JAFC’s U/15 stun Kasaona FA 6-0
……as their U/19 draw 2-all against St. Paul’s
Julinho Athletic Football Club’s U/15 (JAFC) stunned an unorganised Kasaona Football Club 6-0 at the JAFC arena late Friday afternoon.
Shaun Markowitz bagged two goals for the home side, while David Swartbooi, Giano Diergardt, Madawa Margaeb and Mdajorokisa Kamatuka each netted a goal.
JAFC started the first half with two goals, signalling their intent to make life difficult for the visiting side, moving the ball around with ease.
Kasaona only managed to get one shot on target throughout the whole game.
Coach Nikie Gawaseb from JAFC admitted that playing against Kasaona was always not an easy day at the office – but this time around, things went their way.
Playing against Kasona is not an easy game. They are a bit hard. They always come hard, and our boys moved the ball around a lot. But in the first few minutes, we were struggling because we had to adapt to the physics and everything. But when we got used to it, we started putting the ball down and started knocking it. We started getting our goals,
– he said.
Coach Hivii Kasaona felt the defeat was a massive blow to them, as she had now suffered the biggest loss in the U/15 age group.
Yeah, it’s a heavy one to take in. I think it’s a matter of going back to the drawing board. We start maybe going to the basics – going back to where we are lacking, evaluating maybe more on our weaknesses, and seeing where we can improve. Unfortunately, of all the years, this is the biggest loss with the new players. I think they are still trying to manoeuvre with each other, still trying to connect, and still trying to see who is who,
– she stated.
Kasaona feels the squad is still adapting and taking baby steps, even though it was not a good result.
I mean, that’s what you can expect, especially at this time of the season. Maybe if we continue pushing, the margins will reduce it.
Unfortunately, in football, if you don’t capitalise on your chances. You get beaten on the other side. So, I think that’s basically the situation today,
– she said.
As the school holiday looms, Kasaona hoped they could maximise their position on the log before the second half of the season kicks off in July.
But with such a loss, they find themselves in a peculiar position.
It’s now bad – at least with the games as they come on. They are going back on holiday, but at least again we come back and start afresh,
– she stated.
Who knows? Maybe they will get another different mentality and mindset when we come back. We start over again,
– she concluded.
Meanwhile, coach Gawaseb of JAFC was again in the thick of things when his U/19s took on St. Paul’s College head-on in what proved to be a much more interesting match-up.
St. Paul’s, relatively new to the league, drew first blood in just one minute after kick-off, sending a wake-up call to their opponents that they too are a force to be reckoned with.
The tough encounter, fortunately enough for the home side, ended 2-all, as both teams salvaged a point for a hard-earned draw against the two sides.
St Paul’s College coach Matt Isacks felt his charges performed well against a powerhouse team like JAFC.
Yeah, my boys played really well today. We should have won this game. To concede at the last minute, it’s a little bit of a disappointment. We really pushed for a win. Overall, I’m happy,
– he said.
Scoring so early is what we train on the training field from the first second we start to play. The guys actually executed very well by scoring in those first two minutes.
As I say, these are young boys. That is the work of a coach to keep them calm and constantly focus on the game because they get overexcited and lose a little bit of concentration. That’s why there were some gaps in the game that we were not at our best,
– he added.
In terms of making sure that the Cathedral boys stay level-headed and game-ready for their next match, Isacks feels that one area needs more attention than the rest to make the team whole again.
I need a left back, which is properly to do that overlap for me. I just need a better boy to adapt in that position because he’s not a normal left-footed player. There are a few other things I want to look at like tactical things because the passing game is what I instilled in our team. But at times, there’s too much dribbling, which I don’t like,
– he remarked.
Coach Gawaseb feels his boys are on the right track despite the draw because they move the ball in open spaces and could recover from the early goal.
We always occupy these open spaces. We move the ball around. That’s why it’s easy to have those movements to pass the ball so easily,
– he said.
You have to be ready every time. I’m always telling my boys ‘you have to be ready’. But the first few minutes, we were still sleeping. So, they caught us off guard. I’m really happy with both teams’ performance of the younger ones. Actually, they are not U/19. They are the U/17 boys whom we push up to 19. Maybe they can progress against the big boys,
– he stated.
Strauss Lunyangwe
Photo 1: Tough… Kasaona FA lost 6-0 against JAFC at the JACF field on Friday afternoon.
Photo 2: Dual… St. Paul’s U/19 almost overcame JAFC when they settled for a 2-all draw on Friday.
Photo 3: Take the shot… JAFC frontman tried his luck when they won against Kasaona FA 6-0.
Photos by Tangi Mulundu
Weekend Results
Group A
SKW 11-0 Brave SC U/13
JAFC 2-0 Quest 11 U/13
Group B
Riverheights FA 4-1 Kasaona FA U/13
Dama SA 2-1 Swallows U/13 J
Pamoja Football 9-1 Swallows U/13
Group A
Riverheights FA 1-1 Baller Boys U/15
DTS 3-0 Brave SC U/15
JAFC a 2-0 St. Pauls U/15
Group A
Ramblers 2-1 St. Paul’s U/17
JAFC 1-0 Prolific SC U/17
Swallows 1-0 DTS U/17
Group B
CBS 6-0 Jan M öhr U/17
Baller Boys 2-0 SKW U/17
Brave SC 2-0 WHK Gym U/17
Group A
CBS 6-1 Brave SC U/19
Ramblers 3-1 Kasaona FA U/19
Group B
JAFC a 0-2 WHK Gym U/19
DTS 3-0 Swallows U/19
SKW 4-0 Otjomuise RS U/19
Riverheights FA 2-2 Döbra U/19 G
