,"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3914\/revisions\/3915"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runridedive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}