Staff Reporter

NAMIBIA’S women’s indoor hockey team maintained their strong title defence with a commanding group-stage victory over New Zealand, while the men’s side suffered a setback after going down to Australia at the 2025 Nkosi Cup in Cape Town.

In the women’s group-stage encounter, defending champions Namibia produced a powerful final-quarter display to defeat New Zealand 7–3. Vice-captain Sunelle Ludwig opened the scoring before New Zealand fought back through goals from Anna McLean and Emily Brun to take a brief lead. Tamara Grogli restored parity for Namibia, but Brun struck again to edge New Zealand ahead once more. January’s goal before the break ensured the teams went into halftime level.

Namibia took full control in the final quarter, with Kiana-Che Cormack scoring twice and Ludwig completing a hat-trick to seal a convincing win. Cormack’s influential performance earned her the Player of the Match award.

In the men’s group-stage match, Namibia were beaten 5–3 by Australia, who bounced back from an earlier defeat to revive their tournament hopes. Aiden Dooley was the standout performer, scoring twice early to give Australia a firm advantage. Dylan Finch pulled one back for Namibia, but Dooley responded immediately to restore the two-goal lead.

The match remained competitive as goals at both ends made it 3–2 with 15 minutes to play, but Dooley took control with two more goals to complete a five-goal haul and put the game beyond reach. Namibia managed a late consolation through Jacobs, but Australia secured the vital win, with Dooley named Player of the Match.

Photos: Pro Series Indoor (PSI)

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