Free State universities’ women’s football teams have a long way to go before becoming a force to be reckoned with in intervarsity competitions. Evidence thereof was the early elimination of the women’s side of the Central University of Technology (CUT), Free State, in this year’s Varsity Football competition.
The CUT managed to record just a single win, 1 – 0, against the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). The local outfit returned to the competition having debuted in 2019. The University of the Free State’s (UFS) women’s side is yet to qualify.
The CUT showed no improvement due to lengthy absences from participation in this highly competitive intervarsity tournament, which features top-seeded universities from across South Africa.
The team was unable to capitalise on its single win to rise to the occasion. Failing to secure a slot in the semifinals, they lost 1 – 6 to the University of the Western Cape (UWC); 0 – 4 to the University of Johannesburg (UJ); and 0 – 6 to the University of Pretoria (UP). The CUT players were to win at least two matches and draw two matches to qualify for the semifinals.
Inexperience and a lack of an edge is blamed for the devastating losses against these tough opponents Z all campaigning in the Hollywoodbets Super League, the country’s senior women’s league competition played under the auspices of Safa.
“The results indicated that women’s football development in Free State universities have a long way to go in reaching the standard of the teams we lost against,” said Lefu Mohapi, head of the CUT women’s team.
