By Victor Turinawe.
School of Social Sciences combined with School of Journalism, Media and Communication (SJMC) have reached the grand final of the football category at the 2026 Uganda Christian University (UCU) Inter-Faculty Games.
They booked their place in the final after defeating School of Business 5-4 in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw in a tightly contested match played this afternoon at the UCU Mukono Campus Main Football Pitch.
Deng Martin, who had earlier looked like the saviour for the School of Business, missed the decisive penalty kick which would have given his side a chance to progress if Social Sciences and SJMC failed to convert theirs.
Earlier in the game, Deng had scored the equaliser in the 83rd minute after Diego Mugambwa had put the opponents ahead.
The game started in a rather sluggish manner in the first half, with neither side registering a shot on target. However, the match gained intensity in the second half, producing three shots on target — two for the School of Business, one of which resulted in Deng’s goal while the other was saved, and one for Social Sciences and SJMC, which resulted in Mugambwa’s goal.
Speaking after the match, Naptal Odeke, the goalkeeper for Social Sciences and SJMC, said the team remained determined throughout the game despite trailing at half-time.
He noted that the players trusted the preparations and training sessions conducted by their coach, which motivated them to keep pushing until the final whistle.
“It was an amazing game. We were determined and had prepared enough for this match. We wanted to put in all the effort and apply everything our coach had taught us during preparations, and that determination kept us going until the end,” he said.
Odeke also credited his confidence during the penalty shootout to the encouragement he received from his coach, saying the coach constantly reminded him during training that he was capable of stepping up during critical moments and helping the team when needed.
“My coach always told me that I could do better. Even during training, he kept telling me that he wanted me to save the team during difficult moments, so I believed I could help the team, and fortunately, I managed to make the save,” Odeke explained.
Odeke revealed that although this is only his second competition with the faculty team, he previously played volleyball before focusing more on football. He said he still possessed goalkeeping abilities and decided to step in after noticing the team’s first-choice goalkeeper was struggling in earlier matches.
“As a volleyball player, I had been more committed to volleyball, but I still had goalkeeping skills. Looking at our previous games, our goalkeeper was a bit shaky, so I decided to come in and assist the faculty,” he added.
Following today’s second semi-final tie, the grand finalists are now confirmed, with the Faculty of Engineering, Design and Technology (FEDT) set to face the School of Social Sciences combined with the School of Journalism, Media and Communication on Friday, 29 May 2026, at the UCU Mukono Campus Main Football Pitch.
