Pukke continued their surge towards a second successive Varsity Netball crown with a comfortable 61-50 victory against Maties in the semi-final in Stellenbosch today.
The stars of the show were Renske Stolz and Sigi Burger who was once again at their very best. Zandré Kruger took home of the player of the match award after a fantastic match on defence. Kruger also took home the player of the match award against Maties earlier in the tournament.
Romé Dreyer must also be commended for her efforts on the centre of the court, whose passing and vision was top class. Under their guidance Pukke had a fantastic ten point lead at the end of the first quarter.
Maties were also trying their best to seize the momentum with Charmaine Baard and Jo Prins leading the way in front of their home fans.
Pukke though still kept up the pace and lead at the half time break by 35-26.
Maties used the powerplay to their advantage in the third quarter and quickly cut into Pukke’s lead, with some vital goals.
At the end of the powerplay, Pukke only had a four point lead at 44-40 and went into the fourth quarter with a 46-40 lead.
The fourth quarter was once again an even affair, but Kruger and Jeanté Strydom were excellent in defence just when Maties looked to make a comeback.
In the end, Pukke kept their nerve to book their spot in the final next Monday.
Chanté Bester, captain of NWU-Pukke was delighted with the victory and proud of her team.
“Our defence was on point in this game and our determination to win carried us through,” she said.
Maties captain, Juline Rossouw, reflected on the loss in an optimistic mood for the future.
“We have to be more dominant and this was important in this game. We had a great tournament and it was fantastic to represent Maties,” she said in her final Varsity Netball match.