Records tumble as Sundowns Ladies run riot against Thunderbirds Ladies

The previous highest recorded scoreline in one game was when the Brazilians registered 11-0 wins against Golden Ladies from North West and Mpumalanga’s Coal City Wizards in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

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Both teams were relegated from the women’s football league in those respective seasons.

The second record was broken by Thunderbirds Ladies -they have conceded 119 goals in one season, the highest ever since the inception of the women’s league five years ago. With the three games remaining, it is likely to go higher. The figure is nine more than the 107 Golden Ladies let two seasons ago.

The Eastern Cape side, one of the founding members of the league, is also running a high risk of setting another record – that of completing the season without victory. They have only managed three draws in the current campaign. In the history of the South African elite women’s football league, no team has ever concluded a season without a win.

Sundowns Ladies are left with three fixtures and have already scored 104 – 22 behind the 126 they registered in 2022.

In the last five seasons, Sundowns Ladies have been topping the charts in terms of high goal scoring games. In the inaugural 2019/20 campaign, Tsunami Queens lost 11-1, and the following season were also beaten 8-0 by the Brazilians. In 2022 and 2023 it was the turn of Golden Ladies and Coal City Wizards respectively.

In the 13-0 win against Thunderbirds Ladies at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium in East London on Saturday, almost the whole Sundowns Ladies team scored – with eight of them on the scoresheet, two coming in as substitutes – Rhoda Mulaudzi and Melinda Kgadiete.

Leading the charge in the goal fest was forward Mulaudzi who managed a hattrick. There was a brace each from the trio of Boitumelo Rabale, Salome Kekana and Lelona Daweti. Nonhlanhla Mthandi, Khunjulwa Mali, Kgadiete and Regina Mogolola chipped in with one strike each.

This was Sundowns Ladies’ 24^th win of the season, and 13^th in a row. Thunderbirds Ladies have now lost 10 games in a row. Their last point was a goalless draw against First Touch in June.