The Maties hockey team were beaten 5-0 last night in the Varsity Cup hockey final 2018 in Stellenbosch. Maties were unbeaten in the tournament leading up to the final, having won all games on the road.
“I’m feeling pretty happy, we have been working for two years for this, we lost in the final last time. We sat down and said it’s not going to happen again. So it’s obviously awesome to come out on the winning side,” says Guy Elliot, Tuks head coach.
The game started at a very quick tempo with possession changing hands constantly. Sam Mvimbi opened the scoring with a brilliant solo field goal taking the score to 2-0.
Maties and Tuks line up to sing the national anthem before the Varsity Cup final. PHOTO: Jeremy Ryall
The second quarter remained 2-0 until the last 20 seconds as Tuks were awarded a penalty stroke for a bad stick tackle inside the circle. Tuks top goal scorer, Bradley Sherwood, stepped up to convert clinically taking the score to 3-0 at the interval.
“I think what this team offers is we are a very good team. There is a lot of teamwork, a lot of chemistry and not many individuals. I think we are very solid player for player and there’s a lot of trust and unity,” says Martin Schouten, Maties assistant coach, on the team’s ability to play to the final whistle after coming back to win five of their round robin fixtures.
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This was showcased in the second half, with Maties holding most of the possession with Tuks carving out most of the chances. After both teams utilised their power plays, it was the men from Pretoria who secured the tournament four minutes from time courtesy of a Steven Paulo goal taking the end score to 5-0.
The University of Pretoria (Tuks) celebrate being crowned 2018 Varsity Cup champions. PHOTO: Jeremy Ryall
On paper, the road to the final for Maties reads an easy one, but it was far from it. Something Ashlin Freddy, Maties head coach, reiterates.
“It would mean a great deal to them knowing that there is a reward after the effort they gave. Regardless of the outcome of the final, we have learnt a lot about each other and what it takes to compete at this level which is extremely valuable, we are building a culture in the hockey club and this years tournament has helped us progress this culture even further,” says Freddy.
The first leg commenced on the 4 May at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) where Maties beat Wits, Nelson Mandela University (Madibaz), North-West University (Pukke) and the old enemy University of Cape Town (UCT).
“We focus one game at a time. A lot of it we just try focus on the team mates around us and what you can control. Take one game at a time,” says Alex Stewart, Maties hockey captain for Varsity Cup 2018.
Stewart’s team claimed four wins from four in Pretoria but it was not plain sailing. The semi-final match against Pukke ended 2-2. Penalty showdowns followed with Robert Mckinley, Maties goalkeeper, putting in a man of the match performance winning it 3-0.
The Maties men are currently unbeaten and are top of the log in the Western Cape grand challenge league. They are playing against Langa this weekend on Sunday 20 May.