By beating Northwest last night on their home turf, UP-Tuks continued their proud tradition of never losing a Varsity football game against Northwest.
UP-Tuks won 2-0 ensuring they kept their hopes of reaching the semi-finals alive. They are now third on the log. However, nothing is guaranteed. As things stand only UJ who is topping the log and Wits who is second are assured of being in the playoffs.
Theoretically UP-Tuks, TUT and Northwest can all still qualify. If UP-Tuks should lose next week against UWC; Northwest beat UJ and TUT beat Wits it will mean that UP-Tuks won’t reach the semi-finals.
If UP-Tuks and TUT both lose and Northwest wins then it will boil down to goal difference to decide who the fourth team in the playoffs is going to be. If UP-Tuks wins, they will definitely qualify.
However, all of this is pure speculation. No game has ever been won on paper. In Varsity football it is about guts and glory on the field.
What is exciting is to see how UP-Tuks is starting to play with more and more confidence. They have now won two games on the trot and have not conceded a goal in their last four games. There is undoubtedly a lot of similarities between this season’s campaign and last year’s. Tlisane Motaung (UP-Tuks head coach) seems to have mastered the art of getting his players to peak when it really matters.
Motaung and Simbongile Njokwe (UP-Tuks captain) both ascribed the team’s rival to the support of their fans.
“There is something to be said to playing in front of a packed stadium as it shows that our fans believe in our abilities. I can honestly say it is a big extra motivation to lift our game to the next level as we don’t want to end up disappointing anyone,” said Njokwe.
According to Njokwe, it was important to score first as he knew that will put Northwest under pressure.
“When Jurgen Booysen scored our first goal in the fifth minute I made a promise to my teammates that playing as a defender and captain I shall do my utmost to ensure that Northwest doesn’t score. And that is what we did.”
“Unbelievable,” is how Booysen described scoring for UP-Tuks.
“It was my first goal for UP-Tuks in a Varsity game that is why it was so special,” said an elated Booysen.
According to Booysen, his effort was due to brilliant teamwork.
“Jerry Nkwana ‘floated’ the ball perfectly in. I was just lucky to be at the right place at the right time to slot the ball in from a half-volley.”
Nhlanhla Mabaso scored UP-Tuks’s second goal in the dying minutes. He described his effort as coming from the heart.
“As a striker, I owed it to my teammates to come good. I fluffed quite a few opportunities in our previous games. In spite of it, the ‘Coach’ and my teammates kept on believing in my abilities. This is only my second Varsity goal. The first was against TUT which just sort of was a consolation goal. Scoring tonight (last night) was definitely more special."
Virtual Campus
Get Social With Us
Download the UP Mobile App