UJ secured their semifinal spot when they overcame a stubborn Wits 2-0 in the final Varsity Hockey round-robin match in Johannesburg and finished third on the log.

Meanwhile, UFS-Kovsies were in a dominant mood and scored the most goals in a single match in this year’s Varsity Hockey tournament when they routed UCT 9-0 to finish the round-robin phase unbeaten and secured top spot on the log.

NWU-Pukke secured their second consecutive win when they demolished NMMU-Madibaz 5-1 in the second match of the day at the Wits Astro. Pukke raced to an early lead and never looked back as they secured a bonus-point victory.

In the opening match, defending champions rallied late in the final quarter to earn a hard-fought draw in an extremely tense match with UP-Tuks after the Pretoria ladies took the lead in the second quarter.

UJ 2-0 Wits

The game got off to a frenetic start as both sides went in search of an early goal. UJ broke the deadlock in the fifth minute when Chanelle Raubenheimer found herself unmarked on the penalty spot and calmly slotted home. Wits were content to sit back and allow UJ to dictate the game in the hope of hitting their opponents on the counter-attack and nearly found success in the final minute of the quarter but Toni Marks’ shot found the outside of the goals.

Wits opted not to have their goalkeeper on the field during the powerplay and managed to hold their own under a barrage of UJ attacks with Luche Klaassen doing kicking back duties. UJ were piling the pressure onto Wits but could not find the back of the net with the numerous scoring opportunities they created.

UJ continued to dominate territory and possession but Wits remained stubborn in defence to keep their opponents at bay. The pressure would finally pay-off after five minutes in the quarter when Klaassen mistimed a tackle on Lilian du Plessis to hand UJ a penalty stroke. Kaila-Ron Flemming stepped up and calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner to double the lead. UJ continued to press for more goals but came away with nothing at the end of the third quarter.

UJ maintained their high tempo but could not land that killer blow which kept Wits within a sniff of the contest. Wits made some in-roads and found their way into UJ’s circle on a few occasions but were unable to find the back of the net. Despite the late surge by Wits, UJ managed to hold on to their lead to secure their semifinal spot.

Mugg & Bean Star Saver of the Match: Zimisele Shange (Wits)
Jet Striker of the Match: Kaila-Ron Flemming (UJ)
FNB Player of the Match: Lilian du Plessis (UJ)

UFS-Kovsies 9-0 UCT

Kovsies made a shaky start to the encounter and allowed UCT to dictate the early play but they soon settled and took the lead after five minutes of play when Tanya Britz flicked home from close range. Kovsies had their tails up and it was one-way traffic for the remainder of the quarter which saw Kovsies double their lead with six minutes remaining compliments of a sublime finish by Cornelle Botha – who found the set netting from the top of the circle.

The Bloemfontein ladies scored their third goal of the match with two minutes remaining in the quarter from a short corner when UCT deflected a powerful Jo Swannepoel slap into their own net.

UCT were in survival mode in the second quarter as Kovsies launched continuous attacks on their goals and had goalkeeper Taylor Karstens to thank for keeping Kovsies from adding to their tally. Carstens would be helpless nine minutes into the quarter when Line Malan secured Kovsies’ bonus point with a well-executed reverse stick shot from the top of the circle. There was no letting up from Kovsies as Britz fired home a reverse stick to score her second goal of the match.

Malan added her second of the match in the third quarter before Kovsies added a seventh through a penalty stroke. UCT had no answer to Kovsies’ dominance and found themselves 8-0 down thanks to an Inka Wolmarans slap shot which found the bottom corner. Kovsies could only manage to score one more goal in the final quarter when Malan completed her hat-trick.

Mugg & Bean Star Save of the Match: Taylor Karstens (UCT)
Jet Striker of the Match: Tanya Britz (UFS-Kovsies)
FNB Player of the Match: Cornelle Botha (UFS-Kovsies)

NMMU 1-5 NWU-Pukke

Pukke came out firing in the opening minutes and found immediate reward when they found the back of the net to take the early lead. NMMU had no answer to Pukke’s dominance as they leaked in a further two goals to trail 0-3 at the end of the first quarter.

The Potchefstroom ladies secured the bonus point five minutes from half-time to take a commanding four-goal lead at the interval.

NMMU gave a much better account of themselves in the third quarter as they managed to keep Pukke scoreless but still trailed by four-goals with the final quarter left to play.

The Madibaz pulled a goal back early in the final quarter but their joy was short-lived as Pukke managed to restore their four-goal cushion compliments of a penalty stroke. NMMU pushed hard for more goals but it was not to be as they had to settle for their fifth loss of the competition.

Mugg & Bean Star Save of the Match: Nicole Kemp (NMMU)
Jet Striker of the Match: Celia Evans (NWU-Pukke)
FNB Player of the Match: Celia Evans (NWU-Pukke)

UP-Tuks 1-1 Maties

It was a tense opening quarter with both sides looking to settle quickly and claim the opening goal. Possession changed hands at regular intervals with both sides unable to launch any meaningful attacks and the score remained deadlocked at the end of the first quarter.

Neither side could take advantage of the powerplay but with seven minutes gone in the second quarter, Tuks managed to break the deadlock and leave Maties with a tough task to overcome the deficit. The defending champions were unable to find the back of the net in the remaining minutes as the sides went into the half-time interval.

The tense encounter continued in the third quarter as Maties looked to find the elusive goal to draw level. However, Tuks managed to keep their noses in front and held onto their slender lead at the end of the third quarter.

Maties increased their tempo in the final quarter and their efforts were rewarded with a few minutes left in the match when they found the back of the net to level matters. Both sides pressed hard for the winning goal but it was not to be as the teams had to contend with sharing the spoils.

Mugg & Bean Star Save of the Match: Nicole le Fleur (Maties)
Jet Striker of the Match: Catherine Morris (UP-Tuks)
FNB Player of the Match: Quanita Bobbs (Maties)