The South African Women’s Indoor Hockey team kicked off their away series against Switzerland on the losing side, as the host secured a 3-1 win in first of the six-match series in Basel, Switzerland, on Tuesday, 30 January 2024.
Going into the match, the clash was set to be one that the South Africans were set to dominate given their superior 8-2 win record over Switzerland, and things looked to be heading that way as AJ Spieringshoek’s side got off to a flying start with a 1-0 lead after Malika Hamza scored a penalty corner in the fourth minute.
That would however be the sole goal of the match for the South Africans, as the home team then started dominating proceeding, slotting in two quick goals.
Stephanie Weber and Elena Trosch scored in the 15th and 16th minutes, respectively, taking the score to 2-1. The victory for the Swiss was sealed when Sofie Stomps netted the final field goal in the 40th minute of the match, the match result giving the Swiss a 1-0 lead in the series.
No doubt South Africa will want to up their game as they head into the rest of the series and hone in on their recent form. At the end of 2023, they played host to the inaugural Kathea Nkosi Cup where they went unbeaten in the competition until they lost in the final to Namibia.
However, despite not taking the trophy, the team displayed some high-quality performances and put their skills on show.
Their big win of the year came when Spieringshoek’s team was crowned the Tuanku Zara International Cup champions in the final in Ipoh, Perak in Malaysia, on Saturday, 11 November 2023.
They also faced the Swiss in the final of the tournament and came out tops. Something South Africa will be looking to repeat as they look to get on the winning side for the rest of this tour.
The second match takes place on Wednesday, 31 January 2024, at 9 pm.
Fixtures and Results for the SA Indoor Hockey Women vs Switzerland Away Test Series
Tue 30 Jan (20:30): Switzerland 3-1 South Africa
Wed 31 Jan (21:00): Second Test
Fri 2 Feb (13:15): Third Test
Fri 2 Feb (17:30): Fourth Test
Sat 3 Feb (13:00): Fifth Test
Sat 3 Feb (19:00): Sixth Test
South Africa Indoor Hockey Women’s team for Switzerland Test Series:
Bonolo Moabi
Cerian Fourie
Cherry Grevenstein
Daniella de Oliveira
Elizabeth Porter
Jamie Southgate
Jessica Lardant
Laiken Brisset
Malikah Hamza
Sara Paget
Tatum Kroutz
Tegan Fourie
Manager: Robyn Morgan
Coach: AJ Spieringshoek’s
Switzerland Team:
Dorine von Overbeck
Sofie Stomps
Stephanie Weber
Sae Fontana
Sarah Zepf
Tamara Trösch
Nele Pöhler
Carina Zimmermann
Paulina Appel
Elena Trösch
Raffaela Triebold
Ursina Fazis
Manager: Constance van Asselt
Coach: Mathias Schaeben
Linda Haussener
Physiotherapist: Fien Koelmans
File Photo Caption: Malikah Hamza and Daniella de Oliveira celebrate a goal in this file photo. Hamza put the travelling South African Indoor Hockey Women’s team into an early lead in their 6-match indoor hockey test series tour of Switzerland, before the home team regrouped to win the opening encounter for a 1-0 series lead, in Basel, Switzerland on Tuesday, 30 January, 2023. Photo: (c) Ray Chaplin www.raychaplin.photography