SA U21 star Ryan Crowe was the inspiration as the University of Johannesburg saw off Stellenbosch University 5-3 in an exciting Varsity Hockey match at UJ on Friday.
Crowe provided vital uplift for the hosts in the third quarter as they overturned a 2-1 deficit and took control of the match with three goals in five minutes.
Crowe’s tremendous attacking runs set up a penalty stroke for the equaliser, a short-corner and then he scored himself for UJ to take the lead.
Until then, Maties had dominated, getting the better of an intense midfield struggle and looking dangerous on attack. UJ sprang a surprise by taking their powerplay at the start of the match, with no reward, and it was Maties who scored first when Charles Bowren deflected a cross into goal from the middle of the circle in the seventh minute.
With just a minute left in the first quarter, a swift UJ attack ended in a good finish by Kingsley Botes – a timely equaliser for the defending champions.
Some top-class hockey was played in the second quarter, starting with a fine clearance off the line by Jackie Mahlaba after a powerful shot on goal by UJ.
A sumptuous run by Matt de Sousa had Maties licking their lips, but UJ goalkeeper Matthew Martins produced a couple of fine saves to keep them out. The short-corner was conceded, however, but Martins was up to the task again with a great stick-save low to his right.
Maties continued to pile on the pressure though and another short-corner saw SA men’s indoor player Daniel Bell finally beat Martins. The ace SA U21 goalkeeper did well to save the initial flick, but Bell then gathered the rebound before it landed on the ground and lobbed it over the goalkeeper in a moment of sublime skill that had the crowd on their feet.
Halftime arrived four minutes later and Maties looked on track to avenge their defeat in the final of the 2014 biennial tournament (the men’s and women’s sides alternate events) with a 2-1 lead. But then came Crowe and, before anyone could quite process what had happened, UJ were home and dry with a 5-2 lead.
Crowe started in the 32nd minute with a tremendous run, before passing to James Gilbert who won the penalty stroke, converted without any fuss by the powerful Gareth Heyns, the UJ skipper. Two minutes later, Crowe produced a great swerve in the Maties circle to win a short-corner, which was saved by Rob McKinley, the other SA U21 goalkeeper alongside Martins.
But Maties could not keep out the Crowe-inspired threats for much longer and it was Crowe himself who scored UJ’s third goal, getting on the end of a rather speculative long ball from Heyns with a brilliant deflection.
Another two minutes later and UJ were on another quick break which saw Gerald Mpopo find Amkelwa Letuka unmarked in the circle to make it 4-2. It had been a dramatic, match-turning third quarter which ended with Maties pushing hard but unable to get back into the game.
Two minutes into the final quarter, it was another Crowe assist which settled the outcome. The Western Province product made a strong burst to the baseline and then flipped the ball back for Brynn Cleak to score. The UJ defence was well-policed by Heyns and Kyle Lion-Cachet but they did allow Maties a consolation third goal via a Shannon Boucher penalty stroke, but it was too little and way too late.
UJ will be delighted to have seen off one of the major contenders on the opening day of Varsity Hockey 2016 and they will be full of confidence going into their game against Pukke on Saturday.
Pukke were hammered 8-3 by Wits in the first game of the day and, on the basis of the opening day, the other Johannesburg university could be UJ’s strongest remaining challengers.
Tuks were also impressive though in seeing off Kovsies 5-3, while NMMU and UCT drew 3-3 in regulation time, with the Port Elizabeth university winning in a sudden-death shootout.
FNB Player of the Match: Ryan Crowe (UJ)
Mugg & Bean Star Saver: Matthew Martins (UJ)
Samsung Super Striker: Brynn Cleak (UJ)
By Ken Borland
