Varsity football continues to surprise

The third round of this year’s Varsity Football is off to a great start for the University of Free State (UFS), scoring a goal in each half to secure a 2-1 victory over University of Western Cape (UWC) in Bellville.

It was the second straight win for the UFS team who beat Limpopo at home last week, while it was the second consecutive defeat for UWC, who only managed one log point from their three games this season.

UWC produced the first goal and later UFS’ Dumisani Tjomelane got the chance to unleash a thunderbolt volley that flew into the top left corner to make it 1-1. The score was unchanged at half-time with both teams trying to make the most of their chances.

In the second half, UFS‘ Manxubandile Bantshi put his team 2-1 up with a header from a corner. With time running out, the home side threw everything at UFS on attack as they searched for a late goal, but it was not to be.

FNB Man of the match: Themba Zimo

The second game of the night saw University of Cape Town (UCT) go down 2-1 to Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) Madibaz. The Cape side threw everything at hosts NMMU in the second half of the match. UCT started to gain confidence after 15 minutes, and nearly took the lead, but a powerful shot was blocked by the Madibaz defence.

The Cape side’s defence was breached in the 29th minute when Sachin Jackson went on a run and launched a shot to beat a helpless David Frankel, putting Madibaz in the lead.

NMMU led 1-0 at half-time. The Madibaz doubled their lead against the run of play in the 80th minute when Kieran Koert found the back of the net with a header. UCT went on a late surge in the dying minutes of the match and was rewarded when Moussi Sopp managed to get a consolation goal for the visitors during injury time. Despite conceding a late goal, NMMU held on to claim maximum points, which lifts them off the bottom of the log.

FNB Man of the Match: Sachin Jackson

North West University (NWU) came out on top against visitors University of Limpopo (UL) at North-West Stadium for the third Varsity Football game of the evening. The hosts gave supporters a treat by edging their opponents 3-2 in a riveting affair.

The visitors took the game to NWU in the opening minutes and the hosts resorted to some harsh tackles, which saw some UL players going down to receive treatment from medics. This didn’t stop UL as they managed a score of 0-1 after 30 minutes.

Late in the half, North-West University (NWU) pushed forward and were rewarded after Orebotse Mongae levelled the match at 1-1 just before half-time. In the second half, striker Mahlatse Mogale gave the visitors the lead again after he eventually broke through the defence.

However, NWU defender Lebogang Phetlu, managed to level matters again for the home side when he rose above the UL defenders to make the score 2-2 from a corner kick. NWU’s Tshenolo Machwisa then ended the match with a 3-2 win for the home side.

FNB Man of the Match: Orebotse Mongae

The final and much-anticipated match of the day saw University of Johannesburg (UJ) securing a valuable 4-0 victory over defending champions University of Pretoria (UP) in Pretoria to move to the top of the Varsity Football standings.

The Johannesburg side followed up on their victory over NMMU last week in fine style, with UP‘s first defeat of the season leaving them down in fourth position on the standings.

With a foul from each side in the first half, it was UJ with a 1-0 lead at half-time. UJ were further able to extend their lead with Sandro Claro drilling the goal home to make it 2-0.

The final stages of the match were tense as UP-Tuks threw absolutely everything at UJ, but there was still time for one last goal as UJ midfielder Tebogo Mandyu unleashed a stinging shot into the top left corner.

There was still time for a fourth goal, as Ruben De Freitas had the final say to cap a comprehensive performance from his side.

FNB Man of the match: Tshepo Tolo

Varsity Sports events are renowned for both their athletic mettle and flair with flashy cheerleaders, pyrotechnics, thumping music and vocal fans. The concept is that of a school playground, where the best footballers can test themselves against their peers. Market-leading brands sponsor the platform, with Samsung, Debonairs Pizza, FNB, Cell C and JetMart as the leading football sponsors.

CEO for Varsity Sports, Duitser Bosman says, “The excitement and quality of Varsity Football draw the crowds to these events. These high-energy events are well organised and offer huge spectator entertainment.”

Marketing Executive for Varsity Sports, Guy Loxton adds: “Varsity Sports is seeing many promising sports men and women successfully compete at its events and gain the attention they deserve.”

The second round of Varsity Football will roll out from 11 August 2014 in Pretoria, Mafikeng, Port Elizabeth and Bloemfontein.

UP will face UP at the Tuks Stadium in Pretorian at 16:45.

NWU will play UCT at NWU Mafikeng Sports Stadium at 19:00.

NMMU Madibaz will take on UWC at NMMU Madibaz Stadium at 18:00 and UFS will face UJ at Shimla Park at 18:00.