Motoring
U8 Warriors stay in league following huge win against Meteorites
The home U8 Sandton Warriors soccer side met with their counterparts from Mondeor, the Meteorites, on the soccer pitch at George Lea Park on August 17 in an exciting junior league soccer match.
Both sides brought their game faces, with the visiting Mondeor team packing a little extra muscle into the second half. With the score tied, 1–1, throughout the second half, the visiting side consistently applied pressure on the home side’s strong defence – championed by Warriors goalkeeper Benjamin Jones.
The Warriors’ defensive line seemed impenetrable against the endless attempts made by Meteorites to break through. The home side finally turned the tide on the visitors when Warriors’ striker Bahadir Gungoren scored the match-winning goal, ending the game in a 2–1 victory at the home side.
Warriors administrator Joanne Tankle, elated by the team’s performance, reflected on how necessary the win was for the U8 side.
“It was a league match which we had to win; it was a must-win scenario to keep us in the league. Well done to coach Luthando,” Tankle said. She concluded with a message on the importance of the activity for the children and what they gain from the experience of participating in competitive team sports.
“It’s good fun for the children. As I’ve said before, winning isn’t always what matters; it’s the memories that are made, and it’s about learning to win and lose with dignity, good sportsmanship, and team spirit.”
Meteorites coach Mervin Louis reflected on the match in hindsight on August 19.
“Mondeor continued to press Sandton throughout the match, whose defence resisted all attempts at scoring a winning goal – only for us to concede a brilliant shot from Sandton in the dying minutes of the match,” said Louis, congratulating the Warriors on their victory. The Meteorites are currently in third place on the league logs, with two games left.
