THE National woman's senior team have played three matches against the China national juniors in Changzhou, and coach K. Dharmaraj feels his charges are gearing up well for the World League Round Two.
The women lost 4-0, 2-1 and again 2-1 Friday; and will play two more matches in preparation for the WL which Malaysia will host at the end of the year.
Friday, Hanis Nadiah scored off a penalty corner attempt, while in the other 2-1 defeat, Nurul Nabihah scored a field goal.
"In the first match we lost 4-0, but it was fiercely fought, as we had four penalty corners but failed to convert while China had three corners and scored two.
"The girls are here to learn and develop, and they did just that in the next two matches," said Dharmaraj.
"In the second match, I fielded all my players to give them a run-in so that they could put into practice what we learned in our sessions back in Malaysia.
"Some of them adapted to the changes quickly, while some weren't as flexible. Nevertheless, I am happy with the attitude and enthusiasm of the team."
And on Friday's match, Dharmaraj said the team performed well and have begun to adapt to the pace and level of play.
"The three matches have been of high standards. We have many players, like Hanis (Nadiah) for instance, who possess the potential to develop into a world class athlete.
"We have two more matches to play and snatching a win would be great, but our focus is to improve with each match," said Dharmaraj.
The next two matches will be played Saturday and Sunday.
