This year’s electrifying Varsity Football season kicked off on Monday July 21 with its opening match at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. Eight teams from universities around the country got the tournament off to an electrifying start in four gruelling and gripping matches.
The closely contested opening game saw the NMMU-Madibaz reach a 2-2 draw against NWU in Port Elizabeth. Madibaz striker Kieran Koert scored the two NMMU goals in the first half, earning him the Samsung Super Striker award. The visitors from North West retaliated with a goal in each half, claiming a log point against the Eastern Cape side. This means that NMMU, unbeaten in a home game in last year’s tournament, have retained their home game record.
The second game of the day also resulted in a draw, after a goal in the 91st minute from UCT’s Michael Salgado equalised the earlier second-half goal of Tsietsi Tshehla from the University of Limpopo. The tight 1-1 game at the Green Mile in Cape Town, saw the new boys from Limpopo come agonisingly close to victory in their first ever Varsity Football match.
In the second lot of the opening day’s matches, tournament newcomers UJ thought they had secured victory over UWC, with a late strike from Wisdom Mathebula, which put them ahead by 2 goals to 1. Playing at the UWC Stadium, Wade Crowie saved the home side from defeat with a phenomenal free kick in the final moments of the match, securing a 2-2 draw and rescuing UWC from defeat.
It was a tight game, with tournament new boys UJ dominating possession in the opening exchanges, but being held at bay by UWC as the game progressed. In the final match of the first day, a second-half goal from Lucky Mathosi saw defending Varsity Football champions UP-Tuks secure a hard-fought 1-0 victory over a determined Kovsies side in Pretoria. The win sees the 2013 winners at the top of the log as the other three matches of the opening round of action ended in draws.
FNB’s Man of the Match awards went to Kurt Duff from NMMU, Bevan Adonis from UCT, Reon October from UWC, and Mbongeni Masilela from UP-Tuks.
Bringing much of the excitement often seen at American baseball games, Varsity Sports events are renowned as much for their athletic mettle as they are for their showmanship, with flashy cheerleaders, pyrotechnics, thumping music and blaring fans. The concept is that of a playground, where the best footballers can test themselves against their peers. Market-leading brands sponsor the platform, with Samsung, Debonairs Pizza, FNB, Cell C and Jet Mart as the leading football sponsors.
CEO for Varsity Sports Duitser Bosman said, “The excitement and quality of Varsity Football is what draws the crowds to these events. These high-energy events are well organised and offer huge spectator entertainment.”
The second round of Varsity Football will roll out from Monday July 28 in the Free State, Mafikeng, Cape Town and Johannesburg. With eight more weeks of non-stop and explosive football action to look forward to, get yourself down to games in your province to experience Monday’s excitement first-hand. Matches commence at 16:45, 18:00 and 19:00.
