UFS-Kovsies continued their winning ways on Day Three of the opening round of Varsity Hockey in Potchefstroom when they bagged their third consecutive win.

Kovsies produced a scintillating display of hockey in the second half to overcome Wits 4-0 in the opening match of the day. UP-Tuks managed to claim a victory of their own when they held on to beat NWU-Pukke by the slightest of margins.

Maties bounced back from a Day Two defeat to comfortably beat NMMU 6-0 in a fairly one-sided encounter to get their campaign back on track while UJ claimed their second win of the weekend after they completely dominated UCT to hand the Cape side their second consecutive 0-8 defeat.

Wits 0-4 Kovsies

Wits were holding their own against the high flying Kovsies and kept their more fancied opponents at bay as the 1st quarter ended goal-less.

Neither team could capitalise on the powerplay at the beginning of the 2nd quarter. The tense battle continued through the remainder of the half as Wits managed to keep Kovsies scoreless at the half-time interval.

Both sides went in search of the opening goal in the third quarter before Kovsies stamped their authority on the match to knock the wind right out of Wits’ sails.

Once Kovsies broke the deadlock, the floodgates opened as the Bloem ladies added three more well-worked goals to close out the match and continue their winning momentum.

Mugg & Bean Star Player of the Match: Petro Stoffberg (Kovsies)
Jet Striker of the Match: Izelle Lategan (Kovsies)
FNB Player of the Match: Line Malan (Kovsies)

Tuks 2-1 Pukke

Tuks came out firing and stamped their authority early on the match as they took the lead through a well-executed short corner slap from the top of the circle.  They held onto their slender lead at the end of the 1st quarter.

It was much of the same in the second quarter as Tuks continued to take the game to Pukke. The lead would soon be doubled as Tuks held a 2-0 lead at the halftime break.

Tuks remained dominant but Pukke got themselves back into the game when they rounded off a great counter-attack to half the deficit by the end of the 3rd quarter.

Pukke were throwing everything they had at Tuks in the opening stages of the final quarter. However, try as they might, they just could not penetrate the Tuks defence and had to settle for the loss.

Mugg & Bean Star Player of the Match: Anelle van Deventer (NWU-Pukke)
Jet Striker of the Match: Schani Moore (NWU-Pukke)
FNB Player of the Match: Tarryn Moses (UP-Tuks)

Maties 6-0 NMMU

Maties made the ideal start when they took a 1-0 lead early in the match. NMMU managed to keep the dominant Stellenbosch ladies at bay for the remainder of the quarter as Maties held onto a slender lead at the end of the first quarter.

Maties emerged strong from the break and added a powerplay goal to put dome breathing space between the teams. The lead became four with one minute remaining in the half and Maties held a commanding 4-0 lead at the half-time interval.

The opening exchanges of the third quarter was a tense affair but it would be Maties who would extend their lead to 5-0 and there was no mercy from the Maroon Machine as they quickly grabbed a sixth goal. The match went from bad to worse for NMMU as they were reduced to 10 players following a cynical tackle to have a player sent to the cooler for five minutes. Maties could not make the most of the numerical advantage and went into the final quarter with a massive 6-0 lead.

Maties continued their dominance into the final quarter despite the best efforts of NMMU to bring some respect to the scoreboard. Maties camped inside NMMU’s 25-yard line for the majority of the quarter as they forced the Port Elizabeth ladies to defend with all their might. NMMU took the game to Maties with two minutes remaining in the match but could not make the best of late short corners as Maties got their campaign back on track.

Mugg & Bean Star Player of the Match: Annelien Davin (Maties)
Jet Striker of the Match: Quanita Bobbs (Maties)
FNB Player of the Match: Bronwyn Kretzman (Maties)

UJ 8-0 UCT

It was a fairly balanced start to the match as both sides looked to find their feet in the opening exchanges. UJ had the ideal chance to grab the lead but they could not make the most of three consecutive short corners. It was one-way traffic for the majority of the first quarter as UJ continued to press for the opening goal but UCT stood firm in defence. UJ would eventually reap reward with two minutes remaining in the quarter when a well-placed reverse-stick shot found the bottom corner.

UJ picked up where they left off but could not convert their early chances. UCT has a chance to grab the lead toward the end of the powerplay but they too could not capitalise on their first visit to UJ’s circle. They made to rue that miss when UJ grabbed their second goal of the match courtesy of a short corner variation in the powerplay. UCT did their best to get themselves back in the match but a lapse in concentration in defence proved costly as UJ added a fourth goal just before half-time.

The Johannesburg ladies remained dominant after the restart and pinned UCT inside their 25-yard line as they probed for another goal. The pressure would eventually pay off when they added two quick goals – both coming from short corners. The match became a little scrappy as the quarter progressed but UJ continued to score as they slotted their seventh goal with one minute remaining in the quarter.

There was no taking it easy in the final quarter as UJ bagged goal number eight thanks to a wonderful top corner finish. UJ seemed content with their lead and sat back for the remainder of the quarter but UCT could not make the most of the extra space as UJ walked away comfortable winners.

Mugg & Bean Star Player of the Match:  Tayla Karsten (UCT)
Jet Striker of the Match: Marizen Marais (UJ)
FNB Player of the Match: Lisa Hawker (UJ)