Orbit College and Casric Stars play to a stalemate in PSL promotion playoff

Orbit College was forced to settle for a goalless draw against Casric Stars in the Premier Soccer League promotional playoff match staged at the Olympia Park Stadium in Rustenburg on Wednesday.

The result sees both sides sitting on one point apiece, as the Rustenburg-based team now faces a long trip to the Western Cape, where they will meet PSL side Cape Town City, who are set to begin their bid to defend their top-flight status on home turf.

With a valuable place in the Betway Premiership on the line, both teams entered the encounter fully aware of what was at stake, and the cautious opening exchanges clearly demonstrated how vital it was to begin the promotional playoffs on a positive note and build momentum going forward.

Playing in familiar surroundings, the home team enjoyed the early psychological edge, attempting to impose themselves on the contest using the comfort of their home ground to their advantage as they looked to control the tempo of the mini-tournament.

This early advantage was especially significant given Orbit’s recent history against Casric, having failed to register a single win in their last four head-to-head meetings with the Mpumalanga-based visitors.

The opening stages of the match were tense, with both teams showing signs of nervous energy, and the tension was clearly visible on both benches.

The two coaches remained vocal throughout, shouting instructions from their technical areas, while the home supporters were in full voice, generating an electric atmosphere as the evenly matched contest unfolded in the first half.

Looking to exploit their home advantage, Orbit began applying early pressure, with Siyabulela Mabele sparking a promising attacking move, combining nicely with Letsie Koapeng, but his first genuine shot on goal was struck directly at the visiting goalkeeper, Emile Tcheuko, who dealt with it comfortably.

The visitors had a response of their own, with Thabang Semache coming closest to breaking the deadlock in the 21st minute when his powerful long-range shot from well outside the penalty area forced Orbit goalkeeper Sekhoane Moerane into a sharp save, palming the ball to safety and keeping the score level.

The hosts returned from the halftime break appearing revitalized, finding more spaces as the match opened up slightly, but they continued to struggle in delivering the final ball that would unlock Casric’s defense.

With the clock ticking down towards added time, the home side was handed a golden opportunity with Mabele fouled just on the 18-yard box line, but they failed to take advantage of it, bringing an end to a second half that was tightly contested in midfield, with both sides unable to create clear-cut chances, and ultimately the spoils were shared at the final whistle.