Zeekoevlei crowned under-19 Freedom Cup champs

Zeekeoevlei High School’s under-19 side were crowned winners in their division at the annual Freedom Cup soccer tournament, hosted by Wynberg Boys’ High School.

Slotted in Group C, along with last year’s champions Norman Henshilwood, Curro Century City, Edgemead, and George Royal, Zeekoevlei got their campaign off to a shaky start, losing their opening match 2-1 against Royals.

“It was tough losing our first match,” said coach Jordan Gysman,” but we still had a chance to progress to the knockout stages if we won our three remaining fixtures. Including beating last year's title holders, Norman Henshilwood.”

Making their debut at the competition, Gysman and his young team were well aware of the challenges they faced on and off the pitch.

For starters, raising the nearly R12 000 to enter proved to be a mammoth task, but with the help of friends and family, anyone willing to chip in a few pennies, they were able to secure the spot.

“It took us six months to raise the funds, so we reached out to sponsors and corporates to help us. My family, friends and a company in Johannesburg made it all possible,” he said.

With their entry and other logistics sorted, they could focus on the task at hand, to play good football, Gysman said.

“We had to sort out transport for the four days, I had to make sure the boys were fed and well nourished over the four days. We managed to overcome small obstacles with the support of everyone involved,” he said.

With just over six months to prepare, he had assembled a formidable side, which he believes can compete against the best.

He said the mood inside the camp was positively upbeat ahead of the competition as they had won a tournament hosted by the City’s law enforcement department, at Crystal High in Hanover Park, in March, and fancied their chances of taking on better resourced teams at the Freedom Cup.

In the quarter-finals, they beat Milnerton 3-1, and eliminated hosts Wynberg Boys on penalties in the semi-finals after playing to a 2-all draw to set up a cup final date against Gqeberha’s Urban Academy.

The final score was 3-1 on penalties after playing to a 1-all draw. Zeekoevlei’s Keanu Sampson was named under-19 goalkeeper-of-the-tournament.