The University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) Senior women’s football team has concluded their 2024 Hollywoodbets Super League campaign on a positive note, securing a commendable 4th place finish with 65 points. The team’s performance this year marks a significant improvement from their 9th finish in 2023.
Throughout the season, UJ played 30 matches, winning 20, drawing 5, and losing 5. They scored 56 goals while conceding only 20.
The Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies claimed the top spot with 80 points, and the University of the Western Cape secured second place with 66 points. The UJ ladies team is on a tie on points with TS Galaxy Queens who are in 3rd place, leading UJ with only a three-goal difference.
Speaking on the team’s excellent run in the league, Head Coach Nthabeleng Modiko says, “Our target was to finish in top 4 on the log and we have done exactly that. This is an encouraging improvement because it shows growth and consistency compared to the previous years.
Over the past three years, we have steadily ascended to a better position and credit goes to the players and the technical crew; it shows that they understand the task and execute it with intention to achieve our annual objectives.”
Modiko says that the team will continue to improve and grow especially when they acquire the right talent to reinforce the squad. “In a university football setup, the majority of the players are students and that means the talent pool has to be improved when others graduate and leave. Our recruitment and development structures always have to be on point to ensure consistency in team performances. I think we have done well, and I hope that everyone in the team is proud of their contributions to finish in this position,” she says.
The UJ Ladies team shot stopper, Matshidiso Masebe, holds the highest clean sheet (14) while teammate Thato Mofolo is the UJ top goal scorer and 3rd leading in the league with 13 goals scored.
Meanwhile, their UJ male counterparts continue to compete in the 2024 Gauteng ABC Motsepe League. Thus far, the UJ Senior Men’s Team are doing well to stay in the league for yet another season. They are currently in 7th place on the log with 10 points after eight games played.
The two UJ teams will be playing the 2024 University Sport South Africa (USSA) championship at Sol Plaatje University in Kimberley, Northern Cape from 2-5 December. There, they will battle it out to qualify for the 2025 Varsity Football tournament. In 2024, the women’s team finished in the semi-finals while the men’s team did not participate as they did not not qualify for the tournament in the 2023 December USSA championship.
Head Coach Karabo Mogudi has a huge task ahead in the USSA championship to steer the UJ Senior Men’s Team back into the Varsity Football tournament next year.
Speaking ahead of the USSA games, Mogudi said, “The USSA tournament is the most anticipated tournament of the year. This year, the tournament will be held in the very hot Kimberley and we are in a very difficult group. We are drawn with two past Varsity Football champions, and it just shows you the caliber of the group. The hosts are also drawn in this group with a dark horse in MUT. It will be a very difficult USSA for UJ, but the Orange Army thrives in difficult circumstances.
“We are preparing and already competing in a very challenging league. There are high expectations from the University at large for us to do well in this tournament. We have belief in the boys and we trust that they will do well. Our aim is always a podium finish at USSA Club Champs.”
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