The South African Women’s hockey team secured a comfortable 3-0 series victory against Canada with a gritty 1-0 win in the fifth and final Test at HS Menlopark in Pretoria on Saturday morning.
Following a goalless draw in Friday’s fourth Test, coach Inky Mnisi’s side were determined to pierce the stubborn Canadian defence in the final match of a series serving as crucial preparation for the World Cup later this year.
South Africa looked most dangerous with Edith Molikoe pulling the strings in midfield. Ntsopa Mokoena was also lively early on, forcing a save with a sharp reverse-stick effort as the hosts edged the opening exchanges. Canada enjoyed a period of possession at the start of the second quarter but, as had been the theme of the series, struggled to translate control into clear-cut chances.
Their best opportunity of the match was snuffed out brilliantly by Molikoe, before Mokoena produced a breathtaking run that lifted the crowd and created a chance she was ultimately unable to convert.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the third quarter. Mokoena slipped a pass through to Laiken Brisset, who did well under pressure to square the ball across the circle. Cerian Fourie was perfectly placed to collect and fire into the bottom-left corner, giving South Africa a deserved 1-0 lead.
🄵🄸🄽🄰🄻 🅃🄴🅂🅃
South Africa edged Canada 1–0 in the final Test to complete a 3–0 series win, with two tightly fought draws along the way
📖 Read the full match report here: https://t.co/nFCqQ6p61b
Photo – Marcel Sigg pic.twitter.com/2l2KH3LNA1
— SA Hockey (@SA_Hockey) January 17, 2026
South Africa thought they had doubled their advantage shortly afterwards, but the goal was correctly ruled out for dangerous play. Canada pushed hard in the closing stages, stretching the South African defence, but the hosts held firm to close out the match and the series.
Remarkably, South Africa went through the entire series without conceding a goal, a feat that left defender Hannah Pearce particularly proud.
“I think the clean sheet was a nice positive to take out of the series, but there are lots of lessons to learn and things to change. We’re trying some new things, and we’re going to take the learnings and look forward to the next one,” Pearce said after the match.
The South African side will next head to a training camp in Cape Town, which will include fixtures against Germany.
“I think every opportunity we have before the World Cup is a huge one. Against Germany, we can really test our tactics and technical skills to see where we stand. Now that we have blown the cobwebs off after December and had a really good series, anything going forward is a massive opportunity,” Pearce added.
