It’s been one year since Josh Coetzee first walked through the doors of Solent University and his impact on their sporting credentials has been stark.
The 20-year-old has scored three goals in as many games this season and has brought a wealth of experience to the Solent Men’s Hockey side.
Coetzee, who hails from Gauteng in South Africa, played provincial hockey at a high level and featured regularly for the prestigious Crawford College Longhill in Johannesburg.
Alongside his team commitments, he also regularly competed in provincial indoor hockey whilst being supported and coached by the most knowledgeable individuals in the game.
The Solent Hockey team are on an upward trajectory despite only one win in three this season. The score-lines are tighter and the gap between the top achieving sporting universities are narrowing.
Later this month, Solent face the University of Exeter in the second round of the BUCs Western Conference Cup with Coetzee believing “we can push for a good result”.
His first-half goal against Swansea earlier this week was enough to seal the win for Solent and has has lifted the spirits of the team ahead of their last three fixtures before the Winter break.
However, it is not just on the hockey field where the South African is thriving, the striker studies a degree in accountancy and is aiming to build a career in England and take advantage of the favourable economy compared to home.
With the BUCs hockey season nearing it’s mid-way point Coetzee is hopeful of “five comfortable victories with a decent run in the cup”.
I attended an open training session with Coetzee to hear more about the effect the sport has on his life and his aspirations for the remainder of the university year.
Click the link below to see what he had to say…
