JOHANNESBURG -This year’s edition of the Varsity Football Women tournament reaches its climax with the two Gauteng university teams, the University of Johannesburg and the University of Pretoria (UP-Tuks), battling for the crown in the final set for 19 August, following hard-fought wins in their semi-final matches on Monday. The UJ women reached their fourth successive Varsity Football Women final after a nail-biting 1-0 win against defending champions the University of the Western Cape (UWC). The victory pits them against Gauteng arch-rivals UP-Tuks.

UP-Tuks women secured their berth in the final with a hard-earned 1-0 victory against the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) in a tense Pretoria derby. The UJ women are looking for their third title, while UP-Tuks are hunting for their maiden trophy, having finished as runners-up twice. UJ have finished as runners-up three times. The two sides will meet in the final for the first time since the tournament’s inception.

The eagerly awaited final affords the UJ women a perfect opportunity to atone for last year’s 1-0 defeat on their home turf by UWC, four-time champions and five-time runners-up in South Africa’s premier university football competition.

In-form UJ women finished their round-robin matches undefeated in Group A, while UP-Tuks lost one match in Group B. Both drew one match each in their respective groups. A record is set to fall when they face off in the high-stake final.