We gained valuable experience based on the season’s results
Friday, May 23, 2025
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Shakhtar women’s team defender Inha Mostova reflects on the season results, competition in the league and her adaptation after changing position
– Inha, the 2024/25 season is behind us. Can you share your impressions of it and assess the team’s overall performance?
– I think we had a good season, despite finishing 5th in the league table. Of course, we would have liked to be a bit higher, but everything is still ahead of us, as we are a young team and progressing. We gained valuable experience based on the season’s results, and considering that many new players joined the squad, 5th spot is quite a decent result.
– Did you have individual goals for this season? If so, did you manage to achieve them?
– Individual goals were not discussed, but of course every player wants to benefit the team: to score goals and provide assists. I hope to improve these figures next season.
– How did the significant changes to the squad affect team interaction, did you manage to find proper chemistry?
– The team definitely need time to gel together properly and to understand one another better. We managed to find our playing style, started winning and taking points from strong opponents in the second part of the season. I believe it’s just a matter of time. As I mentioned, we’re a young team – everything is still ahead of us.
– This is the second time the championship is being held with a division into subgroups. Do you like this format and how do matches against the strongest sides affect both personal and team progress?
– The competition format is great because all teams have a minimum task in the first part of the season – to finish in the top six in order to compete with the strongest. It’s very useful to play against teams like Vorskla or Metalist 1925, whose squads consist mainly of national team players. When you face such opponents, the first thing you do is assess how we compare to them. Matches played under constant pressure help the development of both individual footballers and the team as a whole.
– How would you describe the level of competition in the Vyshcha League this year? Does it feel like it’s growing?
– Definitely! For example, last season Vorskla secured the title several rounds before the end, there was a big gap between first and second spot. This year, the title race went down to the final matchday. I think the level of competition and individual skill has increased, so we’re moving forward and, hopefully, we’ll reach the level of European football.
– You played as a goalkeeper in the past before switching to defence. Tell us about adapting to your new role.
– In my view, a goalkeeper needs to understand how to play in every position, as she is the last player on the pitch and has a full view of it. That’s why it’s important to be able to position your teammates correctly in certain moments and to guide them. There wasn’t really an adaptation, I just had to remember what it’s like to be a field player and work on my fitness. The girls supported me, so everything went really well.
– What moment was the most memorable during the season?
– Probably the most memorable was the win over EMS-Podillia in Vinnytsia. The start of the season wasn’t easy, we had only one win up to that game, against Kryvbas. It felt like the opposition were within our reach, but for some reason the match wasn’t going the way we wanted. I remember how Nataliia Chendei appeared in the final minutes and put us ahead through a header. After that win, things started to improve, we went on a winning run, so that game was the most memorable.
– I think we had a good season, despite finishing 5th in the league table. Of course, we would have liked to be a bit higher, but everything is still ahead of us, as we are a young team and progressing. We gained valuable experience based on the season’s results, and considering that many new players joined the squad, 5th spot is quite a decent result.
– Did you have individual goals for this season? If so, did you manage to achieve them?
– Individual goals were not discussed, but of course every player wants to benefit the team: to score goals and provide assists. I hope to improve these figures next season.
– How did the significant changes to the squad affect team interaction, did you manage to find proper chemistry?
– The team definitely need time to gel together properly and to understand one another better. We managed to find our playing style, started winning and taking points from strong opponents in the second part of the season. I believe it’s just a matter of time. As I mentioned, we’re a young team – everything is still ahead of us.
– This is the second time the championship is being held with a division into subgroups. Do you like this format and how do matches against the strongest sides affect both personal and team progress?
– The competition format is great because all teams have a minimum task in the first part of the season – to finish in the top six in order to compete with the strongest. It’s very useful to play against teams like Vorskla or Metalist 1925, whose squads consist mainly of national team players. When you face such opponents, the first thing you do is assess how we compare to them. Matches played under constant pressure help the development of both individual footballers and the team as a whole.
– How would you describe the level of competition in the Vyshcha League this year? Does it feel like it’s growing?
– Definitely! For example, last season Vorskla secured the title several rounds before the end, there was a big gap between first and second spot. This year, the title race went down to the final matchday. I think the level of competition and individual skill has increased, so we’re moving forward and, hopefully, we’ll reach the level of European football.
– You played as a goalkeeper in the past before switching to defence. Tell us about adapting to your new role.
– In my view, a goalkeeper needs to understand how to play in every position, as she is the last player on the pitch and has a full view of it. That’s why it’s important to be able to position your teammates correctly in certain moments and to guide them. There wasn’t really an adaptation, I just had to remember what it’s like to be a field player and work on my fitness. The girls supported me, so everything went really well.
– What moment was the most memorable during the season?
– Probably the most memorable was the win over EMS-Podillia in Vinnytsia. The start of the season wasn’t easy, we had only one win up to that game, against Kryvbas. It felt like the opposition were within our reach, but for some reason the match wasn’t going the way we wanted. I remember how Nataliia Chendei appeared in the final minutes and put us ahead through a header. After that win, things started to improve, we went on a winning run, so that game was the most memorable.