By now, it is no longer news that Tuks’ women’s hockey team won the USSA Tournament, but why are the numbers 18, 2 and 5 special in the victory procession?
The answer is that in five games, Tuks scored 18 goals and conceded only 2. The 18 goals are the most by a team in the tournament. Tuks and Maties both conceded only two goals, the fewest by any team. Angele Vogel (Tuks) is one of three players to have scored five goals.
Vogel, a third-year radiography student, has the distinction of playing a part in Tuks’ two USSA wins in the last three years. Tuks were also the champions in 2024. She scored all five goals this time around with dragflicks.
Asked what it takes to be a good dragflicker, Vogel’s honest answer is “practise and more practice,” as it’s all about precision.
“Dragflicking is actually a full-on team effort between the pusher, stopper and flicker. One mistake can mean no goal is scored. As a flicker, my rhythm has got to be spot on. Placement and speed are of cardinal importance. The faster I can get the ball to come at the keeper, the more difficult it is to stop.”
According to Vogel, the challenges of playing hockey are what attracted her to the game.
“When playing, it is as if my brain gets stimulated.”
Vogel credits the team’s fitness for Tuks’ 2-1 win over Maties in the final.
“Over the last six months, we really have put in a lot of long, hard hours to ensure that we will be at our best at USSA’s. Inky Zondi, our coach, deserves credit for the way he got us all to buy into the game plan.”
Being agile, quick and having excellent reflexes are what it takes to be an outstanding hockey goalkeeper – Tuks’s Lilly-Anne Theron ticked all those boxes during the USSA Tournament. That is one of the reasons Tuks only conceded two goals. But she will not take sole credit for what happened.
“Coach Inky often reminds us that goals win matches, but solid defensive play wins tournaments. It was a team effort at USSA’s. What was important to me was to stay calm and help my teammates do the same. I also navigated our defensive play, reminding everyone of the decisions we discussed in the team talk. It is to forget about when playing.”
