The Orange Army crushed the Maroon Machine when scored a come-from-behind victory over defending champions Maties in the first match of the last bumper weekend of the 2023 Varsity Netball tournament at Stellenbosch University’s Coetzenberg Indoor Centre.
A strong fightback from UJ shocked Maties when the visitors beat the defending champions 35-32 on home soil. It was clear evidence of the log standings, with UJ in third and Maties in fourth.
The match started with a high intensity and with both teams looking towards a very important victory. Maties looked in control in the first quarter, capitalising on errors from UJ and grabbing a handful of good intercepts. Zanele Mdodana’s charges went into the first break, leading 12-8
The second quarter brought the fire from the Orange Army. UJ looked to be the better side for the first few minutes. Goal shooter Muhluri Hlatshwayo gave her side hope as the two sides levelled things up just two minutes before the interval. However, Maties proved to be the better side at the half-time break, the home side leading by 19-18.
UJ managed to recover and overcome the noise from the local home crowd in the third quarter. Bongiwe Msomi’s side gave a strong fight to keep Maties on their toes throughout and take the match to a 28-all tie.
UJ turned things up another notch in the final quarter to show why they’re in third position on the log. Hlatshwayo’s goals and Owethu Ngubane, a Proteas player, were the difference as UJ took all the points.
