Ascent Beat Wanderers to Maintain Top Spot as Ntopwa Thump Topik

Central Region giants Ascent Academy maintained their perfect start in the National Bank of Malawi National Women’s Premiership after beating Mighty Wanderers Women 0-2 at the Kamuzu Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Mayamiko Mkandawire scored in each half as the visitors worked hard to edge the Nomads and seal their second win in two games.

Head coach Thom Nkolongo, however, was not impressed with his team’s performance, noting that there is still much to improve.

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“It was not a good game as both teams did not play well. We kept the match but passed without purpose, which is a concern. When you keep the ball a lot and score less, it becomes a problem,” said Nkolongo.

Meanwhile, Mighty Wanderers Women coach Sungeni Msiska said her players’ poor attitude in the first half cost them dearly.

“It was not a tough match, but I think in the first half the girls did not have faith in themselves. In the second half, we encouraged them to shake off the fear, which worked a bit, but we still failed to score,” said Msiska.

Ascent Academy remain top of the table with six points from two wins, while the Nomads drop to fourth with three points from one win and one loss.

Elsewhere, Kukoma Ntopwa Queens climbed to second place with their second win after beating Topik Academy 3-0 at the Mpira Stadium.

Forward Kondawo Banda scored a hat-trick to secure the win for the Amaghetto Kids and was named Player of the Match.

Head coach Isaac ‘Jomo’ Osman expressed satisfaction with both the result and the performance.

“It was a tough game as Topik also came to win. It wasn’t easy because we missed a lot of chances, but we still managed to score three goals. We won 1-0 in our first game and now it’s three, which is good. We’ll keep improving so that we continue doing better in the league,” said Osman.

On his part, Topik Academy head coach Levi Mhone praised his players for an improved display despite the defeat, attributing the loss to small mistakes.

“We’re facing challenges because we were preparing for the regional league, and this league came in late. But at least we are improving. Ntopwa is one of the best teams in Malawi, and we managed to hold them—only that we gifted them goals,” said Mhone.

Ntopwa are now second with six points from two games, trailing Ascent Academy on goal difference, while Topik Academy sit bottom of the 10-team table with no points.