Heroic varsity hockey home victory for UJ

On the back of an epic Varsity Hockey season, teams from competing universities around the country converged on the University of Johannesburg on 17 and 18 April for the final play-offs, semi-finals and grand final.

It was the players from the universities of Johannesburg (UJ) and Stellenbosch (Maties) who came head to head in the final match of this year’s unforgettable programme.

And what a final it was. Superb and top quality hockey from both sides, with each team equally committed and determined to take home the cup, tonight’s final was hard fought all the way.

UJ took the Varsity Hockey title on home soil by beating Maties in a dramatic penalty shootout.

After a dominant start by Maties, which saw the Stellenbosch side take a 2–0 lead, UJ bounced back in front of screaming home crowds to reach an even 2–2 in the third and final chukka of the evening.

With the score deadlocked at 2–2 by the end of the final chukka, the final came down to a heart-pounding penalty shootout.

The first to score was UJ’s Clint Panther and when Mark Fourie’s effort went wide, UJ were 1–0 up with Taylor Dart’s goal sealing the win for UJ.

Gerald Mphopho was the FNB man of the match, Clint Panther was the Samsung Super Striker, while Jason Briggs was named the Mugg and Bean Star Saver.

Two stunning goals from Matthew Guise-Brown saw UP–Tuks secure a 2–0 victory and clinch the bronze, leaving UFS–Kovsies in overall fourth position. The fifth and sixth position play-off saw UCT beat NMMU’s Madibaz 2–1, with the play-off for positions seven and eight ending in a 2–2 draw between Wits and Rhodes.

Now in its second year, the Varsity Sports programme brings much of the excitement often seen at a US college sporting event, such as glamorous cheerleaders, pyrotechnics, thumping music, screaming fans and a generally well-choreographed show, at one of six sporting code events, including athletics, hockey, football, netball, rugby sevens or beach volleyball.

“Varsity Sports, as a high-performance competition platform for budding university athletes to compete on, is seeing many promising young sportsmen and women successfully compete at these events and, in the process, gaining the recognition they aspire to,” Trent Key, Marketing and Sponsorship Executive for Varsity Sports explained.

“It’s all about ‘sportainment’, combining sport with a massive entertainment factor; to attract not only athletes, but friends, family, alumni and communities at large, where the event, much like our American counterparts, becomes an all-day, fun-filled occasion.”

Aired live on SuperSport Channel 210, the Varsity Sports concept is designed to capture the essence and excitement of university sport, where the best can test themselves against their peers. Market-leading brands sponsor the platform, with FNB, Samsung, Mugg and Bean and Jet as the lead sponsors for hockey.

Be sure not to miss the Varsity football season, which commences on 21 July.