Delisile Mbatha explains Varsity Cup importance for UJ Ladies

UJ won three of their four matches at the ongoing Varsity Cup hosted by the Tshwane University of Technology, as they bowed out of the competition following their defeat to University of Pretoria on Monday. 

Mbatha says their participation in Varsity games are crucial in preparing their team to finish strong in the Hollywoodbets Super League.

"The Varsity Cup is the most important tournament for us as UJ. All our players always look forward to participating, it definitely will help us to find different combinations and it will help us understand our players better," said Mbatha. 

"It is also important in helping us prepare for the league and for us to have a better tactical understanding ahead of the league."

UJ will return to the second round of the Hollywoodbets Super League with an away match against Richmond United on 10 August at Merino Park in De Aar. 

Mbatha unpacks the reason why the league appears to be getting tougher at this point.

"We are aware that the second round will not be easy, as more and more players are getting match fit, and the teams are finding more combinations through analysis," she added. 

"Richmond is not an easy team to beat, especially when they are playing at home, but we have young, quality players, who are very mobile and are very positive. 

"We are actually looking forward to that game, we have not played against them this season, so it is going to be our first game against them, but we are positive as a team."

Mbatha says they continue to rely on their leading goal scorers, such as Thato Mofolo, to see them retain a spot in the top three come the end of the season.

"Thato Mofolo is a very good young striker with so much talent, and a good thing is that she has a lot of support from our midfielders," noted Mbatha. 

"It is exciting to see her bang a lot of goals in the league, and hopefully it continues throughout the season. We expect a lot from her and her teammates as well."

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