It was heartbreak of the highest order for the NWU’s Varsity Hockey men in the first leg of the 2018 Varsity Hockey tournament at the Wits Astroturf in Johannesburg from 4 to 7 May.

The NWU managed to win one of their four matches but they could have won all four if they had been calmer under pressure.

The NWU beat Kovsies 10–4 in their opening match but could not strike the killer blow in their next three matches. Narrow defeats against Tuks (3–2 on penalties after a 4–4 draw) and UJ by 3–2 were bitter pills to swallow, especially after they had battled valiantly in both games. Against UJ, the men from Potchefstroom were 2–1 ahead but faltered in the second half. This was the same story against Maties that, on paper, should easily have beaten the NWU.

Photos: Christiaan Kotzé/SASPA

The men in purple were rampant in the first half taking a 3–0 lead, courtesy of two goals from the former Potch Gimmie, Pierre Botma. Maties, though, kept up the pace and scored two vital second-half goals, thanks to Maximillian Pike and Luke Schooling. NWU’s Clayton Tait thought his second-half goal had done enough but Maties had other ideas. Reece Arendse literally stole the win (6-5) from under the NWU’s noses with a goal, seconds before the final hooter.

‘It is unfortunate that we couldn’t get the wins after being in such a good position. Our aim before the start of the tournament was to get wins against Kovsies and UJ but we just missed out. We have improved immensely in terms of where we were a few years ago. We are now competing against the top teams like Tuks and Maties. I am still proud of the way we performed, irrespective of the result,’ said Sheldon Rostron, the NWU Men’s Varsity Hockey coach.

Rostron was also proud of his side’s defensive improvement and their penchant for scoring goals against any team.
‘We have shown that we can score against the top teams and our defence has also grown immensely. In general, the guys have really put their hands up and shown what they can do.’
Rostron also emphasised the need for his side to control the game better and to make the most of their opportunities.
‘We will definitely work on how we control the game when we are in the lead. We managed great game control against Maties and we almost got the result we wanted. The next few games at Tuks will be crucial to gain places on the log for semi-final spots.’
NWU’s upcoming fixtures at Tuks Stadium
11 May: NWU vs Wits (13:30)
12 May: NWU vs Madibaz (17:00)
13 May: NWU vs UCT (15:15) TV
14 May: Semi-finals.
Top scorers for NWU in 2018 Varsity Hockey
1. Pierre Botma (4 goals)
2. Killian Ludick, Wayne Jeffery (2 goals)
3. Sinoxolo Mbekeni, Stean Naude, Francois Cilliers, Mitesh Makan and Clayton Tait (1 goal).