Looking at the Varsity Soccer Tournament logs, there is one statistic that will bother the Tuks team’s fans.

After the first two rounds of the Tournament, Tuks is the only team that has yet to score a single goal.

On the plus side, Tuks is also the only team that has yet to concede a goal. It is often believed that when a team does not concede goals, the battle is half won. The reality, however, is that to win games, you need to score goals.

Damian Overmeyer, midfielder of the Tuks team, admits to not having the answer for why Tuks has not scored a goal yet.

“According to the stats from the past Thursday night, we had 19 chances. For some reason, TUT were able to make last-ditch tackles and blocks off the line. I think at this point we need some luck for one chance to go in and open the flood gates, if you know what I mean,” Overmeyer explained.

On Thursday evening, just after seven, Tuks plays against North West University in Potchefstroom. Last year’s match between the two teams ended in a 0-0 draw.

Mathuane Selotolo is the one player who is convinced that tomorrow night, after 90 minutes of soccer, he will not see the number on the scoreboard behind Tuks’ name be a zero.

He should know what he is talking about. Selotolo boasts the distinction of being the player who came closest to scoring a goal for Tuks. In the dying moments of the match against TUT, he let the ball end up in the goal. Unfortunately for him and Tuks, the linesman decided that he was offside. The goal was not awarded.

Selotolo’s confidence stems from what has happened during the past few days of training.

“I don’t want to elaborate on what we have been working on, except to say that we have been working on certain aspects of our game in attack. I think every player knows what is expected,” said the attacking winger.

Selotolo can claim to be the “Old Man” of the Tuks team. He made his Varsity debut in 2019 in a match against TUT. In 2016 and 2017, he was a member of Tuks’ Academy team. Over the years, he has scored several brilliant goals for Tuks.

Asked what he brings to the team, Selotolo answered “flair”.

“Playing football to me is to help get the team to be on the attack, setting up opportunities to score. It means I got to be able to read the game. Be at the right place at the right moment,” Selotolo remarked.

Last year was a tough year for Selotolo. He tore his knee ligaments. This meant he couldn’t play at all. But he didn’t abandon the Tuks team.

“I was probably one of the team’s most loyal fans. It’s not always easy. There were so many times I wished I could be on the field because I believed I could make a difference. But kudos to my teammates. They played well. With a bit of luck, they could have played in the final. This is my last year playing Varsity soccer for Tuks, so it would be incredible if we could win the title,” he concluded.

Kick-off for Thursday’s game is 19:15.

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