Defending Varsity Football ladies champions TUT will travel down to Cape Town to face UWC in the final on Thursday.
TUT beat UWC in the semifinal last year before going on to defeat UJ 5-0 in the final, so the Cape side will be out for revenge on their home turf.
The Cape side picked up their first-ever wins over UP-Tuks and UJ in the pool phase of the competitions, beating both Highveld sides up in Pretoria to secure home advantage.
UWC coach Nathan Peskin rates the victories over UP-Tuks and UJ as a ‘huge achievement’ and is confident that his side has what it takes to beat the reigning champions with the help of their home crowd.
“We needed to go away and face our demons and prove to ourselves that it could be done. It was a real test of character so we have earned our home spot in the final,” he said.
He is expecting a tough examination from TUT, but says that his team know exactly what to expect from them.
“They are the reigning champions and we respect that, they will play short football similar to us but we are well prepared and we know what to expect,” he said.
TUT made short work of NWU-Pukke and VUT in their pool games to qualify for the final, and will be hopeful of spoiling the party as UWC hosts both the ladies and men’s finals.
Peskin said that the support his team has received from the university has been phenomenal, and added that he expect to see a big crowd out on Heritage Day.
“We had a pep rally on campus and the people really turned out to show their support for us which has really been energising for the players, and we are hoping for an even better crowd on Thursday,” he said.
Prediction: UWC will fight hard in front of their home crowd, but TUT have the better pedigree and should be able to do enough to secure a narrow victory and retain their title.
