The resolve of the hitherto high-riding Stellenbosch FC will be tested after suffering an unexpected 2-0 defeat against Lamontville Golden Arrows at Athlone Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Before this fixture, Stellenbosch had won all six matches across various competitions this season, and everything pointed to a winning start to their Premiership campaign.
However, with a weekend match against one of Angolas most formidable teams looming in the CAF Confederation Cup, Stellenbosch coach Steve Barker decided to rest five key players to guard against fatigue because of their workload in the early part of the season.
The untried Stellenbosch team failed to capitalise on their good fortune after dominating with 67% possession and setting up 14 shots at goal, five of which were on target.
Arrows were restricted to six shots, two of which were on target. The corner count of 10-3 also reflected the pressure exerted on the KwaZulu-Natal clubs rearguard.
