News Details

27th NUGA Hockey Opens with Mixed Fortunes for Teams

The hockey event of the 27th Nigerian University Games (NUGA) commenced today at the University of Jos, with teams recording mixed results across both the male and female categories.

Matches were played in four quarters of 15 minutes each, totalling 60 minutes per game. The tournament features five universities in the male category and three in the female category.

Speaking with Campulse News, NUGA Hockey Chairman Professor Rasheed Ojutiku described the competition as impressive, despite early challenges. “So far, the 27th NUGA Games have been fantastic. Although we had some hitches at the beginning, everything is now in order,” he said. “We started the matches at 7 a.m., and we will continue tomorrow at the same time.”

Professor Ojutiku commended the growing participation in NUGA events compared to the previous edition. However, he acknowledged the lack of a standard hockey pitch, attributing it to funding challenges.

Match Results In the men’s category, the University of Jos (UNIJOS) edged Bayero University, Kano (BUK) 1–0, while Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED) defeated the University of Maduguri (UNIMAID) 5–1. Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) also secured a win over BUK in their second outing.

In the women’s category, the University of Benin (UNIBEN) beat UNIJOS 1–0.

TASUED captain, Usman Ayomide, praised the fair officiating and his team’s performance. “The match went well and was fair. Both teams displayed good skills, but our victory was largely due to our preparation and teamwork. Our goal is to win the gold,” he said.

ABU captain, Ahmed Hassan, said determination and teamwork earned his side the win despite a short squad. “We played without any substitutes but managed to secure victory. We won silver at the last NUGA and are now targeting gold,” he stated.

For BUK, their captain expressed dissatisfaction with the match schedule and an officiating decision. “We were informed late that we would be playing a league game instead of group matches. We were short of players, and a goal we scored was disallowed for being outside the ‘D’. That cost us a draw,” he said.

UNIMAID captain, Jibrin Buba, admitted defensive lapses led to their defeat. “We lost because of poor defensive positioning. We will correct our mistakes in the next games,” he noted.

Expert Opinion A hockey coach and observer, Mr Marcus Izang, called for more investment in university hockey. “Universities are breeding grounds for talents. NUGA should improve hockey facilities, and schools should employ more coaches. The pitch condition also affected play,” he said.

The hockey event continues tomorrow with more fixtures in both male and female categories.

Source: https://thecampulse.com