Belarus run riot

Namibia's senior women's field hockey team have lost their first encounter at the International Hockey Federation (FIH) Series Finals in Valencia, Spain against Belarus 0-7.Captain Magreth Mengo said the first match was their most important and they let themselves down. “There was no energy; we have a young team and they need to learn to deal with the pressure of a first game.“The way forward is that we need to lift our heads and work hard. It's not over yet, so we need to regroup, focus and have a better strategy for the second game,” Mengo said.Belarus are ranked 20th in the world and started the encounter on the front foot by attacking Namibia's defence. They dominated all four quarters of the match.Both teams are in Pool A and this was their first clash since 2013. Belarus, who won bronze at the 2018 FIH Indoor World Cup, brought a furious attacking game and disciplined defence.The Namibians were Africa's sole representatives at last year's Indoor Hockey World Cup in Germany and need to pull up their socks against 21st ranked Canada, if they want to keep their dreams alive of qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.They clash with Canada in their second group match tomorrow.The Canadians will, however, be a tough nut to crack.They turned to crowdfunding to finance their trip to Valencia, with the hope of finishing tops in the eight-country tournament.Rated 42nd in the world - the lowest ranked in their group and the whole competition - the Namibians need to perform above par in their third match against Spain as well, who are ranked seventh.The pool winners get a bye ahead of the semi-finals clashes, while the second- and third-place finishers' will clash to decide the other two semi-final teams.The Namibian squad is as follows: Magreth Mengo (captain), Petro Stoffberg, Jerrica Bartlett, Sunelle Ludwig, Gillian Hermanus, Kiana-Che Cormack, Dure Boshoff, Taramarie Myburgh, Danja Meyer, Cele Wessels, Berencia Diamond, Jahntwa Kruger, Emilia Kashopola, Ina Louis, Joane van Rooyen, Armin van Staden, Jocelle Deysell, and Jivanka Kruger.The coaching staff consists of Erwin Handura (coach), Rachel Freeman (manager), Randolf Slabbert (assistant coach), Manuel Carballo (fitness and mental health), Donatha Ngunovandu (team medic) and Maryke Short (video analyst).LIMBA MUPETAMI

Belarus run riot

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-18

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Belarus run riot

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-18

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