​With a big Western Province Grand Challenge match against title contenders WPCC coming up this weekend the Steinhoff Maties Hockey men's team won't have much time to think about their disappointing end to the Varsity Hockey tournament.

The Maties men and women play WPCC at the Maties Astro on Sunday.

Maties lost 0-1 to UP-Tuks in the semi-final of the Varsity Hockey tournament on Monday. This was the first time since August 2012 that Maties lost at their home ground. The result was even more disappointing because Maties had been dominant in all their matches since their loss against the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in the first match of the competition.

During the course of the tournament, they scored 43 goals in eight matches and only conceded six. Keenan Horne, Shannon Boucher and James Drummond scored six goals each. Eight other players also got on the scoreboard. Daniel Bell scored five goals and Dylan Swanepoel and Reece Arendse hit the back of the goal box four times each.

Horne was named Super Striker three times and Man of the Man twice.

The expectations for the semi-final against Tuks were high. On Friday Maties beat them 6-1. But Monday was one of those days when absolutely nothing went Maties' way. They had chances but the ball never crossed the line into the goal box.

When Tuks keeper Estiaan Kriek saved a shot from the penalty spot at a critical point in the game it was clear that it just wasn't Maties' night.

Even though the disappointment was obvious and the players will feel like they let themselves down, they will have to shift their focus soon as they face a very amped and confident WPCC team this weekend. After the heartbreak of the Varsity Hockey tournament they will want to get back on the winning track.

Coach Ashlin Freddy preferred to look at the positive aspects from the tournament. "I feel that as a group we got a lot closer. We also started to discover how far we can push the boundaries physically which meant we could play with a really high intensity. We had the best defensive record in the league phase, only conceding seven goals in seven games (the next best was 16!) and we also topped the scoring chart with 43 goals (next best was 33). The first years definitely grew from game one to game eight. It will give us a good platform as we shift our focus to the league and then preparation for USSA."

Maties play WPCC at the Maties Astro on Sunday. "It is going to be a real mental test for us. We have some really young players who have tasted disappointment for the first time, and the more experienced guys have been in this situation before. We are playing against a very experienced side that have a 100% record thus far. Playing during exams is never easy, as we put a big emphasis on academics, which adds difficulty to our task on Sunday."​

​There will be four matches at the Maties Astro on Sunday. Vics take on Pinelands (men and women) and the first match is at 12:00. Maties women play WPCC at 15:00 and the men will be in action at 16:30.

Photo: Keenan Horne