Ascent tame Lioness as Ntopwa resurrect in NBM Premiership

Ascent Academy moved two points behind leaders Silver Strikers Ladies after beating fellow capital city giants MDF Lioness 2-0 in a tight encounter at the Ascent Ground in the National Bank of Malawi National Women’s Premiership on Saturday afternoon.

The two teams played out a goalless first half in which MDF Lioness were reduced to 10 players after Hanifer Mackenzie was sent off. Maureen Kenneth broke the deadlock from the penalty spot on the hour mark before Mayamiko Mkandawire sealed the victory in the 97th minute, scoring her sixth goal of the season.

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Ascent Academy head coach Thom Nkolongo praised his team for their performance in the hard-fought victory.

“It was a good game where it was tightly contested, but we managed to score two goals. We created many chances but failed to convert some of them. We are improving game by game and we hope to keep doing better in the league,” said Nkolongo.

MDF Lioness head coach John Kaputa acknowledged the defeat and attributed the loss to the first-half red card.

“We lost 2-0 because of the red card we received in the first half, which made it hard for us to close the gap. Secondly, we were not good in attack, which made it difficult to create chances, so we have to look into that,” said Kaputa.

The victory lifted Ascent Academy to second place with 16 points from five wins, one draw, and one loss, while MDF Lioness dropped to fifth with 11 points from three wins, two draws, and two defeats.

Ntopwa Queens End Losing Streak

Meanwhile, Kukoma Ntopwa Queens claimed their first win in four games after thrashing Moyale Sisters 5-1 at Mzuzu Stadium.

The Amaghetto Kids, who had suffered three straight defeats, produced a brilliant performance with a brace from Funny Magombo and goals from Mary Chindeya, Kondawo Banda, and Alice Brazi. Aidah Kanthenga scored a consolation goal for the hosts.

Assistant head coach Hannah Moses said the win was crucial for the team as they seek to recover in the league.

“We lost three straight games, so we discussed with the players the need to work hard to win this match, and it’s good that we have taken the three points,” said Moses.

Moyale Sisters’ John Chimwala attributed his team’s struggle to fatigue.

“We were in Lilongwe and returned on Tuesday. We rested on Wednesday and trained on Thursday and Friday, so we couldn’t perform well in the game,” said Chimwala.

Ntopwa Queens climbed to third in the league with 12 points from four wins and three defeats, while Moyale Sisters remained eighth with four points from one win, one draw, and five defeats.

Action continues on Sunday with a full slate of derbies as Mighty Wanderers Women host FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Women, Silver Strikers Ladies play Civil Women, and Topik Academy face MK Academy.