UJ handed defending champions Maties their second loss of the competition with an exceptional 3-0 scoreline during Round Six of Varsity Hockey in Johannesburg.
The home side scored two goals in the first quarter and another in the final quarter to help them leapfrog the Stellenbosch ladies into third place on the log.
Earlier, UP-Tuks bounced back from their Round Five defeat at the hands of UFS-Kovsies to claim a 4-1 victory over Wits. It was a tense affair as the final quarter got underway with the Pretoria ladies holding a slender 2-1 lead but a strong finish saw them score two late goals to secure the bonus point victory.
NWU-Pukke managed to claim their first win in the Varsity Hockey tournament when they overcame UCT 3-1. UCT held an early lead in the match but could not survive a Pukke onslaught as the North West ladies managed to score three unanswered goals from the second quarter to bag the four points.
In the final match of the round, UFS-Kovsies maintained their unbeaten record in the competition with a comfortable 6-2 win over NMMU-Madibaz to make it six consecutive wins.
Goals in each quarter, including a powerplay goal, helped the Bloemfontein ladies maintain a two-point lead over Tuks at the top of the standings with one round remaining before the playoffs.
NMMU 2-6 UFS-Kovsies
The unbeaten Kovsies got off to the perfect start when they grabbed the opening goal of the game after dominating the open exchanges. They managed to maintain their lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Bloemfontein ladies would increase their lead soon after the restart by grabbing a powerplay goal to extend their lead to 3-0. NMMU were up against it for the remainder of the half and managed to hold their own but faced a massive task to overcome the three-goal deficit at the half-time break.
Things went from bad to worse for NMMU in the opening minutes of the third quarter when Kovsies grabbed another goal to extend their lead to four goals. NMMU had it all to do in the final quarter if they were to make a dramatic comeback.
The Madibaz grabbed a goal back in the opening minutes of the final quarter but their joy was short-lived as Kovsies scored their bonus point goal to all but seal the match with 10 minutes remaining. Both sides managed to find the back of the net one more time in the final minutes of the match as Kovsies walked away with a comfortable victory to record their sixth consecutive win of the competition.
Mugg & Bean Star Save of the Match: Nicole Kemp (NMMU)
Jet Striker of the Match: Izelle Lategan (UFS-Kovsies)
FNB Player of the Match: TBC
UJ 3-0 Maties
UJ started like a house on fire and found themselves ahead in the opening stages of the game. They would double their lead within five minutes to send the home crowd into ecstasy. Maties failed to make any meaningful attacks in the quarter as UJ held on to their 2-0 lead.
The second quarter was a much tighter affair as Maties looked to get themselves back into the contest but UJ did well to keep them from scoring. There would be no goals scored in the second quarter as the home side maintained their two goal advantage at the half-time interval.
There would be no goals added in the third quarter as Maties struggled to make their way back into the match. The match would be put to bed in the final quarter when UJ grabbed their third goal of the match from a short corner.
That proved to be the final goal of the match as UJ handed the defending champions their second loss of the competition.
Mugg & Bean Star Save of the Match: TBC
Jet Striker of the Match: TBC
FNB Player of the Match: TBC
Wits 1-4 UP-Tuks
Wits came out firing in the first quarter and were doing most of the attacking but found reward for their efforts. Despite being in the ascendency for most of the quarter, Wits would find themselves trailing 0-1 with four minutes remaining in the quarter as Tuks found the back of the net with their first opportunity of the match.
Tuks increased their intensity in the second quarter and were putting sever pressure on the Wits defence. That pressure would be rewarded when Tuks scored their second goal of the match through a short corner to take a 2-0 lead into the half-time interval.
Wits gave the home crowd something to shout about when they halved the lead early in the third quarter after a great team effort. Wits kept pushing for the equalizer but to no avail as Tuks held onto a 2-1 lead at the end of the third quarter.
The home side pushed hard to find the equaliser in the final quarter but could not find the back of the net. They were punished for their missed chances as Tuks found their third goal with a few minutes remaining in the match. The Pretoria ladies pushed hard to find the bonus point and did just that in the final minute of the game to bounce back from their Round Five defeat.
Mugg & Bean Star Save of the Match: Luche Klassen (Wits)
Jet Striker of the Match: Marguerite Van Wyk (UP-Tuks)
FNB Player of the Match: Marguerite Van Wyk (UP-Tuks)
UCT 1-3 NWU-Pukke
UCT made a promising start to the match by keeping Pukke goalless in the opening minutes of the match. The Cape side would take the lead in the seventh minute of the opening chukka and held on for the remainder of the quarter to hold a slender lead at the first break.
Pukke were not going down without a fight and found their groove in the second chukka to put UCT under all sorts of pressure. That pressure would pay off in the closing minutes of the second quarter when they took advantage of a short corner opportunity to find the back of the net and level matters. They nearly went into the half-time break with a lead but the opportunity missed the goals by a matter of centimetres as the teams went level-pegging into the break.
Pukke continued their dominance in the third chukka and were taking the game to UCT who did well to keep their opponents at-bay. However, Ikeys would find themselves 1-2 behind when Pukke made their dominance count by finding the back of the net with six minutes remaining in the quarter. With one minute remaining in the quarter, Pukke found the back of the net for a third time.
The final quarter saw the intensity of the match die out a little as neither side could hold onto possession long enough to launch a meaningful attack. Pukke managed to hold on to their two goal cushion to register their first win of the tournament.
Mugg & Bean Star Save of the Match: Keitumetse Salagae (NWU-Pukke)
Jet Striker of the Match: Schani Moore (NWU-Pukke)
FNB Player of the Match: Celia Evans (NWU-Pukke)
