SPU and Saints top of Senior League
THIS PAST weekend, the Saints men’s team and the Sol Plaatje University (SPU) women were crowned Senior League hockey champions after each team doggedly fought their way to their respective titles and the honour of having bragging rights as champions for a year.
The highly-anticipated Senior League Hockey play-offs got under way at the Cassandra Astro Turf, setting the stage for thrilling encounters between the league’s top contenders. Fans turned up in their numbers and eagerly watched as the men’s and women’s teams battled it out to claim the coveted titles on offer.
In the first women’s semi-final clash, Protea Hockey Club and SPU were engaged in a fierce on-field contest, with SPU emerging victorious with a 6-3 scoreline.
The second women’s semi-final featured a close duel between William Pescod and Sorellas. In the end, William Pescod edged past Sorellas by a narrow 2-1 scoreline.
The semi-final results set the stage for a thrilling women’s final showdown between William Pescod and SPU.
Both teams, aware of what was at stake, gave their all, as a result, the match ended in a 1-1 tie, forcing the game into an intense eight-second shootout.
In a stunning display, SPU triumphed in the shootouts, claiming victory with a 3-0 score.
Meanwhile, the first men’s semi-final had Homevale Hockey Club taking on Saints Hockey Club. Saints made the most of their opportunities and emerged as the victors with a commanding 3-1 victory.
The second men’s semi-final saw William Pescod and SPU facing off; this contest ended in an exciting 2-2 draw. The deadlock, of course, meant that the winner would be decided by an eight-second penalty shootout. In a nerve-wracking shootout, William Pescod clinched the win with a 3-1 score.
Saints and William Pescod faced off in the grand finale in the men’s division. The opening goal of the men’s final came courtesy of Steve Dooling from William Pescod in the third quarter. However, Saints quickly responded with Lyndon Fredericks slotting a goal just one minute later. Neither team could then add to their one goal in regular time meaning that the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
Once again, the victor would be determined through an eight-second penalty shootout. This time, Saints secured a 3-0 victory, thereby clinching the men’s championship.
It has to be said that these Senior League matches at the Cassandra Astro Turf kept spectators on the edge of their seats.
Congratulations went out to SPU and Saints, the newly-crowned champions of the 2023 Senior League Hockey League.