Mpumalanga’s St Mark’s qualify for Cosafa Schools Cup
Rewano Swarts said, As a coach, I'm thrilled that six of the young men I worked with, have been chosen for the national U/17 squad.
After an amazing start to the National Winter Games, the St Mark’s School soccer team finished in third place and brought home bronze after losing to Free State 3-0 in the semi-finals.
Despite failing to qualify for the CAF Pan African Schools Football Championships, the school did manage to qualify for the Cosafa Schools Cup, where they will once again fly the flag for both the school and the province.
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Since the beginning of the regional competition, the school has demonstrated a strong reputation.
At the national competition, they were well represented and six players were selected for the U/17 national squad.
The school defeated Western Cape 5-1 on July 12 in their opening match. Their second game against Limpopo was played on July 13 and ended in a tie. Later that day, they played Gauteng, and the game finished in a goalless draw.
The school then met Free State on July 14 and lost 3-0 in the semi-finals.
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Head coach Rewano Swarts said he was very happy with the overall performance of the boys. He said they encountered minor challenges that led to their demise.
“I’m quite pleased with the lads’ performance since they exhibited genuine bravery and fighting spirit. The boys were too self-absorbed and too composed at the same time, which is why we lost in the semi-finals.
As a coach, I’m thrilled that six of the young men I worked with have been chosen for the national U17 squad. We did well because we came in third place, which shows that our journey is still ongoing. We will draw on our past performance to improve in the upcoming competition. The boys had numerous opportunities to score goals, but we were unable to take advantage of them, and as a result, we were punished,” he said.
He continued, “I believe that the boys have learnt a lesson and we will put extra hours and triple the effort in order to prepare for the Cosafa Schools competition.”
The school will represent Mpumalanga at the Cosafa Schools Cup in Port Elizabeth from October 28 to November 6.
Swart is appealing for support from the business sector and individuals with sponsorships or funding so they can have all the equipment needed to get ready for the upcoming competition.
