Moorosi Tsiane
MEHALALITOE captain Boitumelo Rabale, who plies her trade in the National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) League for Lewis & Clark Community College (LCCC) Trailblazers says her two-year stint in the United States of America has helped her immensely.
Rabale was a driving force in helping the Trailblazers reach their third NJCAA Women’s Division I National Soccer Tournament in Melbourne, Florida a fortnight ago, a feat that saw her being selected into the JUCO All-American team.
Queen, as Rabale is affectionately known, ended the season as the leading scorer with 57 goals and 33 assists while she also scored five times in the Nationals including her a 40-yard screamer that helped Trailblazers clinch a 2-0 victory over Navarro on their way to the semis.
In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Express, Rabale said she was happy with her performance.
“I am very happy with my performance this season and I am also proud of my achievements because it looks like the hard work that I have been putting in is finally paying off,” Rabale said.
Trailblazers almost pulled a surprise in the nationals…but were eventually beaten in the semifinals by tpo-ranked Monroe College, who won 5-3.
Rabale said this was the toughest phase but they need to soldier on and she was also proud of her team’s performance.
“Reaching the nationals is not easy and there was a time when I thought we would not make it to the semis because our team had only 13 players due to injuries. Fatigue was kicking in but we fought hard and made to the semifinals where we lost against one of the best teams,” she said.
Rabale went to United States in 2017 after Kick4Life gave her a chance to pursue her studies at the LCCC where she is studying for an Associate Degree in General Studies.
But Rabale says she is yet to decide her next move as she has received some offers that she is still considering.
“This was my last year at LCCC but I don’t think I will be coming home as there are some offers from other schools here but I am yet to decide which school to join next,” Rabale said.