The University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) Senior Women’s Netball Team saw its Varsity Netball championship hopes end in the semifinal on Monday, 22 September 2025 after a 58-28 defeat to hosts North-West University.
This season was a remarkable journey for the Orange Army, which dominated the tournament with six consecutive victories. Their only regular-season loss was to NWU, who they faced twice in Round 7 and the semifinal.
The UJ team was significantly tested by injuries and player absences. They played the crucial match without key players, including goal shooter Kubura Abubaker and Minette Erasmus, who both sustained injuries. In addition, two of their most experienced seniors, Tarle Mathe and Owethu Ngubane, were away on national duty representing the South Africa national team, the SPAR Proteas, in Australia and New Zealand.
Head Coach Bongiwe Msomi acknowledged the difficulty of the situation. “Minette’s injury killed us today. The first-years [students] couldn’t absorb the pressure,” she explained. “We just couldn’t match them player by player.”
Despite the disappointment of not making the final, Coach Msomi remains optimistic. “We’ve set our standards really high, but we’ll go back to work without excuses,” she said, expressing gratitude for the club’s supporters.
This year’s semifinal finish is the second for UJ, following their 2022 run. The team made it to the final in both 2023 and 2024, demonstrating their consistent performance at the highest level.
Quarter scores: 14-6 | 29-12 | 44-19 | 55-28
NWU: Sunel Smit, Jaime Matfield, Andrya Joubert, Jessica Matjiu, Johanné Meyer, Amori Matthee, Christi-Mari Coetzee, Vivian Venancio, Jade Egwatu, Liane van Lochem, Casey Davids, Johanne Meyer.
UJ: Alexandra Meimaris, Juanika Steinmann, Minette Erasmus, Luyanda Msomi, Yanke Broodryk, Kamogelo Motsepe, Cornelia Mupenda, Sli Ngcobo, Tassnique Norman, Jade Niemand, Kaneilwe Seopa, Makayla Edgecomb.
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