By CHRIS TOTOBELA
It was a festival of goals on day three of the New Year’s Cup (NYC) 2022.
In the early kick-off, Addo-based title contenders Bush Pirates eased past Bathurst-based BMX by five goals to nil in a one-sided game.
In the midday kick-off, Keiskammahoek-based Thembu Warriors dismantled Valgas FC from Queenstown by four unanswered goals.
In the last game of the day, Makhanda’s Sophia Stars came up against Soul Buddies FC from Dimbaza. The Dimbaza side started like a house on fire, putting the home side under pressure in a perfect spell that lasted for 10 minutes.
Sophia Stars slowly came back into the game and scored two brilliant goals via the boot of Inga luxolo Mseswa and Vuyolwethu Meyi.
Buddies seemed to have used all their energy in that short good spell and struggled to string passes together.
Mseswa added another goal to his name and brought the score to three nil. The game was already done and dusted when the halftime whistle sounded.
In the second half, both teams made wholesale changes but did not tamper with the home side’s game plan as they kept piling more pressure on their opponents, who seemed to have lost interest in the game.
It was no surprise when Vuyolwethu Meyi squeezed through a lame shot in the near post that the keeper fumbled into his net. There was only one team in the game’s later stages, and the final nails on the Soul Buddies coffin were hammered in by Lukhanyo Vena and Ricardwill Arries to take the final score into half a dozen goals.
Sophia kept the home flag flying high, and they have a well-balanced, solid squad. All they need to do now is to keep their feet on the ground and take each game as it comes. It was an excellent performance from the home side, and the local fans are smiling again.
