The Maties Netball team “showcased resilience” in two Varsity Netball games at the Varsity Netball Bumper Weekend in Stellenbosch recently, and secured their spot in the semi-finals.
This was according to Zanele Mdodana, coach of Maties Netball.
Despite a loss to the University of Johannesburg (UJ) on 3 September, Maties bounced back with a victory against the Nelson Mandela University Madibaz on 4 September, said Mdodana.
Maties Netball recently secured their spot in the Varsity Netball semi-finals after beating Madibaz from Nelson Mandela University 62-31 on 4 September in Stellenbosch, according to Zanele Mdodana, Maties Netball coach. Pictured above is player of the match, Entle Futshane from Maties. PHOTO: Anri van Helsdingen.
‘Intense’ clash with UJ
The match against UJ ended with a score of 32 to 35, according to Danielle van Niewenhuizen, Maties Netball player.
“The game was obviously very intense. The score was even until the last few minutes,” said Van Niewenhuizen.
“The game did not go the way we wanted it to go,” said Mdodana.
Resilience in crucial moments and learning to handle the physicality of the game is extremely important moving into the semi-finals, explained Mdodana.
The Maties Netball team have been learning how to pick themselves up after they lost to the University of Johannesburg on 3 September in the Varsity Netball tournament, according to Zanele Mdodana, Maties Netball coach. PHOTO: Anri van Helsdingen.
“We are learning what losing is about, and also how to pick yourself up after a loss,” added Mdodana.
With Maties being the reigning champions during the 2022 Varsity Netball tournament, the UJ netball team knew that Maties would be coming in strong, according to Bongi Msomi, UJ netball coach.
“UJ played exceptionally well,” said Van Niewenhuizen.
From defeat to triumph
Maties regrouped and secured a 62-31 victory over Madibaz on 4 September, according to Entle Futshane, Maties team member and player of the match.
“We struggled in the beginning to actually execute our game plan, but we did pick up in the second quarter,” said Futshane.
With Maties Netball being the reigning champions in the 2022 Varsity Netball tournament, the University of Johannesburg (UJ) netball team were prepared for Maties to come in strong at the Varsity Netball game on 3 September. This was according to UJ netball coach, Bongi Msomi. PHOTO: Anri van Helsdingen.
This win was crucial for the team’s confidence, given the tight competition in the semi-finals, added Futshane.
“There is no room for error. We want to hit the ground running right from the start and stay in it until the very end,” said Mdodana.
The semi-finals will take place on 11 September in Pretoria, according to Futshane.