UNIMAID male hockey players celebrate after defeating UNIJOS 1–0 in the ongoing 27th NUGA Games in Jos
The University of Jos (UNIJOS) female hockey team found their rhythm on Tuesday with a 1–0 victory over the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) in the ongoing 27th Nigeriam University Games (NUGA), while the UNIMAID men’s team claimed a measure of redemption with a narrow 1–0 win against UNIJOS.
Joy Ebene sealed the day for the UNIJOS women with a decisive strike in the third quarter, capping a game that started in chaos but ended in control. Captain Shittu Aminat admitted that the team’s early struggles were due to incomplete numbers.
“Most of our players didn’t come on time, we started with eight inside, but had a full team by the second quarter,” Aminat explained. “There were still lapses, but we tried our best. We are stronger than the opponent we met yesterday; it was just some errors in defence which we corrected today.”
The win helped UNIJOS recover from their earlier 1–0 loss to UNIBEN, marking a return to confidence for a side still finding its balance.
In the men’s fixture, however, the tables turned. UNIMAID, still smarting from a 5–1 defeat to Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), showed sharper focus and tighter defending to edge UNIJOS 1–0. Team captain Jibrin Buba said the victory was the result of lessons learned. “We corrected our defence line. The UNIJOS team was not tough, though we didn’t perfect our goal strategy — we could have scored more,” Buba said, beaming with relief.
UNIJOS male captain, Obed Nannim admitted that the UNIMAID side deserved their win, citing better training conditions and superior facilities as key advantages. “They trained more and had better equipment. But we are still optimistic — anything can happen. We’re aiming for gold,” he said.
The UNIJOS men had earlier edged Bayero University, Kano (BUK) 1–0, but their loss to UNIMAID may serve as a timely reminder of the competitiveness of the hockey event at this year’s Games.
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