UWC, UJ and TUT and Wits through to Varsity Women’s Football semis

The pressure intensified in Round 3 of Varsity Women’s Football at the UJ Soweto Stadium, where defending champions UWC strengthened their title defence with a 2-0 victory over a struggling UP-Tuks, sealing their spot in the semi-finals. UJ also booked their semi-final place after displaying hunger and determination in a commanding 4-0 win over winless CPUT, firmly positioning themselves as strong contenders for the silverware this season. TUT finally claimed their first win of the campaign with a resounding 8-0 triumph over UNIVEN, while NWU and Wits played out a thrilling 2-2 draw to share the spoils.

Defending champions UWC Women’s Football continued their dominance in the group stages, sealing a perfect three-match winning streak to book their place in the semi-finals. Their latest triumph came with a 2-0 victory over UP-Tuks Women’s Football.

UWC took an early lead in the seventh minute when Mmabatho Mogale delivered a perfectly curled corner that met the head of Chelsea Daniels, who nodded the ball into the net. By the 20th minute, UWC remained 1-0 ahead, with both sides maintaining a high-intensity tempo. However, UWC had created clear scoring chances, while UP-Tuks struggled to break down their solid defense.

UP-Tuks manage to create some opportunities in the first half, including Sivuyile Njobeni's free-kick that hit the woodwork. UP-Tuks' forward Moeletsi Digoro was booked with a yellow card for fouling the UWC goalkeeper.

In the second half, UP-Tuks put pressure on UWC's defense, with Nonhlakanipho Filand having a promising chance with a long-range shot. However, Thandeka Ngcobo pulled off a brilliant save to deny UP-Tuks the equaliser. UWC sealed their win in the 39th minute, with Mogale scoring directly from a beautifully curled corner-kick, making it 2-0.

UJ Women’s Football booked their place in the semi-finals of the 2025 Varsity Women’s Football tournament with a dominant 4-0 victory over CPUT, a result that also secured their spot at the top of Group B. The match began at a lively pace, with both sides creating early scoring opportunities before UJ took full control.

Orange Army took the lead in the seventh minute when Adivhaho Mphangale headed home with a well-delivered corner-kick from Portia Masilela, giving UJ a 1-0 advantage. CPUT goalkeeper Cassidy Primo made a crucial save on Sthembiso Msomi's shot but UJ's dominance continued.

Just after the save, CPUT made two substitutions, bringing in Sinothile Makhanya and Asiphe Delekile for Mesuli Bhungalipheli and Sinothile Lirula. However, UJ extended their lead in the two minutes of added time, with Adivhaho Mphangale scoring a well-taken goal on top of the D-line, making it 2-0 at half-time.

The second half saw UJ continue their dominance, with Thato Mofolo catching CPUT's defense off guard to score in the 36th minute, making it 3-0. CPUT pushed hard to find a way back into the game, with Sinelisiwe Phumlomo taking a shot on target that UJ goalkeeper Siphokazi Xaba saved.

The Cape Town side also had three consecutive corner kicks but UJ's goalkeeper held strong. Despite CPUT's persistence, they couldn't capitalise on their chances, and UJ sealed the win with a penalty kick in the final minutes. Malitsatsi Mosala, who came off the bench just a minute earlier, scored the penalty after Cassidy Primo fouled Kamogelo Maponya in the box, making it 4-0.

Wits Women’s Football and NWU Women’s Football battled to a 2-2 draw in Round 3 of the Varsity Women’s Football at the UJ Soweto Stadium. Wits secured a quick lead with two impressive goals in the first half but NWU fought back to level the score in the final moments of the game.

The game began with both teams cautiously feeling each other out and the first 10 minutes saw no goals. However, the deadlock was broken in the 12th minute when Wits striker Aliyaah Allie scored a stunning opening goal. Shortly after, Wits doubled their lead when Lusanda Nyathi headed in a second goal from a free kick.

Just before half-time, NWU responded when Veronicca Maswanganyi capitalised on a blocked clearance, slipping a low shot between the Wits goalkeeper's legs to make the score 2-1.

NWU came out of the break determined to find an equalizer. They relentlessly attacked the Wits defense but it wasn't until the final moments of stoppage time that they found their reward. From a corner-kick, Dlikilili took a shot that deflected off a Wits defender and into the back of the net, leveling the score just before the final whistle.

In a dominant display, the TUT Women's Football secured a resounding 8-0 victory over UNIVEN Women’s Football, earning their place in the semi-finals against UJ. The win mirrored UWC's previous success against UNIVEN, highlighting TUT's formidable attacking power.

The match started with UNIVEN holding strong, keeping the score at 0-0 for the first 10 minutes. However, the floodgates opened when Lindiwe Nkambule scored TUT's first goal in the 10th minute. This was quickly followed by a second goal from Naledi Thakanyane just three minutes later.

The rest of the half saw a scoring spree with goals from Mokgaetji Ramanna and two more from Thakanyane and Thabiso Senyatsi, bringing the score to 5-0 by half-time.

Both Thakanyane and Senyatsi were the stars of the show, each completing a hat-trick. Thakanyane scored her third goal in the 44th minute and Senyatsi followed with her third just three minutes later.

With a commanding lead, TUT's coach wisely rested several key players by the 62nd minute, making all of their substitutions to prepare for the upcoming semifinal. Despite the heavy defeat, UNIVEN's coach also used the opportunity to give his players valuable game time, ensuring they could enjoy their participation in the tournament.

The final whistle blew with TUT celebrating a comprehensive 8-0 victory, setting the stage for an exciting semi-final showdown.