Lindelwa Mabuza’s sassy chip to find the back of the net in a high-stakes semifinal clash against regular rivals University of the Western Cape at Wits Stadium booked the University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) Senior Women’s Team in the Varsity Football 2026 final. The UJ ladies eliminated defending champions UWC from the competition following a thrilling encounter on a cold Monday evening, 10 August.
With all sights set on a spot in the final, both UJ and UWC brought their A game from the opening minute of the first half. UJ set the pace early on, launching offensive moves into the UWC half with a high-tempo rhythm to press the Western Cape side deep into their own half. However, UWC defended well with their own intermittent counter-attacks albeit not testing UJ goalkeeper Matshidiso Masebe.
Despite UJ dominating possession on the field, UJ failed the to score for the better part of the semifinal. The decisive breakthrough finally arrived in the 67th minute when Lindelwa Mabuza, combining with Sbongakonke Mzobe, sliced through the UWC penalty area to score the winner for the Orange Army. Sandleni was named the FNB Player of the Match for her impressive exploits in the midfield.
The Orange Army’s victory over UWC came just after a 1-1 draw against the University of Limpopo ladies, with Sthembile Msomi scoring UJ’s opening goal before Welcome Maphanga equalized for the Limpopo outfit. Both goals came in the dying minutes of the last round-robin match.
The UJ Ladies will face the University of Pretoria (UP-Tuks in the final scheduled for Wednesday, 19 August 2026 at the UJ Soweto Stadium.
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