Off to the world stage
The Namibian women indoor hockey team won the Hockey Africa Cup and has qualified for World Cup.
The Namibian women’s indoor team beat South Africa 2-1 in the final at the Africa Cup which took place at the Dome, Swakopmund, on Sunday.
The team is looking forward to travel to Berlin, Germany for the 2018 Indoor Hockey World Cup which will run from 7 to 11 February.
Namibia was trailing 3-2 in the second half with less than a minute to go before, Marcia Venter sent the hosts into a penalty shootout. The player scored with a last-gasp effort with only 20 seconds remaining on the clock to give them a lifeline.
Namibia, which is ranked number-two behind South Africa in Africa, and 14th in the world, were in no mood to disappoint the home crowd when they converted their first two penalties which were scored by Gillian Hermanus and Marcia Venter.
South Africa’s influential player Kelly Reid missed the target when she drove her penalty wide and Namibia’s destiny as champions was cemented when goalkeeper, Petro Stoffberg blocked a penalty from South Africa’s Celia Evans to give Namibia the victory.
This was the redemption Namibia needed, after they lost them 4-1 and 7-0 earlier in the tournament.
The win means that Namibia have now qualified for the World Cup which will take place in Berlin Germany next year.
The Namibia team coach Erwin Handura, attributed the team’s success to their mental strength and extra training sessions in preparations to the final.
The Namibia National Olympic Committee (NNOC) President Abner Xoagub said that he is pleased with the growth of indoor hockey in the country.
“It shows that if you put in all the resources and all the dedication that you can do it. It was a sweet victory for the Namibian ladies team over the South African team and it just opens doors. Overall it was a great achievement and they made us proud as a country.
“I believe that hockey is improving in the country. We have a league operating in the country made up of 32 clubs. And tells me that hockey in the country is growing because hockey is not only played in five regions but in all 14 regions of the country,” said Xoagub.
Magy Mengo, captain of the team and player of the tournament, said they practiced really hard for the tournament and deserved the win. “We prepared well with the training camps and look forward to the World Cup next year. We don’t want to travel to Germany just to make up numbers but to contest for medals and make Namibia proud,” she said.
Limba Mupetami & Adolf Kaure
The team is looking forward to travel to Berlin, Germany for the 2018 Indoor Hockey World Cup which will run from 7 to 11 February.
Namibia was trailing 3-2 in the second half with less than a minute to go before, Marcia Venter sent the hosts into a penalty shootout. The player scored with a last-gasp effort with only 20 seconds remaining on the clock to give them a lifeline.
Namibia, which is ranked number-two behind South Africa in Africa, and 14th in the world, were in no mood to disappoint the home crowd when they converted their first two penalties which were scored by Gillian Hermanus and Marcia Venter.
South Africa’s influential player Kelly Reid missed the target when she drove her penalty wide and Namibia’s destiny as champions was cemented when goalkeeper, Petro Stoffberg blocked a penalty from South Africa’s Celia Evans to give Namibia the victory.
This was the redemption Namibia needed, after they lost them 4-1 and 7-0 earlier in the tournament.
The win means that Namibia have now qualified for the World Cup which will take place in Berlin Germany next year.
The Namibia team coach Erwin Handura, attributed the team’s success to their mental strength and extra training sessions in preparations to the final.
The Namibia National Olympic Committee (NNOC) President Abner Xoagub said that he is pleased with the growth of indoor hockey in the country.
“It shows that if you put in all the resources and all the dedication that you can do it. It was a sweet victory for the Namibian ladies team over the South African team and it just opens doors. Overall it was a great achievement and they made us proud as a country.
“I believe that hockey is improving in the country. We have a league operating in the country made up of 32 clubs. And tells me that hockey in the country is growing because hockey is not only played in five regions but in all 14 regions of the country,” said Xoagub.
Magy Mengo, captain of the team and player of the tournament, said they practiced really hard for the tournament and deserved the win. “We prepared well with the training camps and look forward to the World Cup next year. We don’t want to travel to Germany just to make up numbers but to contest for medals and make Namibia proud,” she said.
Limba Mupetami & Adolf Kaure
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