Undefeated throughout the tournament, Maties are the 2022 Varsity Netball champions after running out 68-55 victors over North West University (NWU) in this year’s final in front of an enthusiastic home crowd in Stellenbosch.
It was a case of fourth time lucky for the Maroon Machine after making it to the final on two of three previous occasions. The Eagles returned to Potchefstroom without their third title, after winning the competition in 2015 and 2016. Maties have now managed to clip their wings in their last five Varsity Netball meets.
It was a tight defensive game with Maties’ Syntiche Kabuya making life difficult for Elmeré van den Bergh in the Eagles’ goal circle. To add insult to injury, the hosts took their power play five minutes into the game and raced to a 10-2 lead, making their intention to win their first Varsity Netball title clear.
After a slow start the Eagles got some wind underneath their wings to draw level 15-all as the first 15 minutes closed out.
The Maroon Machine steamrolled their opponents in the second quarter, with the dynamic duo of Kabuya and Nicola Smith not giving the Eagles’ shooters any breathing space.
NWU also started making some errors on defence, which the Maties capitalised on, with centre Shanidine Bezuidenhout pouncing on every loose ball.
The all-important championship quarter was ultimately where Maties took the game away from their opponents. The introduction of Nichole Taljaard was key, with the Maties’ goal attack immediately making her presence known and stamping her authority with lightning fast feet and hands. Captain Sian Moore kept on marshalling her troops from the back, continuously waving her finger for “one more, one more!” while she herself kept the scoreboard ticking for the home team.
Not even NWU’s power play with four minutes to go could prevent the inevitable and make the Maties the undisputed champions of the 2022 Varsity Netball tournament.
After the match Moore said: “Things started off very fast and we got a little bit complacent towards the end of the first quarter. Then we switched it up in the second and third quarters, realising we worked too hard for this to not go all out. The girls did really well and I’m so proud of them.”
Maties coach Zanele Mdodana was in disbelief after the final whistle. “We’ve been building up to this moment, the hard work that’s gone in, year in, year out,” she related.
“We knew today was our day and I can’t thank my girls enough; they completely blew me away.”
