Twin sisters Sphumelele and Thubelihle Shamase delivered a commendable shift as the University of Johannesburg (UJ) senior women’s team secured 5-0 win over Coal City Wizards FC on Sunday, 12 February 2023. A brace for Sphumelele and a single goal for Thubelihle added to the five-goal thriller in the second half of the match at the UJ Soweto Stadium.
This win is UJ’s second victory and two clean sheets for goalkeeper, Elizabeth Masevise. Prior to the first home game, the Orange Army (UJ), cruised past Durban Ladies FC at King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday, 4 February 2023 in KwaZulu-Natal Province. UJ added pressure to Coal City Wizards’ defensive woes as the visitors hoped to redeem themselves from their 9-1 defeat in their opening game.
UJ started pressing from the first minute of the opening half, but failed to score a single goal despite the many chances at goal. In the 16th minute, a good combination play between Sphumelele Shamase and Refilwe Maseko resulted in a goal that was ruled offside. Shannon Macomo and Shamase had several chances to give UJ the lead in the first half, but were not able to convert their chances. The UJ attacking players, Ayesha Moosa, Shamase, Macomo and Maseko scooped the ball over the cross bar in many of their shots at goal.
Both teams went into the half-time break goalless. However, UJ’s dominance over the visitors forced Coal City Wizards FC to make three quick substitutions in the first half.
The second half turned into a five-goal thriller with UJ stepping up their game and tempo. “The team is in good spirits. We had a nice team building session which was good for them before this match. I’m also glad that we do not have major injuries to stress about. It is always good to win the opening home game because it sets a good tone for the upcoming games and to gauge how we are doing.
“The girls practiced a number of combinations. The confidence is high, I’m sure you could see during the game. The players have set goals for themselves because they know how I want them to play football and win as many games as possible. We thank the home crowd for supporting us,” said UJ Head Coach, Nthabeleng Modiko.
The hosts broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute. Just seven minutes later, UJ found the back of the net to score a second goal and added a third goal in the 73rd minute. It did not end there, the Orange Army cemented their lead by scoring two more goals in the 84th and 87th minutes.
UJ summits the log on goal difference (GD 6) with 6 points ahead of Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies (GD 3) who have also garnered 6 points from their two matches. After a two-week break, the Orange Army will take on regular rivals the University of the Western Cape (UWC), who are in 5th position on the log, on Sunday, 26 February 2023 at 15h00.
