As the new Hollywoodbets Super League season kicked off for the 2024 calendar year on Saturday, the University of Johannesburg's women's football team, under the capable leadership of Captain Refilwe Maseko, secured an impressive victory against First Touch Ladies.
In a thrilling match that saw UJ triumph with a 4-1 scoreline, Maseko stood out not only as the captain but also as a key contributor, netting two crucial goals and led her squad with determination. In an exclusive interview with the UJ Women's football captain, we delved into the captain's preparation for the match and her aspirations for the new Hollywoodbets Super League season.
“As a team we focused on our strengths and how we would use those strengths to our advantage. Coach laid out a ‘blueprint’ on how we should play ideally but obviously we added a bit of individual brilliance according to the positions.” Expressed the Captain.
Maseko continued and shared how she prepared for the battle in her own time: “As an individual I watched a few of my previous games, looked at what worked for me and basically spent more time enhancing those strengths.”
The University of Johannesburg finished the 2023 season on the 9th spot on the log, they collected the same amount of victories as they did with defeats (13 ) and only 4 matches ended in stalemates. This marked the second consecutive time they secured the 9th spot, following a similar finish in 2021.
However, it's essential to note the team's progress in their earlier seasons, in the inaugural 2019/20 season, UJ claimed the 8th position while in 2022 the team experienced a significant leap, securing the 5th position.
Maseko expressed her ambitious goals for the new season, envisioning a journey marked by growth, development, and, ultimately finishing off better than they did in their last campaign.
“My goal this season is to definitely do better than what I did last year. Get on the score sheet as much as possible. For my momentum to be constant I really need to work hard, focus on being better every time .Be committed to my training sessions and even have extra sessions outside team sessions”
“As a team we are looking to do better than last season. Placing 9th wasn’t what we were aiming for so we have definitely aimed higher.”
On Saturday, March 9, the Orange Army will come up against JVW at UJ Soweto Stadium, the last time the two sides met was on November 26, 2023 and the Blue Diamonds snatched a 2-1 victory. UJ enters this contest with a wave of confidence after securing a convincing victory in their opening game while on the other side, JVW FC is looking to bounce back from a challenging start to the season. The team faced a setback in their opening match, suffering a 2-0 defeat.
“Fifi”, as she is popularly called by her peers, advocated for increasing support for women's football and encouraged supporters to come to the stadium and witness the excitement firsthand. She also took a moment to express gratitude to the loyal fans who have been unwavering in their support.
“With the supporters that come to watch, as uj football ladies we’d love to give thanks to their love and support. They are really appreciated and it’s really heart warming to play in an atmosphere that motivates and supports us while playing on the field.”
“And for those that haven’t had the pleasure to come watch us, you are really missing out on good entertaining football. We’d love to encourage them to take just two hours of their time to join us. They won’t regret it.”
FIXTURE ALERT:
9 MAR 2024 | 15:00
UJFC vs JVW
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