Photo: Johan Roux
The University of the Free State (UFS) made history over the last year with KovsieSport experienced nothing less than an extraordinary season, with a winning fever spreading right across the different sporting codes.
Most recently, on Monday 18 May 2015, the KovsieHockey ladies faced off against the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in the 2015 Varsity Hockey final at the Kovsie Hockey Astro on the Bloemfontein Campus. Although the team from Kovsies did not manage to win the final, they were undisputed winners throughout the entire hockey tournament in May.
Adding to the pride and joy of KovsieHockey this year was the inclusion of five Protea hockey players to strengthen the UFS side. Liné Malan (UFS captain), Cornelle Botha, Nicole Walraven, Tanya Britz, and Izelle Lategan were all part of the amazing UFS team in this year’s Varsity Hockey tournament. Lategan and Britz have been playing for the Proteas for some time now, but Malan, Botha, and Walraven made their senior national debut only this year.
Until the final, the KovsieHockey ladies were undefeated throughout the entire Varsity Hockey tournament this year. KovsieHockey even beat the 2014 defending champions, Maties from Stellenbosch University, 3-1 in the semifinal on 11 May.
Kovsies – Varsity Hockey 2015 record:
- Kovsies 0 - 3 University of Johannesburg (Final)
- Kovsies 3 - 0 Maties (Semifinal)
- Kovsies 9 - 0 University of Cape Town
- Kovsies 6 - 2 Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
- Kovsies 2 - 1 University of Pretoria Tuks
- Kovsies 5 - 1 University of Johannesburg
- Kovsies 4 - 0 University of Witwatersrand
- Kovsies 3 - 0 Stellenbosch University Maties
- Kovsies 2 - 1 North-West University Pukke
Malan, Britz and Walraven will also represent the Protea Hockey team in Valencia (Spain) in the third round of the World Hockey Series in the first week of June 2015.