NMMU defender Keisha Arnolds feels that her side is improving as a team and this can only help them heading into the next round of the Varsity Hockey challenge in Johannesburg this weekend.
The defender has been responsible for three of the NMMU goals so far this season and will be hoping that she can add to that tally and that the Madibaz can add to their one win the tournament so far.
“My goals have come from short corners but what is good is that we have been able to score when we have had the chance.
“In the first two games we were very defensive and were not able to attack but when we got an opportunity we scored,” she told varsitysportssa.
As with many of the other girls involved in the tournament, Arnolds has just been involved in the national under-21 Inter-provincial tournamanent (IPT) and has five days to rest up before the next leg of Varsity Hockey.
“We [Eastern Province U21] were quite unlucky, at the tournament, to only come seventh.
“I was feeling more tired before the IPT but I am feeling a lot better now and we have some time now to train as a team and prepare,” she mentioned.
After claiming a morale boosting win over Wits in their last game of the first leg means that they are improving – following two losses in their first two games.
“We just want to move forward and get better.
“There are some tough games coming up for us, again, but I know that we will get better.
“There is a bit of time for us to prepare now because we don’t have any matches this week so we can just prepare,” Arnolds added.
The group seems to be coming together better now and Arnolds is happy that they are creating a great team environment.
“We are starting to get to know each other better now and this will help us play more as a team because we will understand each other a lot better,” Arnolds said.
NMMU take on UJ on May, 11 and then tackle UCT on May, 13 in Johannesburg in what are going to be two tough fixtures.
