Ulinzi maul Kibera in women league clash

Ulinzi Starlets’ good run in the Kenya Women’s Premier League continued on Sunday as they picked their second win in three matches with a 5-1 beating of Kibera Soccer Girls in the latter’s backyard at Ligi Ndogo Grounds.

 Ulinzi, intent on getting the job done early, led 3-1 after 30 minutes of action with goals from Patricia Amase, Jentrix Kuyudi and skipper Neddy Atieno with Kibera’s goal scored by Catherine Achieng from a free kick just outside the box.

 With Ulinzi leading 3-0, Kibera won a penalty but were unable to convert it and their goose was cooked when they allowed the military side to score two more goals in the early minutes of the second half.

 “We had better team cohesion compared to the other two matches and all the departments co-ordinated well for this win.

The league is very competitive and we learned that from our first loss to Thika Queens.

We are therefore treating each fixture as a final, no complacency and no under-rating any opponent,” said Ulinzi skipper Atieno.

 She added: “Despite the win and scoring five goals we still have work to do. We lost chances that would have given us an even higher score and conceded through a set piece. We have to work on those departments ahead of our next match.”

 Her sentiments were echoed by coach Joseph Mwanza who agrees that their loss to Thika, despite missing some players then due to Covid-19, was a lesson as it exposed defensive weaknesses that they have since worked on.

 “Our strategy for the match worked. The early lead might have caused my players to relax thus missing their scoring chances but I am not worried about it. 

We came to this match aiming for a win as Kibera were second on the log on four points while we had three. I am happy that we have bagged the three points and I am sure the next match will be better,” said Mwanza.

 His opposite Ramadhan Bejago blamed the wrong approach for the loss, their first in the league having played for a draw and a win in their first two league matches.

 “It was a tough match on our end. My players started nervously and Ulinzi played aggressively and were leading by three goals in 24 minutes.

This was our first real test and we have to work on our weaknesses going forward. We will work on our defence and better communication going forward,” he said.