Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies extended their unbeaten start to the Hollywoodbets Super League as they registered a 1-1 draw against TS Galaxy Queens at the Solomon Mahlangu Stadium on Sunday.
Both teams began the fixture at a frantic pace with several goal-scoring opportunities registered in the early period of the game. Andisiwe Mgcoyi thought she had scored in the 20th minute, but the goal was chalked off for offside.
Boitumelo Rabale and Nonhlanhla Mthandi also came close but were unable to find the back of the net as the game ended goalless at the break.
After the restart, Banyana Ba Style broke the deadlock thanks to a commanding finish from Mgcoyi, her second goal of the season. Afterward, Coach Jerry Tshabalala rang in the changes with Boitumelo Rabale, Lelona Daweti and Nonhlanhla Mthandi replacing Regina Mogolola, Melinda Kgadiete and Lerato Kgasago.
However, a late penalty awarded to the Queens hampered Sundowns Ladies from securing all three points. Despite scoring a goal, Andisiwe Mgcoyi expressed dissatisfaction with the game’s result.
“Despite scoring the goal, I am dissatisfied with the outcome of the game, as it was a challenging fixture. Our team put in their best effort in all aspects of the game, but unfortunately, we were unable to achieve our desired result. We are all feeling frustrated with the outcome, but we are resolute in our determination to bounce back and improve our performance in the next game,” said Andisiwe.
Andile Dlamini believes the outcome of the game will motivate the team for the upcoming fixtures.
“We dominated the game and had some promising moments, but we couldn’t convert our chances. At Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies, we don’t like dropping points, so this result will motivate us to do better in the upcoming fixtures. Although the end of the game was disappointing, we are determined to move on and focus on our next match. We have a strong team, and we believe that with hard work and dedication, we can achieve our goals for this season. Our focus now is on analyzing our performance and identifying areas that need improvement,” Dlamini stated.
Tiisetso Makhubela also believed that the draw will serve as a wake-up call for the team, “We always aim to win and dropping points is never part of our plan. However, we accept the result and will use it as motivation to come back stronger in the next game. As a team, we have a great spirit and a never-give-up attitude, which will help us to overcome this setback and achieve our objectives for the season. We are determined to bounce back and show our fans what we are capable of. The season is far from over, and we are looking forward to giving our best in every game.”
The draw ensured that Sundowns Ladies retained their leadership of the table with 13 points from 5 games with four wins and one draw recorded.
Up next for Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies is a clash against the University of Pretoria.
The Ladies must realise that this season ZIYAKHALA every team is after our scalp. So the demands are such that there is no room for error, no room for complacency, nor room for taking things for granted which then says yo need to elevate your game, approach, formations and standard to a much higher level. We can not afford to keep the same formation of 3 5 2 in every game, this makes our team to be an open book to every team which then simplifies their tactics and strategies to beat us. Teams are improving drastically so our technical team also need to be innovative and unpredictable not the same formation in every game. Our ladies’ game should be modelled as our senior team always having a surprise element. Our start to the season should be indicative of how tough this season is going to be. NO more high scorelines.