Ngwenya and Letsoalo lead early chase for rare 20-goal PSL milestone

AmaZulu forward Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya and TS Galaxy striker Victor Letsoalo have made fast starts to the Betway Premiership season and could challenge for a landmark 20-goal campaign if they maintain their current scoring rates.

Ngwenya has taken an early lead in the race for the Lesley Manyathela Golden Boot after scoring twice in AmaZulu’s 5-2 defeat by Mamelodi Sundowns. The brace moved his total to five goals from his opening four Premiership matches.

Letsoalo is close behind. The TS Galaxy striker has found the net four times in four league appearances, placing him among the leading scorers at this early stage of the campaign.

Mamelodi Sundowns forward Brayan Leon is part of the group on three goals. He also scored twice in Sundowns’ emphatic victory over AmaZulu, known as Usuthu.

If the leading contenders continue to score at anything close to their current rate, the Premiership could see a 20-goal scorer for the first time in five years. Reaching that mark remains an uncommon achievement in South Africa’s top flight.

Peter Shalulile was the first player in a decade to score at least 20 goals in a single season when he claimed the Golden Boot during the 2021-22 campaign. The former Masandawana striker finished that season with 23 goals.

Before Shalulile’s achievement, Siyabonga Nomvethe had scored exactly 20 goals for Moroka Swallows in the 2011-12 season.

Shalulile has won the Golden Boot on multiple occasions and also came close to matching the Premier Soccer League record of 25 goals, set by former Kaizer Chiefs striker Collins Mbesuma in the 2004-05 season. However, the Namibian finished two goals short of that total.

Only a small number of other players have won the league’s leading-scorer award after reaching 20 goals or more. Wilfred Mugeyi scored 22 goals for Bush Bucks during the inaugural 1996-97 campaign, while Pollen Ndlanya finished as the top scorer with 21 goals for Kaizer Chiefs in the 1998-99 season.

The early form of Ngwenya and Letsoalo has therefore revived the possibility of another high-scoring Golden Boot race. Ngwenya currently has the advantage after his four-match start, while Letsoalo remains within one goal of the AmaZulu forward.

With Brayan Leon and several other players also already on three goals, the contest could develop into a closely fought battle. But the main target will be the 20-goal mark, a level that has proved difficult to reach in the PSL and has not been achieved since Shalulile’s 23-goal season.