Jermaine eyes the Olympics

Banyana Banyana forward Jermaine Seoposenwe (above) says the team keeps improving with every game they play after marking her 100th cap for the South African senior national women’s team in the return leg of the Olympic qualifier against Tanzania at Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday.

Seoposenwe, who plays her football in Mexico for Monterrey, has been part of the Banyana set-up since 2010, having also represented the country at junior national levels.

The striker scored for Banyana in the 3-0 first-leg victory against Tanzania. They wrapped up the two-legged tie 4-0 on aggregate after a 1-0 victory via a Thembi Kgatlana goal in Mbombela.

“I believe we have grown so much as a team and individually. We have been playing together for many years now, that’s what makes us strong, we understand each other so well.

“The team spirit is just unbelievable. That makes a lot of difference and even young, new players don’t struggle to fit in the team.

“If you looked at the way we played during the World Cup – we were there for each other, it was a team effort and that helped us to go through to the knockout stages,” said Seoposenwe.

“I am happy to have made my 100th cap for Banyana, it means a lot to me. I am glad that I am part of a history-making team.

“I want to continue doing well and helping the team qualify for the Olympics. The job against Tanzania has been completed, now we have one more hurdle to go over.”

Banyana face Nigeria over two legs in the final round of the qualifiers next month. Seoposenwe knows coming up against the Super Falcons won’t be easy, but she is confident that the team can emerge victorious.

“I believe in our team. We are going to prepare like we always prepare for any other game when we face Nigeria. The main objective is to qualify for the Olympics and we will go all out to make sure that we achieve our goal.”