The North-West University’s (NWU’s) varsity football team took the fight to the log leaders, the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), in their televised semi-final encounter on 7 September 2017 at the TUT Stadium.
Defying the cynics’ unfavourable score predictions, the NWU was determined to give TUT all they have got and prove they are no push overs.
TUT was first to find the back of the net thanks to their team captain, Themba Ndlovu. The NWU responded with a swift and decisive easy tap-in equalizer in the 30th minute by Cameron Chweu, jersey number 10.
Determined to take the fight to their hosts and leading the charge from the front, Sandile Mbatha, NWU team captain and jersey number 6, fired a scorching penalty past TUT’s goal, placing the NWU in the lead and leaving TUT scrambling.
As the game got heated well into the second half of the game, both teams began making simple mistakes that would inevitably cost either side’s mission to walk out with a decisive win. The NWU soon came to realise this in the 72nd minute when TUT forced a goal from the NWU’s Gift Mogorosi, taking TUT and the NWU to a frustrating 2-2 tie. Even after the four minutes additional time thrown into the match, the game ended in a draw.
Dumisani Koyana, 2017 Varsity Football tournament writer was spot on when he wrote that in football you don’t lose, you learn. The NWU and TUT walked out of last night’s encounter equal in their game of play.
The NWU learned that skill on the pitch must be met with an undying determination and will to excel at all costs. The NWU did not lose, they learned the importance of team work in making the dream a reality. And that is the most valuable lesson than any loss could ever teach.
