Reigning Hollywoodbets Super League champions bounced back from a draw to register an emphatic 6-0 victory over Ma-Indies in the only midweek league match played today (Wednesday, 21 September 2022).
New arrival Miche Minnies stole the show when she scored a hattrick after coming off the bench, with Thembelihle Masibi grabbing a brace while Boitumelo Rabale chipped in with the other goal.
The latter was the first to get onto the scoresheet in the 22nd minute – her 14th goal of the season.
Masibi was next to raise her hand with two goals to give the Brazilians a 3-0 half time lead.
Enter Minnies!
Starting off the bench, the 21-year-old forward dominated the second half of the game and won the hearts of the Sundowns Ladies’ faithful with three strikes to give her side a convincing 6-0 victory.
“I am very grateful to the coach for trusting me with an opportunity today to show my abilities in front of goal. I am happy with the three goals, but I am more excited with the win considering that we dropped points last time out. Kudos to the entire team for making this win possible. The plan is to switch our attention to the next game,” Minnies told her club’s website.
Not to be left behind, two-goal star Masibi was also full of praise after the win.
“The draw against UWC was like a loss to the entire team. Thus, the plan was to grab an early goal in this fixture, and we duly achieved that to settle our nerves. The entire team played like warriors, and we are very happy with the outcome of the game. This was the best possible way to lift our spirits considering that we have another tough game coming. I would have loved to score a hat-trick as well, but I am happy with the overall outcome of the game,” said Masibi.
This was Sundowns Ladies’ 16th win of the season after 18 matches – this victory coming at the back of a tough draw against the University of the Western Cape (UWC).
“What a response from the team today after we struggled the last time out. One game cannot define us, and I am proud of the way we responded today. We responded like champions and the victory was resounding. We learned some valuable lessons from the last game, and I am glad our decisions today were spot-on across the pitch. Our counter-pressing and wing play was exceptional all-round,” said Sundowns Ladies head coach Jerry Tshabalala.
Sundowns Ladies are now on 49 points – four ahead of second placed JVW. The Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) is third, seven points adrift of the leaders.
UWC and Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies complete the top five – both on 38 and 35 points respectively.
By Matlhomola Morake
