UWC’S ladies tested themselves against the Cape Town Spurs U16s last week, in their first friendly of the new campaign.
They were beaten 3-0 by the teenagers from Ikamva.
And while coach Thinasonke Mbuli will be away for Banyana Banyana camp, the work will continue for week five of pre-season as they gear up for the first match of the season next month.
Mbuli feels she has the squad to deal with the challenges that got the better of them last term, telling Diski Business: “I’m the first to admit that it’s the results against the teams you are supposed to beat that frustrated the most about last season.
“The aim was to go all out and challenge the current champions [Mamelodi Sundowns], it was only when we got injuries at key period October-November with exams and all of that.
“We couldn’t cope with the squad we had. There are those games where you drop points and when you look back you feel like ‘could’ve should’ve’.
UWC is even preparing for life without injured Banyana star Bongeka Gamade, which might have been a blessing in disguise for her and the club at the moment, as she had quite a few suitors after her performance at the World Cup.
Mbuli adds: “She’s graduating this year, left with one module so she will be able to finish.
“She is the one player that I can let go with an open heart. She has done well for us, she has reached her ceiling and won all the awards here at UWC.”
I’m looking forward to meeting all the players one on one and bringing you all their stories as the season progresses.