Namibia beat South Africa to qualify for Indoor World Cup
Namibia’s senior women’s hockey team, known as the MTC Women Hockey team for sponsorship reasons, yesterday defeated South Africa 2-0 in an exhilarating final of the Indoor Africa Cup at the Thomas More College in Kwazulu Natal, to be crowned African champions for the second time in a row.
The Namibian ladies, who went into the competition as defending champions, put up a great performance against an equally inspired South African side but it was the Namibians accurateness and composure in front of the goal that separated the two sides in yesterday’s final.
After a tightly contested match that saw teams enjoy their fair share of goal scoring opportunities, it was Namibia in the end who took her opportunities to win the match 2-0 to be crowned continental champions for a consecutive second time.
Not only was Namibia crowned African champions, but they also qualified next year’s Indoor Hockey World Cup to be held in Belgium, where they will be the only African women’s team.
In a post-match interview after yesterday’s remarkable win, a teary-eyed Namibian captain Maggie Mengo couldn’t contain her joy, saying the win was more than just a hockey match but a serious sign of progress for Namibian hockey and the country as a whole.
“I was not an easy match but we made it, we knew it was not going to be easy for us but we had a game plan and our plan paid off. After beating Botswana on our way to the final, we had to regroup and make sure we go into the final with the right mindset. Today was awesome and the team played very well, you could see everyone came to the party. Now we are going to the World Cup and will be the only African women’s team there, but we promise to make Namibia and Africa proud,” said an excited Mengo.