Fri 25.04.25 The youngsters put up a brave fight to draw the match in regulation, but could not prevail via shootouts Kenya’s dream of qualifying for the 2025 FIH Junior World Cup came to a heartbreaking end on the final day of the Junior Africa Cup after a dramatic 4-2 post-match shootout loss to Egypt in the third-place playoff at the Davin Trustco Hockey Stadium in Windhoek, Namibia. The high-stakes encounter ended 2-2 in regular time after a tense and evenly balanced match that saw both sides push for a direct qualification to the World Cup. Only the top three teams from the continental event earn World Cup slots, and with South Africa and Namibia already through, Kenya had to win against Egypt to secure the final ticket. The opening quarter was cagey, with neither side able to break the deadlock. But the action picked up in the second quarter when Egypt capitalized on a defensive error. Charles Ashihundu’s mistimed tackle allowed Ahmed Elhadi to slot the ball past Kenya’s goalkeeper Josephat Ondijo in the 23rd minute to give Egypt the lead. Kenya pushed forward in response, with Nirmaan Mudher failing to connect with a well-weighted pass from Mathew Momanyi that could have leveled the score. Goalkeeper Josephat Ondijo, who has been one of Kenya’s standout performers throughout the tournament, pulled off a crucial save against Bassem Mokhtar to keep the deficit at one going into halftime. The third quarter saw increased urgency from the Kenyans, and their efforts were rewarded in the final minute of the period. Vincent Wesonga earned a penalty corner, and Mathias Gulalire’s drag flick struck the body of Egypt’s Mohamed Hosni, resulting in a penalty stroke. Ashihundu converted calmly to level the match at 1-1. The final quarter delivered even more drama. Gulalire had a chance to give Kenya the lead in the 51st minute but missed a penalty corner. Egypt immediately responded with a quick counterattack, and Mohab Hegab flicked past Ondijo to restore their advantage. However, Kenya wasn’t done. Wesonga once again caused trouble in the Egyptian circle, earning another penalty corner, which resulted in a second penalty stroke. Ashihundu stepped up once more and delivered, making it 2-2 and forcing the match into a shootout. Egypt were clinical in the shootouts, with Said Kamal, Mohamed Hassanein, Mohamed Hosni, and Bassem Mokhtar all converting their chances. For Kenya, Ashihundu and Gulalire found the net, but Momanyi missed his attempt and Brian Azeze couldn’t get past Egypt’s Mohamed Geneidy, sealing Kenya’s fate. Source: mozzartsport.co.ke

With South Africa and Namibia already through to the World Cup, Kenya and Egypt will battle it out for the third and final ticket to the FIH Junior World Cup Kenya’s U21 men’s hockey team will face Egypt in a high-stakes 2024 Junior Africa Cup (JAC) playoff match on Friday, 25 April, in Windhoek, Namibia, with the final World Cup qualification slot on the line. Despite a spirited performance on Thursday against African giants South Africa, the Kenyan side succumbed to a 3-1 defeat, finishing fourth in the group standings behind South Africa, Namibia, and Egypt. With South Africa and Namibia already through to the World Cup, Kenya and Egypt will battle it out for the third and final ticket to the FIH Junior World Cup. Kenya opened their campaign with a goalless draw against Zimbabwe before thrilling fans with a 4-4 stalemate against Egypt. A 5-3 loss to hosts Namibia put pressure on the team, but a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Zambia revived their hopes. The team entered yesterday’s match already in the playoff bracket thanks to Egypt’s dramatic 2-1 win over Zimbabwe in stoppage time, which locked the North Africans into third place. In the match against South Africa, Kenya started brightly when Tarankabir Bhamra deflected a pass from Fredrick Ochieng into the net in the 10th minute. South Africa responded quickly, with Carlon Mentoor leveling the score just two minutes later. The match remained deadlocked until the 56th minute when the South Africans found the net again, eventually sealing a 3-1 victory with a late third goal. On the women’s side, Kenya’s campaign came to a close after a 4-1 loss to Zimbabwe dashed their hopes of making the playoffs. The team needed a win to progress or hoped Zambia would beat Uganda, but neither scenario materialized. Uganda edged Zambia 2-1 to clinch the final playoff spot, leaving Kenya outside the top four. Final Day Fixtures – April 25 13:15 – Women’s 3rd/4th Playoff: Zimbabwe vs Uganda 15:30 – Men’s 3rd/4th Playoff: Egypt vs Kenya 17:45 – Women’s Final: South Africa vs Namibia 20:00 – Men’s Final: South Africa vs Namibia

