Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies registered a dominant 3-1 victory over Richmond Ladies at the Sol Plaatjie University Stadium in Kimberley on Saturday to get back to winning ways in the latest round of the Hollywoodbets Super League.
Goals from Melinda Kgadiete, Chuene Morifi and Refilwe Tholakele were enough to hand Banyana Ba Style all three points and extend their unbeaten streak to eight games since the start of April.
Having suffered a disappointing 1-1 draw against Thunderbirds Ladies last time, the Brazilians were keen for a positive result in Kimberly. Although Lehlogonolo Mashigo’s goal was ruled out in the 17th minute, it was Kgadiete’s strike two minutes later that set the team rolling.
The defending champions continued to ramp up the pressure but were unable to double their advantage before the break. After the restart, Chuene Morifi scored against Richmond for the second season running as Banyana Ba Style went two goals up.
The host pulled one back in the 67th minute but Refilwe Tholakele’s strike seven minutes later restored the two-goal cushion. Sundowns Ladies had another goal disallowed, this time through Andisiwe Mgcoyi in the 79th minute. However, that did little to unsettle the Brazilians, who held on to secure a dominant 3-1 victory.
Refilwe, who bagged her second goal of the season, was pleased with the outcome of the game after the dropped points last time out.
“After the draw against Thunderbirds Ladies, our team was motivated to bounce back with a positive result. This game provided us with several valuable takeaways that we can learn from and apply in our future matches. We will thoroughly analyze our performance, identify areas for improvement and work diligently to rectify them,” Tholakele stated.
Despite not keeping a clean sheet, Bambanani Mbane believes there were several positives from the fixture.
“As a defender, our primary objective is to prevent the opponents from scoring. While I am pleased that we managed to score three goals, it is disappointing to concede one. Nonetheless, I take pride in our overall performance, and we will use this victory as a foundation to progress further. Looking ahead, we will approach upcoming matches with a keen eye on improving our defensive organization, communication and discipline,” said Bambanani.
While the three goals excited Karabo Dhlamini, she believes that the team will be aiming for more in the next game.
“Of course, we can score more goals, even though we registered three today. We are known for taking our chances, and I am glad we showed our class in the final third today. We aim to continue our clinical finishing in front of the goal in our next game,” Karabo said.
In terms of goal-scoring for Sundowns Ladies, Melinda Kgadiete’s strike brings her season total to nine goals, two behind Boitumelo Rabale who still leads the chart with 11 goals. Andisiwe Mgcoyi and Lelona Daweti both have five goals to their name, while Chuene Morifi has now scored four goals.
Up next for Sundowns Ladies is a clash against relegation-threatened Ma-Indies Ladies on the 10th of June at 15:00.
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