Namibia stumbles in Africa Cup
Team Namibia lost 7-5 to Dome Dragons in the final of the Africa Cup inline hockey tournament in Swakopmund over the weekend.
Namibia failed to retain the Africa Cup title it won last year, losing 7-5 in the final of the inline hockey tournament at The Dome Swakopmund.
The home team cruised into the final after a total of 26 games were played, but went down to Dome Dragons in front of a packed venue.
The tie was intense, but Dome Dragons' players Alex Witz and Shane Kinsella broke through Namibia's defence to secure the title.
“It was a tough game and both teams played very well. I'm super proud of my boys, they never gave up and props to the Namibians, they fought very hard,” said the Dome Dragons captain Dave Hammond.
During the final, both teams came out guns blazing in search of an early goal, but it was Tiago Kutz who scored first for the Namibians after just two minutes of play.
Dome Dragons equalised almost immediately, but the momentum again swung towards the Namibian team, as they led 3-1 with goals from Wim van der Plas and Lars Borg.
As the match continued, the momentum shifted in favour of the Dome Dragons, as they came back stronger with a goal from Kinsella.
This however did not deter the Namibians, who responded with flair and grit. They picked up the pace and restored their two-goal cushion.
Towards halftime, the Namibian team lost concentration. The Dragons noticed this and quickly took advantage. As a result, Kinsella and Hammond netted twice to level the score. After halftime, the Namibian team succumbed to pressure from their opponents, who came out determined to end the game as a contest. Kutz scored for the Namibians, but Kinsella and Wirt slid past their defence and scored the winning goals.
Kinsella received the most valuable player award due to his performances during the tournament.
The Namibian team consisted of a mixture of young and more experienced players. The team had three training camps in their build up to the tournament, but in the end took silver and gained a lot of experience.
Meanwhile, the Namibian junior men's team lost to Germany 5-3 in the bronze medal match.
The Africa Cup inline hockey tournament was a six-day event, with Bank Windhoek as the major sponsor for the second consecutive year. The competition is building up a reputation as one of the biggest sporting events in Africa and abroad. It attracted players from as far afield as Brazil, India, Russia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, South Africa, Denmark, the United States, Spain, Canada and Italy.
LIMBA MUPETAMI
The home team cruised into the final after a total of 26 games were played, but went down to Dome Dragons in front of a packed venue.
The tie was intense, but Dome Dragons' players Alex Witz and Shane Kinsella broke through Namibia's defence to secure the title.
“It was a tough game and both teams played very well. I'm super proud of my boys, they never gave up and props to the Namibians, they fought very hard,” said the Dome Dragons captain Dave Hammond.
During the final, both teams came out guns blazing in search of an early goal, but it was Tiago Kutz who scored first for the Namibians after just two minutes of play.
Dome Dragons equalised almost immediately, but the momentum again swung towards the Namibian team, as they led 3-1 with goals from Wim van der Plas and Lars Borg.
As the match continued, the momentum shifted in favour of the Dome Dragons, as they came back stronger with a goal from Kinsella.
This however did not deter the Namibians, who responded with flair and grit. They picked up the pace and restored their two-goal cushion.
Towards halftime, the Namibian team lost concentration. The Dragons noticed this and quickly took advantage. As a result, Kinsella and Hammond netted twice to level the score. After halftime, the Namibian team succumbed to pressure from their opponents, who came out determined to end the game as a contest. Kutz scored for the Namibians, but Kinsella and Wirt slid past their defence and scored the winning goals.
Kinsella received the most valuable player award due to his performances during the tournament.
The Namibian team consisted of a mixture of young and more experienced players. The team had three training camps in their build up to the tournament, but in the end took silver and gained a lot of experience.
Meanwhile, the Namibian junior men's team lost to Germany 5-3 in the bronze medal match.
The Africa Cup inline hockey tournament was a six-day event, with Bank Windhoek as the major sponsor for the second consecutive year. The competition is building up a reputation as one of the biggest sporting events in Africa and abroad. It attracted players from as far afield as Brazil, India, Russia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, South Africa, Denmark, the United States, Spain, Canada and Italy.
LIMBA MUPETAMI
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