Penryn U16 girls make history as Noordvaal Medium Schools champs
The U16 girls from Penryn won all five of their matches, scoring 16 goals while only conceding one.
Penryn’s U16 hockey girls achieved a special accolade earlier this month when they were crowned the Noordvaal Medium Schools champions, becoming the first Penryn girls’ side to win Noordvaal.
The Noordvaal Medium Schools Tournament, which was played at Hoërskool Hugenote from August 6 to 10, features the very best medium schools – 16 teams comprising league winners and runners-up from Mpumalanga, Gauteng, North West and Limpopo. Penryn’s U16 girls earned their spot in the tournament after being crowned Ehlanzeni Medium Schools regional champions, followed by becoming Mpumalanga Medium Schools provincial champions.
The girls dominated the Noordvaal tournament from start to finish. They started off with a 3-1 victory over Hoërskool Brandwag and then defeated Hoërskool Fochville 4-0 in their second pool game. A 4-0 win against the hosts, Hugenote, in the quarterfinal sent them through to the semis where they defeated Hoërskool Wagpos 3-0 to earn a place in the final.
There they faced Hoërskool Transvalia who, while Penryn’s toughest opponent of the tournament, proved to be no match for the Lowvelders. A 2-0 victory to claim gold capped what has been a perfect season for the Penryn girls.
Kgomotso Mokoena was Penryn’s top goal-scorer at Noordvaal, with an impressive haul of five goals to her name. In defence, goalkeeper Lucy Rabeca also did the team proud, securing four clean sheets in five matches, proving to be a formidable last line of defence.
According to Penryn’s head of hockey, Jacques du Toit, what makes this triumph even more extraordinary is that only six of the squad’s sixteen players are actual U16s – the rest are U14 and U15 players stepping up against older opposition. He also indicated that this is the first girls’ team from Penryn to win the Noordvaal tournament.
“The team now turns its focus to the upcoming Belgotex Mpumalanga Hockey 5s Tournament, which is being played at Penryn, while laying the foundations for an even stronger 2026 season,” du Toit said. “This is more than just a win – it’s a statement. Penryn girls’ hockey is here to stay at the top.”
