9 December 2017 – Bloemfontein Celtic defeated Cape Town Roses 2-0 in the final of the 2017 Sasol League National Championship to successfully defend the trophy they won in 2016 in Mosselbay, Western Cape.
Celtic and Roses met at the Kabokweni Stadium in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga on Saturday, 9 December.
Two goals on either half by Melinda Kgadiete was enough to see the Free State side lift the trophy in front of a decent crowd that included SAFA President Dr Danny Jordaan, Nozipho Mbatha from the sponsor Sasol as well as several SAFA National Executive Committee members.
Kgadiete was voted Diski Queen of the Match for the second time in this tournament which kicked off on Monday, 4 December.
The Celtic forward finished the competition on three goals – helping her side to the winners cheque of two-hundred-thousand (R200.000).
Roses, winners in 2014, pocketed half of that.
Celtic almost made a clean sweep in the individual awards – taking three outright and sharing one.
Banyana Banyana defender, Bambanani Mbane was voted for by her peers and walked away with the Queen of Queens of the Tournament. She was also chosen by the selectors to be the Queen of the Tournament.
The Goalkeeper of the Tournament went to Maitumelo Boseja of Celtic, while her teammate Kgaelebane Mohlakoane shared the Top Goal Scorer of the Tournament with Sisanda Vukapi (Cape Town Roses) and Siyamthanda Skeyi (Thunderbirds).
The Young Diski Queen of the Tournament award was taken by Yolanda Nduli of Sunflower FC in KZN. The 14-year old is in the current South African U17 Women’s National Team.
All the winners will be smiling all the way to the bank with five-thousand rand each coming their way.
The Coach of the Tournament, as well as the Referee of the Tournament will be awarded certificates.
Ealier in the day, newcomers Thunderbirds of Eastern Cape stunned home side Coal City Wizards 2-1 to claim bronze with goals from Skeyi and Nomawethu Nyuseni in the 9th and 40th minutes.
Roseline Hadebe pulled one back in the 70th minute but it was too little too late.
Wizards also finished in fourth position in 2016 – they will bank forty-thousand rand, with Thunderbirds pocketing sixty-thousand rand.
SOME FACT FILES:
- 57 goals scored in 15 matches
- 13 different Diski Queen of the Match (only Boitumelo Rabale and Melinda Kgadiete appear twice on the list). The award carries a winners cheque of two-thousand-rand (R2000.00)
- The Sasol League National Championship provides a platform for the nine (9) provincial winners of the Sasol Leagues to battle it out for the top honours of being crowned the national champions
- The inaugural competition was won by Detroit Ladies of Mpumalanga
- The other provinces to have won this prestigious women’s tournament are Western Cape (Cape Town Roses – 2014; and Free State (Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies – 2016, 2017)
- Three teams made their debut in 2017 – Sunflower (KZN), Thunderbirds (EC) and De Scorpions (NW)
- Celtic is the only side to have been ever present since the inception of the tournament in 2009
- There were only three penalties in the tournament
- No own goals
- Only one goalkeeper won the Diski Queen of the Match – with two players winning it two times – Boitumelo Rabble and Melinda Kgadiete of Bloemfontein Celtic
- The 2017 edition of the tournament had three sets of twins – Sphumelele and Thubelihle Shamase (Sunflower FC – KZN); Noxolo and Sinoxolo Cesane (Cape Town Roses – Western Cape) as well as Kedibone and Tebogo Mnisi (Kanatla Ladies – Limpopo)
- The Shamase and Cesane twins are in the SA U17 and U20 Women’s National Teams respectively
Individual Awards:
Referee of the Tournament: Joyce Rasekgatle
Coach of the Tournament: Siyabonga Malinga – Sunflower FC
Goalkeeper of the Tournament: Maitumelo Boseja – Bloemfontein Celtic
Top Goal Scorers of the Tournament: Kgaelebane Mohlakoane (Bloemfontein Celtic), Sisanda Vukapi (Cape Town Roses) and Siyamthanda Skeyi (Thunderbirds) – 4 goals each
Diski Queen of the Tournament: Bambanani Mbane – Bloem Celtic
Young Diski Queen of the Tournament: Yolanda Nduli – Sunflower FC
Queen of Queens of the Tournament: Bambanani Mbane – Bloem Celtic
2017 SASOL LEAGUE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS:
Winners: Bloemfontein Celtic (FS) R200 000
Runners up: Cape Town Roses (WC) R100 000
3rd Place: Thunderbirds (EC) R60 000
4th Place: Coal City Wizards (MPU) R40 000
5th Place: Sunflower FC KZN) R30 000
6th Place Mamelodi Sundowns (GP) R25 000
7th Place Kanatla Ladies (LIM) R20 000
8th Place De’Scorpion (NW) R15 000
9th Place RC Mills (NC) R10 000
PREVIOUS WINNERS:
2009 Detroit Ladies (Mpumalanga)
2010 Palace Super Falcons (Gauteng)
2011 Palace Super Falcons (Gauteng)
2012 Palace Super Falcons (Gauteng)
2013 Mamelodi Sundowns (Gauteng)
2014 Cape Town Roses (Western Cape)
2015 Mamelodi Sundowns (Gauteng)
2016 Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies (Free State)
2017 Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies (Free State)
DISKI QUEENS OF THE MATCH
M#1 (10) Boitumelo Rabale Bloemfontein Celtic
M#2 (5) Thabisile Thaga Coal City Wizards
M#3 (14) Neliswa Luthuli Sunflower FC
M#4 (4) Zimasa Dekeda Thunderbirds
M#5 (6) Xolisile Mnikathi Sunflower FC
M#6 (11) Karabo Dlamini Mamelodi Sundowns FC
M#7 (11) Noxolo Cesane Cape Town Roses
M#8 (2) Melinda Kgadiete Bloemfontein Celtic
M#9 (3) Siyamthanda Skeyi Thunderbirds
M#10 (1) Gift Kgosamang De’Scorpion
M#11 (15) Sduduzo Dlamini Sunflower FC
M#12 (2) Yonela Mbirha Cape Town Roses
M#13 (10) Boitumelo Rabale Bloemfontein Celtic
M#14 (10) Yonela Keto Thunderbirds
M#15 (2) Melinda Kgadiete Bloemfontein Celtic
DAY 6
9 December 2017
3rd/4th Place Play Off:
Thunderbirds 2 1 Coal City Wizards
FINAL:
Cape Town Roses 0 2 Bloemfontein Celtic