Reaching the final was a bonus, says Bayhill under-14 coach

In a weekend brimming with excitement and youthful energy, Bayhill United’s under-14 squad impressed friend and foe, going all the way to the finals against Wolverhampton, at this year’s Tournament by the  Sea.

Coach Marlin Opperman’s side kicked off their campaign with relative ease, beating FC Ballers and Kensington 2-0 and Fulham FC 3-0 in their group stage matches. In the last round of 16 they beat Greenwood 2-0 and came away with a 3-2 win against FC Cafda in the quarter-finals.

Bayhill had to dig deep in a difficult semi-final encounter against FC Kapstadt, advancing to the finals following a 5-4 win on penalties, but fell short in their championship final against a well-oiled Wolves, who beat them 2-0 to lift the trophy.

“My hope was getting into the semi-finals but reaching the final was a bonus as it was my first tournament as a coach,” said Opperman, who was named coach-of-the-tournament in the boys’ division.

He said reaching the knockout stages was stressful as they faced very good teams, especially the semi-final clash against FC Kaapstad, but the squad's resilience and perseverance paid off as they secured their spot in the finals. Although the result did not go their way, Opperman remains optimistic about the squad’s potential.

“I believe my boys have the ability to go far, their confidence is high and they are ready for the upcoming season with a positive mindset.”

Individual award winners:

Boys top goal-scorer (Nasri Idris, CT Spurs, 10 goals)

Girls top goal-scorer (Cira Jameson Ubuntu, 19 goals)

Boys goalkeeper-of-the tournament (Caden Craig, Ubuntu)

Girls goalkeeper-of-the-tournament (Mila Harris, Strandfontein AFC)

Boys coach-of-the-tournament (Marlin Opperman, Bayhill United) 

Girls coach-of-the-tournament (Bayanda Sikiti, Dangerous Heroes)

Boys Team Fair Play award (Wolverhampton FC)

Girls Team Fair Play award (Greenwood Girls)