The Alexander Road girls’ soccer team successfully defended their title in the DSG tournament in Makhanda at the weekend.
The Alex team opened the tournament with a 4-0 win against Mary Waters High School, but then lost in a tough second-round encounter to Hudson Park 2-1.
Two brilliant strikes from long range put the game beyond Alex.
On Saturday, Alex won their remaining matches against Khutliso (5-0) and DSG (3-0) to advance to the semifinals of the tournament.
They faced the hosts, DSG, again in the semifinals and this time the Makhanda side put up a strong performance.
However, Alex managed to score early in the first half and then held onto that lead for the rest of the match.
In the other semifinal, Mary Waters scored an early goal against Hudson Park, but the improved East London side fought back with three goals to secure a place in the final.
After a close battle, Hudson took the lead in the final before the halftime break when Alex conceded a penalty.
A determined Alex side came out fighting in the second half, creating a number of chances to score.
They were rewarded when Alex striker Ayakha Jama headed the ball over the line to level the score.
Two minutes later, Jama made no mistake from a through ball, placing the ball past the Hudson Park goalkeeper to give Alex the lead.
For the rest of the match the Alex defenders were equal to the task, keeping the Hudson Park attackers at bay as they clinched the victory 2-1 in a thrilling contest.
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