New Witsies introduced to the university’s sporting culture with the Pride All Star Game.
First-year Witsies were treated to some exceptional football
as Wits Football Club thrashed a weakened Bidvest Wits side by four goals to
nil at the Bidvest Stadium on Wednesday, January 30, in the Wits Pride All Star
Game.
The Educated Footballers were in full strength in front of
an eager Wits crowd, predominantly of first years, which was treated to
performances from musicians, Busiswa and ZuluMkhatini, under the scorching
midday sun.
On the opposite side was a weakened Clever Boys side, comprised
of players from MultiChoice Diski Challenge side, who never quite settled into
the friendly encounter.
Wits Football took an early lead with a Mahle Mtabane goal before
captain Tshireletso Motsogi doubled the score with a headed goal from a well-delivered
corner just before the break.
The second half started in similar fashion with Kurt Pienaar
punishing a sloppy Bidvest defence after latching onto a through-ball and
rounding the keeper before slotting the ball away to make it three.
The victory was sealed when Clinton Mphahlele beat two defenders
and finessed the ball into the corner to the enjoyment of first-year Witsies
who were evidently supporting the university side.
Motsogi was disappointed to not be playing in this year’s
Varsity Football tournament after losing to the Tshwane University of Technology
in last years’ final and failing to qualify in the University Sports South
Africa (USSA) tournament last year but believed this season would allow the
team to rebuild.
“Varsity football is one of the biggest tournaments for us
so missing out on it takes a huge toll on us. But we have to keep pushing and
hope that we win USSA the make it through.
Second-year BAccSci student, Kyran Jugdharee, shared his
thoughts on the match from the grandstand, saying, “The game is going well. The
halftime performances really got me hyped up. I’m just really enjoying watching
the sport I love. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”
Daniel Badenhorst, a first-year BEng student, who was
watching both teams live for the first time said that the encounter was a great
way to show the first years about football at the university.
“The game was great. I liked the atmosphere. I enjoyed the dancing and the music. It was very engaging. It was a great activity for first years to get into the Wits culture as well as meet new people. It was a great experience.”
FEATURED IMAGE: Captain Tshireletso Motsogi dominates the centre of the park as the Educated Footballers show the Clever Boys who is the real boss of Wits. Photo: Tshego Mokgabudi
Ruthless Clever Boys send Boyne Tigers home with nothing after a 4-0 drubbing
Bidvest’s Keegan Ritchie gives a Tiger player a tough time on the home pitch. Photo: Phumi Ramalepe
By: Phumi Ramalepe
Bidvest Wits secured their spot in the Last 16 after beating the amateur Boyne Tigers 4-0 in the Nedbank Cup’s Last 32 match at Bidvest stadium on the evening.
Relentless showers of rain and slippery grass presented no challenge to Wits’ Haashim Domingo who scored the team’s first goal in the 11th minute.
Less than ten minutes later, Scottish striker Simon Murray dribbled past the Tigers and passed the ball to Domingo who secured the second goal.
The unmerciful Clever Boys gave the timid Tigers a tough time on the pitch by dominating their weak defence. Murray scored the third goal in the 20th minute. The fourth goal was bagged by Murray again in the 38th minute.
The striker was happy to have contributed to all four goals in the match. “You never know with an unknown team what you’re gonna get but it’s nice to contribute all four goals for the team. We got into the next round and hopefully we can make it to the finals”, he said to Wits Vuvuzela.
The Tigers returned with force in the second half trying to secure a goal, but were not successful, in spite of Bidvest not scoring any more goals in the second half.
Bidvest Wits coach Gavin Hunt told Wits Vuvuzela that he was impressed with the Boys’ performance.
“The performance was good and we in the 16. We’ll see how far we can go and take it from there. We obviously expect to win the Nedbank Cup,” he said.
A Wits supporter, Henrie Brownliy, thought the game was a breeze for the Clever Boys. “We don’t know the team really… so I think we had to suss them out in the first ten minutes. We put pressure on them… after that it was like a walk in the park,” he said. With a smile on his face, Brownliy added that “I think what’s important is the win.”
Bidvest Wits will be going head-to-head against Maritzburg United at the Bidvest Stadium on Friday, February 1, at 20:00 in the Premier Soccer League.
Since her announcement as the Democratic Alliance’s mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, Helen Zille has dominated national headlines. In this bonus episode of We Should Be Writing podcast, hosts Lulah Mapiye and Bonolo Mokonoto dissect a media meet-and-greet with the mayoral hopeful. From her extensive political résumé to her controversial public utterance, we examine why the Democratic Alliance has chosen Hellen Zille as their candidate for the 2027 local mayoral elections. Additionally, […]
