UJ pulled off a 2-1 victory over Kovsies in Pretoria on Sunday to deny them a place in the Varsity Hockey Final.
The result means that Maties sneak into the Final against Pukke on Monday following their 5-0 demolition of Wits earlier in the day.
A goal from Nika Nel after just five minutes handed UJ the early advantage, and they continued to work hard against a well-drilled Kovsies team.
Jessica Peyper doubled that lead before the first break to put UJ in a surprisingly strong position.
Kovsies came out hard in the second period and tested the UJ defence, but the Johannesburg team held firm and took the 2-0 lead into the third chukka.
Kovsies were desperate with a place in the final on the line and pushed hard, with the pressure eventually resulting in Shevaun Botha slotting a goal.
However it was not enough as UJ recorded a surprise win to end Kovsies hopes of playing in the Final on Monday.
The scorers:
For UJ: Nika Nel, Jessica Pyper
For Kovsies: Shevaun Botha
