Titans defeat Croatian side in European cup
Olefile Serokolo | Wednesday August 23, 2017 15:26
Titans won 2-0 against the Croatian side in a game, which was played at Montegranaro Field on Monday. Titans manager, Tshepiso Ramolapong was happy with how the team played.
“They were focussed and I was impressed with their performance. This was the first international game for most of the players and there was a bit of fear, which affected offence and hopefully we will see a bit of improvement going forward,” Ramolapong told Mmegi Sport.
She further said the 2-0 was a tight score. Ramolapong said it was easy for the opponents to have made a comeback. She said that there were situations when the opponents could have scored and probably tied the game, but the girls were able to defend.
She further said they observed that the European teams are very aggressive and fight to the very end, something she said they will work on. Team captain, Melitah Seabelo said the girls looked good and that they showed character and a winning mentality.
“The preparations for this game were quite intense. Players were committed and that helped us a lot. Initially, it was a bit of a challenge coming from winter conditions back home and arriving to 39 degrees celsius here. It is quite hot and humid, but generally the team has adapted well,” Seabelo said.
The team was expected to face Carrousel of Russia yesterday in their second game and Ramolapong said they were going to use a short game approach.
The team arrived in Italy on Saturday after a 16-hour flight. Ramolapong said they travelled well and that the team is more hyped up than ever before. She added that the weather is quite hot and that preparations for the games are going well.
“We are having intense training sessions before each and every game. The team rested well and they showed the readiness to face other countries after seeing off the Croatian team,” she said.
The team got a wildcard invitation to participate in the European tournament. The tournament is organised by ASD Montegranaro, which is the governing body of the Women European Softball Cup. The invitation came due to the team’s performance at home and abroad. Titans are the first African team to participate in the cup.