Final Pool Stage Recap | Windhoek, Namibia Both the South African U21 Men and Women’s teams wrapped up the group stages of the Junior Africa Cup with victories to secure a 100% record, setting the stage for Friday’s double-header final against hosts Namibia. While both sides were already assured of qualification to the FIH Junior World Cup, the day’s results ensured momentum and bragging rights heading into the gold medal matches. Women: South Africa 6–1 Namibia With both teams safely through to the World Cup and final, the match between South Africa and Namibia had the feel of a high-quality dress rehearsal. Despite the lighter tension, the South African Women remained focused and clinical. Teshawn de la Rey opened the scoring early, and Olympian Ntsopa Mokoena doubled the lead before half-time. In the third quarter, captain Caylin Maree netted a quick-fire brace, while fellow Olympian Paris-Gail Isaacs extended the advantage to 5–0. Namibia found a breakthrough — the first goal conceded by South Africa all tournament — through Mia Karsten, but fittingly, it was de la Rey who completed the scoring with her second of the day. South Africa head into Friday’s final with 33 goals scored and just one conceded, aiming to defend their African title and head to Chile as continental champions. Men: South Africa 2–1 Kenya The South African Men were given their sternest test of the tournament by a fired-up Kenyan side chasing momentum ahead of their third-place playoff against Egypt — a clash that will decide Africa’s final Junior World Cup berth. Kenya stunned the South Africans with an early goal from Bhamra, putting South Africa behind for the first time in the competition. Carloon Mentoor struck back to level the scores, but what followed was a physical, tactical battle with chances at a premium. With just minutes remaining, Ross Montgomery forced the ball over the line in a crowded circle to seal a dramatic 2–1 victory and protect South Africa’s perfect record. Having achieved their primary goal of World Cup qualification, South Africa now turn their attention to retaining their title as African champions in Friday’s final against the hosts. Friday Finals – All to Play For: Women’s Final: South Africa vs Namibia – 16:25 Men’s Final: South Africa vs Namibia – 19:00 Both matches will be streamed live on the African Hockey YouTube channel, as South Africa looks to cap off a dominant tournament with two gold medals. Source: sahockey.co.za

24 April 2025 Both Namibia’s men and women’s u21 hockey teams qualified for the Junior World Cup after winning their pool matches at the Junior Africa Cup in Windhoek on Tuesday. Namibia’s men beat Zimbabwe 4-1 to go second on the log and secure a place against South Africa in tomorrow’s final. Owen Hatton opened Namibia’s account after only two minutes, and although Matipa Mawhere equalised for Zimbabwe in the second quarter, Hatton immediately restored Namibia’s lead from a short corner. Namibia finished stronger after the break with Hatton completing his hattrick in the third quarter, while Giovane Handura made it 4-1 in the final quarter. That put Namibia in second place on the log on nine points behind South Africa who earlier beat Egypt 5-0 to remain top on 12 points. Kenya, meanwhile, beat Zambia 2-1 to go third on five points, but they cannot catch Namibia anymore, who will contest tomorrow’s final against South Africa, regardless of their result against Zambia today. By reaching the final, Namibia have now secured a top-three place at the Junior World Cup in Chennai and Madurai, India in November. Namibia’s women also qualified for the Women’s Junior World Cup in Santiago, Chile in December, after beating Uganda 4-0 on Tuesday. Goals by Milah Malan, Maryke Kruger, Marlene Coetzee and Marika Neethling gave them a comfortble win which maintained their unbeaten status, putting them level with South Africa on 12 points at the top of the log. Zimbabwe, who lost 5-0 to South Africa, are third on six points and cannot catch Namibia, who take on South Africa in their final pool match at 15h00 today. Source: namibian.com.na

