By Chris Totobela
On Saturday, the Rhodes University women’s football team hosted Nav Galaxy from Eziphunzana in East London in their Sasol League clash. Galaxy came to this encounter at the back of a loss as they tasted their first defeat last weekend at home against Volcano ladies when they lost by 2-4.
On the other side, Rhodes University came to this encounter after four defeats, including last weekend’s walkover against Gqeberha-based Bay Stars. Less than twenty people made their way to the Great Field to witness this clash.
The game started slowly but gained momentum as it continued, and the visitors made their intentions very clear. RU sat back in the first few minutes of the game, defending too deep. Galaxy was caught offside several times as they rushed things up front. The home side absorbed a lot of pressure and tried to catch Galaxy in transition, but their lone striker did not have enough support as she was always isolated. There was a big gap between the defenders and the midfielders, which allowed Galaxy to dictate terms in midfield. The gap between midfielders and forwards was also too big, and most of the time, the forwards did not really know what to do with the ball and often came back with it looking for support.
The home side did an excellent job of pressing the opponents, but something had to give at some point, as chasing the ball is more tiring than having it. RU’s defence finally succumbed to pressure in the 20th minute when their defence was stretched and caught napping by a good cross that was tapped home into an open net. It only took two minutes for Galaxy to double their lead, and the third one came in the 32nd minute when a cloud of defenders blocked the goalkeeper’s view, who saw the long-range shot slightly late as it whistled past her to the back of the net. RU tried to fight back, but their fight was cut short by the halftime break whistle.
In the second half, Galaxy tried to change into another top gear, forcing the home side to give away possession too cheaply. In the 65th minute, the home side was dealt a massive blow as their number-one goalkeeper got injured and was substituted. In the 68th minute, the reserve goalkeeper handled the ball outside the box, and Galaxy scored their fourth goal from the free kick. The fifth and the sixth goals came in the 70th and the 75th minutes, respectively, while the seventh and the eighth goals came in the 80th and 83rd minutes, respectively.
RU made a few substitutions, which did not have any impact on the game, and the final whistle came as a huge relief. It was a reasonable effort by the home side, but much work still needed to be done. They need to take more shots at goals and also work on their fitness, as they looked a bit unfit.
Lastly, they needed to attempt to keep the ball more, as opponents could not harm them if they didn’t have the ball. One creative ball player in the middle of the park to help the team go forward with short passes instead of aimless long balls. There were glimpses of hope, but with time and hard work, the home side will close the gap between them and their opponents. The final score was 8-0 to Galaxy.
