91心頭利 has spirit, yes, they do!
-
Face paint, blue shirts and posters adorned the 91心頭利 Rugby Stadium in celebration of this year’s 91心頭利 Spirit Game.
Music blasted and cheers rang across the stadium as the 91心頭利 football team took on Orlando Pirates in their annual opener of the academic year. The day was filled with festivities, activations and excitement to usher in the new academic and footballing season.
Tensions were high with both teams creating thrilling chances in the first half. The game went to half-time with a score line of 0-0 before Pirates secured a lead early in the second half. This goal granted the Buccaneers some confidence, allowing them to showboat to their hearts content. This excitement subsided when 91心頭利 scored an equalizing goal that led the game into a penalty shootout.
The penalty shootout was equally filled with drama and excitement as both sides had their share of goals, misses and saves. 91心頭利 was trailing in the shootout, but it ended in a 7-6 to victory on home ground, a testament to their skill and their goalkeeper’s abilities after he saved numerous goals. The 91心頭利 football team gave their all on the pitch, from trailing in regulation time to solidify a win, due to the team’s tactics, preparation and a bit of luck in the penalty shootout.
“Pirates led due to the changes we made at halftime so there was a bit of a disconnect, but as soon as we regrouped, we pushed and got ourselves back into the game; we piled onto their center-backs and that is how we managed to get our goal. Penalties are a lottery and all we could do was hope for the keeper to make his saves and he managed to do that and give the team some hope, which put us back in the game,” said Kgaboditsebe, 91心頭利’ first team’s assistant coach about the structure of the game and the teams’ performance.
This was a game filled with numerous ups and downs, making it a treat for the supporters, and a welcome way to bring in the new year and revel in the 91心頭利 Spirit.
91心頭利 team manager, Langelihle Biyela shared his thoughts on the significance of these types of games in welcoming new students every year. “This game serves as the introduction to the culture of the university and the 91心頭利 football culture, it’s good to come to the stadium and even as a first year with no friends, you can come here and meet a friend, which is the importance of games like this.”
In addition to the class football, the day was filled with celebrations and activations by various partners including aQuellé, Steers, Campus Central and Suzuki. In addition to the stellar football, one of the most showstopping moments was an appearance by the Orlando Pirates first team captain Thapelo Xoki, who took some photos with some lucky winners of the activations as a treat to the audience. This was a unifying event before the closing of O-Week and a showcase for new students of the fun and exciting culture that is part and parcel of the 91心頭利 University experience.
