YOUNG STAR NUR MECCA AIMS TO REPRESENT MALAYAN TIGRESS 

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6 (Bernama) – Although representing the national team has been a childhood dream, young Malaysian women's football star Nur Mecca Rania Mohd Hazri, who is currently making a name for herself in the United States, does not want to rush things.

Instead, the talented forward, who has been playing for the national team since she was 12 years old, believes that the opportunity to join the senior team will come in due time if she continues to work hard and remain disciplined.

The 19-year-old said that what is most important right now is gaining as much experience as possible and making progress in her game, as she prepares herself for the challenges ahead at the senior level.

“That’s the target (to play for the senior team). If I get the call-up, it will be a huge achievement, but I also believe that if it's meant to be, it will happen. Until then, I want to take more initiatives to improve myself, like studying the game and how I should play in my position,” said the Iowa Lakes Community College student in an interview with Bernama.

Previously, Nur Mecca has represented the Malayan Tigress in international competitions at the Under-15 (U-15), Under-18 (U-18), and Under-19 (U-19) levels.

Recently, she made Malaysia proud by helping Iowa Lakes win their first-ever Region 11 Championship in Waterloo, USA, on Nov 3.

In the final, she scored a goal to inspire The Lakers to a 5-4 victory in a penalty shootout over Hawkeye Community College, after a 1-1 draw in regulation time.

Not only that, she also earned three prestigious awards – Offensive Player of the Tournament, All-Tournament Team, and the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP).

Meanwhile, Nur Mecca advised young female players to not give up quickly in chasing their dreams, especially in football.

“Everything is possible to achieve your dream if you set the right target. Just dream big, you never know what you can reach, there’s no limit to a dream, and then, insya-Allah, with support from others (like family), opportunities will definitely come,” she said.

Having scored 12 goals and provided eight assists this season, she is now focused on leading her team to another achievement – qualifying for the NJCAA National Championship through the Plains District Championship, where they will face the winner of District 13 on November 9.

Nur Mecca is also an 'A' student both on and off the field, with a perfect GPA of 4.00 in her first two semesters of her Arts-General Studies degree and is planning to specialise in either Computer Science or Finance next year.

-- BERNAMA