Captain of the female national hockey team, Nafisatu Umaru, says the time spent in Australia during the Commonwealth Games has been beneficial to the group.
The team finished 10th overall after playing five matches against Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Scotland and Wales, conceded 28 while scoring once.
However, despite not winning a medal and the poor statistics, Umaru is happy for the chance to play in the Games.
“It feels great to have played in the Games because we got what we expected as a team.
We acknowledge the high level of the play here and we came for exposure and improvement on our game and to bridge the gap between African hockey and European hockey.
We improved game after game and we wish to have these experiences more often.”
The team’s final match was against Canada which they lost 2-0 on penalties after the match ended 1-1 after regulation time.
Umaru missed one of Ghana’s kicks and admitted that she was gutted for not putting her kick away.
“We were positive about the game and we thought we could win the shootout. But that did not happen. I am disappointed that I failed to score when it was turn to play.”
The team will now get ready to start qualifying for the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020.
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By: Nathan Quao/citifmonline.com/Ghana