Tuks's men's football team secured a place in the Varsity Football Tournament semifinals for the ninth time in 13 years, beating UJ 1–0 on Friday.
The bad news for Tuks and UJ is that they must face each other again—for the second time in seven days—this time in the semifinal. A do-or-die match. This time in Soweto on Friday. Wits and TUT will face off in the other semifinal.
Tuks became the first team to defeat UJ in this Tournament last Friday for good reason. Early in the first half, when the opportunity arose, the team made sure to put the ball in the back of the net. UJ remained constantly on the attack thereafter, but Tuks's defenders repeatedly thwarted UJ's attacking moves with clinical precision. This performance earned Koketso Mokou (goalkeeper) Man of the Match.
Samukelo Ngodela attributed the team's victory to excellent teamwork; it was a case of "all for one and one for all".
"Beating UJ gave us a lot of confidence going into the semifinal. Playing the same team again after seven days will be difficult because they will come with a different mindset, but we know what to expect from them.
"The biggest lesson is to stay disciplined, stick to our game plan and take our chances when they come. We know they will come hard at us because they have something to prove, but so do we. We are one step away from making history.
"Ten years is a long time, and we know what this opportunity means. Now it's about fighting for each other, giving everything on the pitch, and leaving nothing behind. We didn't come this far to be part of the story; we came to make history and bring that Cup home."
Since 2013, Tuks and UJ have played against each other 10 times in the Varsity Tournament. Tuks has won four times and UJ five times. In 2018, the match ended in a 1–1 draw. UJ's biggest victory over Tuks was 4–0 (in 2015 and 2019), while Tuks's biggest win was 3–0 (in 2016). Across these 10 matches, UJ scored 14 goals, and Tuks scored 9.
Tuks's tally of 13 goals in the Tournament so far is the highest, while UJ has scored 9. Ntokozo Madela is Tuks's leading goalscorer with five goals. So far, he has scored a goal in five of Tuks's seven matches. Matome Rangata has scored the second-most goals for Tuks, with three.
It is fitting that Madela is Tuks's top scorer. This is his final season playing for Tuks. He made his debut for Tuks in 2022. So far he has been part of the Tuks team that won the USSA Tournament twice, but he has never won the Varsity Tournament.
Before the Tournament began, Madela said, "I am going to score goals. I owe it to the team. For the past two years, I struggled a lot with injuries, which meant I wasn't at my best on the pitch. Right now, I have no niggles. That gives me a lot of confidence. I gained a better understanding of what I am capable of by working behind the scenes—out of the spotlight—to improve my skills."
Kick-off for Friday's game in Soweto is 7:15pm.