UP-Tuks skipper Kara Stella knows that there is plenty riding on her team’s performances in Bloemfontein this weekend.
The Pretoria side face challenging matches against hosts Kovsies and pace-setters NWU-Pukke which Stella knows will be crucial to their overall Varsity Hockey ambitions.
UP-Tuks have not lost a Varsity Hockey match yet after notching wins over UJ and UCT and drawing with Maties in Potchefstroom, but Stella is adamant that they will need to raise their game in Bloemfontein.
“We haven’t lost yet which I suppose is a good sign going forward, but we have some tough matches coming up so we will need to play better,” she told varsitysportssa.
UP-Tuks played Kovsies and NWU-Pukke in pre-season and drew both games, which is an encouraging sign for Stella as she knows her team were not at their best in those matches.
“We drew both our warm-up games against them. We were actually quite lucky against Pukke because we did not play well but I think it is a good sign that we played badly and still didn’t lose,” she explained.
Although there were eight UP-Tuks players in the Northerns team that came third at the Under-21 inter-provincial tournament in Durban last week, Stella has plenty of confidence in their ability to perform at their best this weekend and believes that her team’s experience might give them an edge.
“We have trained hard for this and done lots of fitness and strength and conditioning so that should not be a problem. We have got quite a bit of experience in the team with eight girls in third year so as long as we stick to our gameplan we can do well,” she said.
Stella added that she is embracing the challenge of leading the UP-Tuks team and is very excited about what Varsity Hockey is doing for the sport.
“It is not about me, it is about managing the team and getting the best out of them, it is a challenge at times but I am enjoying it.
“I think Varsity Hockey is an awesome concept and the girls love it – the vibe is amazing. It is great that we have a chance to showcase our talent so hopfully it carries on,” she enthused.
