Next Sunday PSV Women will play the home game against FC Utrecht. After the victory over PEC Zwolle last week, the team wants to continue the upward trend. One of the players who plays an important role in this is Lore Jacobs. The 20-year-old attacker is feeling good, is making a lot of minutes and is also asserting herself with goals.
PSV Women and FC Utrecht have met four times before at Ten Cate Stadium De Herdgang. All encounters ended in a victory for PSV Women. The first dates from November 2013 (2-0), ten years later followed by a generous 4-0 victory and the most recent match, in March last year, was also won. Then Renate Jansen's goal ensured a narrow 1-0 victory.
FC Utrecht currently occupies sixth place with fifteen points. Coach Linda Helbling's team is in shaky form: two of the last five games were won, two drawn and one lost. That makes Utrecht an opponent that PSV Women must face with the necessary focus.
'As a team we are making strides'
"Things are going well for me. We're doing well as a team and that only makes it fun to grow in that," says Lore Jacobs. "In Malta we really took steps. Two matches against German teams were very good for us physically. Also the youngsters were able to grab their space in those and gain experience."
Liaison within a young team
Although Lore herself is only 20 years old, she already fulfills a connecting role within the selection. "I still feel young myself, but I am someone who likes to integrate new girls into the team. When new players join, I try to put them at ease. That actually comes very naturally."
Mature game and points of attention
Looking back on the game against PEC Zwolle, the Belgian is satisfied, but critical. "That was immediately a challenge, because they are doing well this season. We played a fairly down-to-earth, mature match and won 0-2 at the stadium. Of course there are points for improvement heading into Sunday. The timing of the pressure has to improve, really as a collective. In the build-up we can also be sharper offensively. We have new girls and new tactics, so we are in a phase that will only go up."
She is clear about FC Utrecht: "We should certainly not underestimate them. Utrecht can be tough in the duels, so we have to be sharp from the first minute. I think we have more quality, but then we have to stay calm and rely on our own strength."