The University of the Western Cape (UWC) football team fought hard to salvage a point following a 0-0 draw against the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in yesterday's Varsity Football game at UWC Sports Stadium.

It was the second consecutive draw for UWC after playing to a 1-1 draw away at Central University of Technology in their opening match last week. So far, the two points earned in the competition have placed Udubs fifth in the standings with five games remaining in the round-robin mini-league.

The game started at a high tempo, with both teams looking dangerous. At 15 minutes, UWC put pressure on UJ's defenders as Devon Nolan's close strike went wide, and the score remained 0-0.

The high intensity of the match was increasing, and the home side continued to be the better team creating several good chances.

UWC had two clear chances to take the lead just before the end of the first half, but their attempts failed as the UJ goalkeeper Richard Banga Lona pulled out an outstanding one-handed save. 

Ten minutes into the second half, UWC was awarded an indirect free kick after Matthew Petersen was tackled just a few inches outside the UJ penalty box, but Petersen's kick went over the crossbar.

UWC centre-back Damian Overmeyer had a clear chance to find the back of the net, but Banga Lona saved the day once again. 

UWC captain Craig Joemath was stretchered off after a collision with a UJ defender, and the home side continued to play with ten men.
As the match approached the end, UJ created numerous chances as the Johannesburg-based team made it clear that they wanted to walk away with the win. Leathan Croats, however, made two crucial saves to prevent it, and the match ended in a draw.

Next week UWC will be traveling to Bloemfontein to take on the fourth-placed University of Free State.

MATCH FACTS

Thursday, 3 August 2023
At UWC Stadium
UWC 0
UJ 0
Player of the match: Richard Banga Lona (UJ)
UWC Starting XI: Leathan Croats, Craig Joemath (captain), Damian Overmeyer, Jadan Zeeman, Siyabulela Mcimeli, Sandile Nomjila, Relebohile Matima, Riyaaz Koopstadt, Devon Nolan, Leandro De Sousa, Khanya Dyani.    
Head coach: Dr Lwando Mdleleni



Match summary by Karina van den Heever/ Varsity Sports) and images by Luigi Bennett/Varsity Sports.