An inspired performance by captain Jamie Lee Witbooi, 19, was enough to see Ravensmead High School’s girls’ soccer team beat Strand’s Nomzamo High School 3-0 in the first round of the South African Schools Football Association (SASFA) inter-regional championships, held at the Solo Street sport complex, in Steenberg, on Friday.
Witbooi was brilliant in the midfield causing all sorts of problems for her opponents as they could not stop her from playing her natural game.
Scores were deadlocked at the interval, with Witbooi creating a number of chances for her side but they could just not finish.
However, three goals in the second half, coming from the boots of Danideon Sampies, Meka Hartnick and Witbooi herself, were enough to see them bag three points.
The midfielder said her side did well in their opening game of the SASFA tournament but believes there is still room for improvement.
“We won convincingly but could have done much better. We need to improve on our tackles and passing. I am proud of the squad because we played until the final whistle,” she said.
Witbooi hopes her side can continue their winning streak in order to be among the medallists, come the end of the competition.
“Our main goal is to do well at the tournament. Also to learn from how other teams play in order to improve on our game,” she said.
Witbooi is no stranger to major competitions as she was part of the South African under-20 squad that lost 3-1 on aggregate to Nigeria, in the final-round of world cup qualification, last year.
She made her debut for SA, in October, when her side beat Zambia 3-2 in a world cup qualifier.
Her journey to the SA side began a few months earlier, when she was part of the Western Cape under-19 women’s team that won the inter-provincial tournament, in Gauteng.
At that competition there were scouts from the South African women’s under-20 team who saw how well she performed.
Later that week her coach at Wynberg-based Spurs Women’s FC, Winston Zeederberg informed her that she made the side.
“I grew up in a household that watched soccer all the time. Before I got my call up I always told my family that someday I will be on your television screens representing the country. When I got my call-up I was nervous but excited,” she said.
Witbooi was inspired by her uncle Leon van Wyk and his friend Damian October, who always played soccer at the park or the nearby field.
At the age of six, the youngster decided to join Uitsig-based Trinitarians who play in the Northern Suburbs Local Football Association. In 2012 she joined Spurs, who play in the Sasol League, after a nine year spell with Trinies.
“In my time at Trinitarians I won player of the year and most dedicated player,” she said.
On the academic front, Witbooi hopes to study education at the University of the Western Cape as she believes education is just as important as sport.
Ravensmead coach Ricardo Wells said his side played well throughout the game against Nomzamo High, as they played with a cautious approach.
“We started off slow because we did know what to expect from our opponents. As the game progressed we started to find our feet and once we scored our first goal we played with more confidence,” he said
Residents say no to crèche