Tuks win 2017 Varsity Hockey title in thrilling final
The University of Pretoria delivered another Varsity Sport champion team when Tuks women's hockey team was crowned as Varsity Hockey champion on Monday night.
The Tuks Women’s Hockey Team earned the bragging rights when they became the first female team in the sports history of the University of Pretoria to win a Varsity Tournament when they beat Maties 1-0 in the final on Monday night.
According to Professor Cheryl de la Rey, Vice-Chancellor and Principal at Tuks, the women’s hockey team’s victory will always remain one of the most special moments of her tenure.
“I so wanted one of our women’s teams to succeed and now the hockey team has done so. Their performance is something everyone involved at Tuks justly could feel proud about,” said prof De la Rey.
Up to now Tuks had a brilliant Varsity Sports Campaign. Of the four Varsity competitions completed, Tuks has won three and finished second in one. Rugby and athletics are the other two teams that had been victorious while the cricket team lost in their final to the Pukke.
There were tense moments for the Tuks players and their supporters but that was to be expected as playing Maties is never easy. The Tuks defenders with Natalie Esteves, Amy Etherington and Marlise van Tonder in the vanguard were never going to shy away from a true challenge. They were certainly motivated to uphold the proud tradition that started in 2015 with Tuks not having lost a game on its own Astro-turf. There was no way that they were going to jeopardise the record while playing in a Varsity-final.
The game clinching moment for Tuks happened in the third quarter with about two minutes of game time remaining. During a second penalty corner the ball was slipped by Natalie Estevez to Catherine Morris, who lashed the ball into the roof of the net. The referee awarded a Maties free hit due to the height of the ball being above the backboard off a penalty corner, but Tuks reviewed and the decision was overturned after it became evident that the ball was deflected off a Maties defender’s stick.
“It is difficult to describe my feelings the moment the goal was awarded. I will remember the goal for ever and ever as it is possibly the most important goal I have ever scored and will score. It was so important for the team that we got a score on the board at that time,” is how Morris described it afterwards.
Esteves, the captain, certainly has fine-tuned the art of leading by example. As has become the norm she was all over the field being prominent on the attack and totally fearless in defence.
Izelle Verster from Tuks was awarded the Player of the Tournament Award.
“I would not have wanted to experience this with any other team than Tuks. It is the most amazing team and I am proud to be playing for them,” said Verster after the final.
Inky Zondi (head coach) had good reason battling to keep his emotions in tack afterwards.
“I am so proud of what the team has achieved. To have been able to make sports history makes everything just that little bit more special. This is without doubt the highlight of my coaching career,” a joyous Zondi said after the game.
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