It was a tough weekend in Potchefstroom for UJ and will be looking to showcase an improved performance when they host the next round of Varsity Hockey from May 8-11.
The Johannesburg ladies managed to end the opening round in fourth position after claiming two wins from their four matches and will be relying on the usual massive crowd to help spur them on as they look to secure a semifinal spot.
Tarryn Mallet gave an excellent showing of herself in the four matches but feels she has to raise her standards in order to help the team achieve success in the next round.
“Personally, I feel like my performances were a little up and down but it was nice to get back into competitive hockey again and I have a rough idea of what I need to improve on for the next round in Johannesburg.
“As a team, we had a very tough weekend but the vibe among the girls is still very positive. We know we have a lot to prove, especially after letting ourselves down with our performance against UFS-Kovsies in our final game but we are ready for the upcoming weekend,” she told varsitysportssa.com.
Mallet was part of the Maties squad that claimed the title in 2013 and switched allegiances to UJ to pursue her goal of becoming a Chartered Accountant and has realised that UJ are currently in a rebuilding phase – something she is proud to be a part of.
“At this moment UJ are in a rebuilding phase, so we are putting in the hard yards to establish UJ as a powerhouse in the Varsity Hockey arena. So there are some really exciting times ahead for us.
“Potch had an amazing crowd and that created an awesome vibe but I think we can expect the Johannesburg crowd to come in their numbers like they did last year for the men’s tournament. Our goal to make sure we end up in the semifinals and with the home crowd behind us, I think we can definitely make them proud,” she added.
UJ welcome back National striker Lillian du Plessis for the next round and Mallet feels her experience will be vital to UJ’s success.
“We are all really excited to have Lillian back in the squad. She brings a lot of energy to the team and we can all get to draw from her experience. It’s nice to have a player of her calibre up front to add more ammunition to our strike force,” she stated.
