After three rounds of non-stop nail-biting action and exhilarating excitement, it was the players from UJ and Maties who came head to head in the final match of this year’s unforgettable programme.

Superb and top quality hockey from both sides, with each team equally committed and determined to take home the cup, Monday’s final was hard fought all the way.

However, it was ultimately UJ who took the Varsity Hockey title on home soil by beating Maties in a dramatic penalty shootout.

After a dominant start by Maties, which saw the Stellenbosch side take a 2-0 lead, UJ bounced back in front of screaming home crowds to reach an even 2-2 in the third and final chukka of the evening.

With the score deadlocked at 2-2 by the end of the final chukka, the final came down to a heart pounding penalty shootout.

The first to score was UJ’s Clint Panther and when Mark Fourie’s effort went wide, UJ were 1-0 up with Taylor Dart’s goal sealing the win for UJ.

Gerald Mphopho was the FNB man of the match, Clint Panther was the Samsung Super Striker whilst Jason Briggs was named the Mugg and Bean Star Saver.

After weeks of intense adrenalin and action, the last two days leading up to the final did not disappoint.

Sunday saw high action and determined play as UP-Tuks and UFS-Kovsies gave it their all against Maties and UJ respectively for a spot in the season’s final.

However, with Maties securing a hard-fought 1-0 victory over UP-Tuks and UJ delighting fans with their dominant 2-0 victory on home turf over Kovsies during Sunday’s semi-finals, Monday saw a tense play-off for third position between UP-Tuks and Kovsies.

Two stunning goals from Matthew Guise-Brown saw UP-Tuks secure a 2-0 victory and clinch the bronze, leaving UFS-Kovsies in overall fourth position.

The fifth and sixth position play-off saw UCT beat NMMU’s Madibaz 2-1, with the play-off for positions seven and eight ending in a 2-2 draw between Wits and Rhodes.