23 April 2025 Both Nambia’s men and women’s u21 hockey teams are currently second on the log at the Junior Africa Cup in Windhoek and well-placed to qualify for the Junior World Cup later this year. The top three men and women’s teams will qualify for the 2025 Junior World Cup, with the men to play in Chennai and Madurai, India in November, while the women will compete in Santiago, Chile in December. In the men’s category, South Africa are the hot favourites to win the Africa title after winning their opening four matches in style, scoring 32 goals and conceding only four. They beat Zambia 12-3, Namibia 8-0, Zimbabwe 7-1 and Egypt 5-0 to lead the log on 12 points, but Namibia went second after winning two of their opening three matches.  In their opening match on Friday, they got off to a great start with a come-from-behind 3-1 win against Egypt. In a hard-fought encounter, the score was still goalless at halftime, but Egypt edged ahead through a field goal by Basel Abdelmonem midway through the third quarter. Namibia, however, made a stunning comeback in the final quarter with Owen Hatton equalising while two short corner goals by JP Britz sealed a memorable victory for Namibia. The next day they went down 8-0 to SA, with Jayden Brooker the star of the show with six goals, but on Monday, Namibia bounced back with a 5-3 victory against Kenya. In an entertaining encounter, Namibia went 3-2 ahead by halftime and 4-3 by the end of the third quarter, before easing to a 5-3 victory.  Captain JP Britz scored two short corner goals, while James de Jager, Jack Fourie and Abraham Graham each scored a field goal, with Matthew Momanyi, Vincent Wesonga and Nirmaan Mudher replying for Kenya. After the match captain Britz said they are in high spirits and fancied their chances of reaching the final. “At the moment, we’re quite positive. We did the hard yards against Egypt on day one when we beat them 3-1, and today was a huge result for us winning 5-3 against Kenya. So at the moment, we’re on six points, looking good and feeling very positive,” he said. Britz said their opening day victory against Egypt was a special day for Namibian hockey. “It was a very special day for me being the captain of the team and being able to lead the team to victory. It was quite a tight game and we went down 1-0 in the third quarter, but then fortunately we scored all three our goals in the last quarter and just kept our heads up,” he said. “We did everything we needed to do from management side and it was just a very good game overall. I’m very happy with the result and it was a very special day for Namibian hockey,” he added. South Africa also lead the women’s competition on 12 points after winning their opening four matches in style, scoring 33 goals and not conceding any.  Namibia, however, are in hot pursuit, lying second on nine points, after winning their opening three matches. On Friday they beat Kenya 3-0 after two goals by Tisha Semedo and one by Maryke Neethling, while they stunned Zimbabwe with a 6-0 victory the next day, with Onique Bezuidenhout and Mia Karsten scoring two goals each and Marika Neethling and Maryke Kruger one each. On Monday evening they were in irrisistible form as they thumped Zambia 11-1 after leading 6-0 by half time. Neethling led the way with a hat-trick, while Alice Rowles, Mia Karsten and Azaylee Philander each scored two, and Anica Higgs and Marlene Coetzee one goal each. Namibia were due to play Uganda last night while their eagerly awaited top-of-the-log clash against South Africa takes place tomorrow at 15h00. * On Tuesday, both Namibia’s men and women’s teams qualified for the finals, to secure their places at the 2025 Junior World Cup. Namibia’s men beat Zimbabwe 4-1 to book a place in the final against SA, while Namibia’s women, who beat Uganda 4-0, will also meet SA in the final. Source: namibian.com.na