Ellis aims to strengthen Banyana with Lesotho friendlies

Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis is casting her net wide in preparation to face off against Lesotho in back-to-back friendlies starting this Saturday at the UJ Soweto Campus (1pm kick-off).

South Africa beat Morocco 2-1 to win their maiden Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in 2022, and as they embark on a journey to defend their crown, coach Ellis is exploring all the options to create depth, not just for the upcoming tournament but also beyond that.

A large part of her squad is dominated by the core of under-17 and U-19 national players, and as the opportunity to impress lies ahead of them, they will also be tasked with getting South Africa back to winning ways.

That is following their respective tours of Europe and the two friendlies in Jamaica, where they returned winless.

There will be some continuity though through some additions, as most would have had a taste of international football in the Cosafa tournament that took place last year but ended in defeat (4-3 on penalties) against Zambia in the final after a goalless draw in normal time

South Africa will play Lesotho over two legs between Saturday and Tuesday.

With the likes of Keisha Hendricks and Tshegofatso Motlogelwa impressing in the Cosafa tournament, Ellis is hoping for something more of the same in the two friendlies to come.

“We have had a challenge putting a team together previously, Ellis said ahead of the match.

“So we want to make the core group bigger and we want to see who we can add to the current core group, so it’s players that played at the Cosafa, and those that have also stood up in the past season.

“There are also some of the players that have done well on the U-17 and U-19 teams.

“We want to have a look and see if they can step up and if we can add them to the core group because this might be the only opportunity we can get because the next FIFA date is in two matches and then it will be preparation for Wafcon.”

Despite the expectation for Banyana to overcome the challenge Lesotho will bring over the two legs, coach Ellis believes that their encounter will not be a walk in a park and it would benefit the players that are selected to do well in order to be considered for future selections.

“Lesotho played at last year's Cosafa Cup as well, and we know their strengths and weaknesses.

“We have a group of players that are enthusiastic and willing to learn, and hopefully we can get a plan together in a short space of time.

“The weather hasn’t helped a lot but hopefully when we step on the field we will be able to see what we are trying to do in a short space of time and hopefully some can raise their hands.

“It is not going to be an easy game, but it is a game we will be able to test the level of the players and if they are able to showcase their talent and stand up to be counted.”