South Africa beat Ukraine 6-2 in their final group-stage fixture in the battle for the top spot in Pool B, after both took to the field with two wins under the beld on Day One, at the FIH Hockey5s World Cup in Oman on Thursday, 25 January, 2023.
It was the South Africans who rocketed out the gates and produced a remarkable spell, scoring four goals in six minutes, to canter into a significant lead.
Toni Marks tapped home to give the team a 1-0 lead and Dirkie Chamberlain scored when she bounced the ball off the wall onto the keeper’s kicker and into the back of the net.
It kept getting better for the Africans when Teshawn de la Ray produced a wonderful run and finish to make it 3-0. And before the half-time break, Toni Marks made a superb run-in front of the keeper and diverted it home, for a 4-0 advantage at the half-time break.
The second half did not have to wait long for its first goal. Dirkie Chamberlain was awarded a penalty stroke and the Olympian fired home to stretch the lead again. Ukraine pulled a goal back, when Kateryna Shokalenko ran around SA keeper, Grace Cochrane, and pulled it back into the net.
Ukraine would have their last scoring action when the ball bobbled home to make it 5-2. It took the South Africans just 20 seconds to re-instate the four-goal lead, Chamberlain firing home from an acute angle with tremendous power to secure her hat-trick, sealing a remarkable 6-2 win for the South Africans and the top spot in the group.
The team are now the fourth South African team to qualify for a Quarter Final of an FIH World Cup, matching the achievements of the SA Junior Women’s team in Potchefstroom in 2022, as well as the men’s and women’s indoor teams at the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in Pretoria in 2023.
It also allows the team the opportunity to dream of matching – and possibly beating – the achievements of the SPAR South Africa indoor hockey team at the Indoor World Cup, where they finished fourth, after losing in the semi-finals.
The South Africans will face Malaysia in the Quarter Finals, after the Asians held on to a 4-4 draw to eliminate Fiji on goal difference. The game is available to stream on Watch.Hockey exclusively, and will be at 08h20 South African time, on Friday.
Fixtures and Results at the FIH Hockey5s World Cup Oman 2024
24 Jan: South Africa 9-1 Zambia
24 Jan: South Africa 6-3 Australia
25 Jan: South Africa vs Ukraine
26 Jan: QUARTER-FINAL: South Africa v Malaysia
Team South Africa at the FIH Hockey5s World Cup Oman 2024
#1 Merlé Kock
#3 Shanna Mendonca
#6 Izelle Cilliers
#7 Shirndre-Lee Simmons
#9 Teshawn de la Rey
#11 Toni Marks
#12 Dirkie Chamberlain
#16 Reabetswe Phume
#18 Marguerite van Wyk
#23 Grace Cochrane
Head Coach: Tsoanelo Pholo
Original Copy: Hockey South Africa, with editing by gsport
Main Photo Caption: South Africa beat Ukraine 6-2 to top Pool B, and book a quarter-finals spot against Malaysia. Izelle Cilliers (left) and Dirkie Chamberlain (centre) celebrate Toni Marks’ goal, at the FIH Hockey 5s World Cup Oman 2024 in Muscat, on Thursday, 25 January, 2024. Photo: Rodrigo Jaramillo / (c) WORLDSPORTPICS
Photo 2 Caption: Reabetswe Phume in action against Ukraine for SA women at the FIH Hockey 5s World Cup Oman 2024, on Thursday, 25 January, 2024. Photo: Rodrigo Jaramillo / (c) WORLDSPORTPICS
Photo 3 Caption: Marguerite van Wyk works to keep possession from the Ukraine’s Kateryna Popova, in the two team’s final group match on Thursday. Photo: Rodrigo Jaramillo / (c) WORLDSPORTPICS
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