Wits ladies football star caps off dream start for Banyana Banyana
- Tshepiso Mametela
Wits Women’s Varsity Football defender Erin Herz made her debut for Banyana Banyana in the recent Hollywoodbets COSAFA Women’s Championship in Gqeberha on 31 August.
Banyana Banyana kicked off their hunt for an eighth title in the Southern African association football tournament with a 3-0 win against Angola on the opening day of the competition.
South Africa followed up that performance by cruising past Mauritius and Mozambique in their next two games in the group stages to secure a semi-final berth against Namibia.
Banyana made light work of The Mambas before lining up against Zambia in the final at the Isaac Wolfson Stadium on 11 September.
Herz, who enjoyed a dream first outing with the women’s national team, featured prominently at the tournament, taking to the pitch in four out of five matches for Banyana, including the final.
Reminiscing about her maiden international football experience, Herz said her contributions to the team matched the enormity of the occasion.
“It was incredible, fulfilling and just out of this world. A real dream come true,” said the 25-year-old who had a shot on target against Angola.
“We won 3-0. It was a near-perfect match for me, personally, and for the team.
“As a defender, I can celebrate the clean sheet in addition to the win, and I believe I contributed well and can be proud of my performance on debut.”
The fourth-year Bachelor of Education student, likely the first South African Jewish woman to play for Banyana Banyana, believes the tournament was the hosts’ to win.
South Africa’s Sinazo Ntshota struck the base of the post as she came close to giving her side the lead in the opening minutes of the final against Zambia.
“The loss was tough because we fought hard to get there and throughout the final. We held on brilliantly for so long, stretching to extra time,” added Herz.
“I think the game would have been ours had we scored the chance that hit the post in the opening minutes. I trusted our backline and came onto the field to contribute to blocking Zambia out, and we continued the good fight.
“Unfortunately, we were beaten by an amazing piece of athleticism by Zambian striker Barbra Banda, and we took that in our stride.”
The centre-back said she aspires to continue to be seen and selected to represent the national team.
“I intend to put my head down and push hard in every aspect of my game to increase my strengths and gain ground on the shortfalls I learned about through this experience.”