In every team sport, there are unsung heroes—the guys who train every afternoon, give their all, and motivate their teammates, yet end up on the bench on match day.
You will never hear them complain. For these unsung heroes, it is always about what is best for the team. When the opportunity arises, they want to make a difference. Koketso Mokou, from the Tuks men’s soccer team, is one such player.
As a goalkeeper, he has so far had only one chance to play for Tuks in the Varsity Tournament. That was in the pool match against UJ. Tuks won 1–0. Mokou was brilliant in preventing UJ from finding the back of the net. His heroics did not go unnoticed; he was named Player of the Match.
Tomorrow evening, around seven o’clock, Mokou will once again be on the bench when Tuks takes the field against TUT. It doesn’t bother him, because he knows he played his part in helping Tuks reach the Varsity final for the first time in 10 years. But rest assured: should he get the chance to guard the Tuks goal, he will give it his all. He wants every appearance for Tuks to count.
“When I get the chance to play, it is important to prove that I am good enough. That game against UJ was an amazing experience. It boosted my self-esteem and was a great confidence booster,” said the 2nd year education student.
“The goalkeeper is often the key player who determines whether a team wins or loses. After all, matches are won or lost on goals. I hope I am making sense. A good goalkeeper communicates with his teammates. As a goalkeeper, the game unfolds right in front of you. This lets you organise the players so they are in the right place at the right time.”
Can Tuks beat TUT in the Varsity final? Mokou’s immediate answer is ‘definitely’.
“It won’t be easy. Tuks versus TUT is a derby. Make no mistake, there will be no shortage of motivation for any player. It’s never easy playing against TUT because they’re hungry. They don’t know what it means to give up. But I back Tuks to win. I know every player and what they can do. They will step up. The most important thing is that the team doesn’t get carried away just because it’s a final. Tomorrow is just another match. A match that needs to be won.”
Jason Cox, Player of the Match in the Tuks semifinal against UJ, agreed that the final against TUT will be do-or-die.
“We feel really good about beating UJ twice in two weeks, but we know we have to put that feeling behind us so we can put all our attention on the final. TUT is a very physical team that will look to play route-one football for most of the game, so we have to mentally prepare for that. We must keep it ugly, as we did in our duals in the last two games, so we can win our duals and put the opposition on the back foot once again. In the semifinal, UJ dropped off as they couldn’t keep up with our intensity for the full 90 minutes.”
Kickoff for tomorrow’s final at Tuks is at 19:00.
