Bantwana coach beams with pride

Friday Sep 28, 2018. 13:00

South Africa’s National U-17 Women Squad (Bantwana) were held to a 1-1 draw by Valencia CF women's Under-20's on Wednesday, in their second and final friendly match of their Spain tour.

Head coach Simphiwe Dludlu expressed her delight following the clash with Bantwana set to jet back to South Africa on Saturday, having beaten their UD Levante counterparts 4-2 in their opening match.

Western Cape-based right winger Ember Edwards scored the only goal for Bantwana against Valencia, as the U17's ramp up their preparations for the 2018 FIFA U17 World Cup in Uruguay.

“I am very proud of the girls,” Dludlu said. “They played according to our instructions and gave it their all in that game.

"I would like to thank SAFA and LaLiga for making this Spain tour possible for us. It gave us an opportunity to look at new combinations with the players we brought into the squad.

"This tour also gave us an opportunity to learn to deal with the pressure of having to rest a team while also having to prepare for the next game in a short space of time as well.”

Dludlu's troops will come up against Brazil, Japan and Mexico in Uruguay. The World Cup will-kick in Montevideo on the 13th of November later this year.