Henry Strikes Again as Silver Ladies Extend Lead, Wanderers Queens Move Third

Silver Strikers Ladies have opened a 7-point lead at the top of the National Bank of Malawi National Women’s Premiership after beating Ascent Academy 2-0 to complete a double over their cross-city rivals at the Silver Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Deborah Henry assisted Grace Kakangula’s opener in the 13th minute before netting her 18th goal of the season in the 53rd minute, scoring in 11 consecutive league matches. Goalkeeper Ireen Sibande was voted player of the match for her brilliant saves to keep a clean sheet.

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Silver Ladies head coach Andrew Chikhosi described the win as vital to their team as they have opened a good margin of points over the second-placed side.

“Of course it is a big win because it is what we wanted. Ascent is behind us, so we looked to widen our gap with them and I am happy with the result,” said Chikhosi.

Ascent Academy head coach Thom Nkolongo accepted the defeat, saying his team failed to play well in the match.

“We can say we did not play well today due to injuries which forced us to play players in positions they don’t normally play, so they struggled. But still, we had some shots on goal which we did not score, so we will have to go back and look into what is lacking,” said Nkolongo.

The win took the Bankers up to 33 points from 11 wins and one defeat at the top of the league, while Ascent Academy are second with 26 points from 8 wins, two draws and two defeats.

Civil Service United Continue Perfect Second-Round Form

Civil Service United maintained their perfect start to the second round after securing their third straight win with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Moyale Sisters at Civo Stadium.

Vitumbiko Mkandawire scored her 6th goal of the season in the 29th minute before Anna Bazilio doubled the lead on the hour-mark. Jesse Yosefe added a third nine minutes later, but Sellah Galima netted a consolation goal in the 77th minute.

Head coach Collins Pofera said he is now happy with the team’s current performance and believes a top-three finish is possible.

“Today we played well and I am happy with how we have started in the second round. We have won all the games and I believe that we will maintain that so that we end in the top three,” said Pofera.

Moyale Sisters head coach John Chimwala said his team tried hard to go toe-to-toe with the Civil Servants but gave away easy goals.

“I am happy with the performance of the players. Today they showed great character, only that we gifted them easy goals, but we will take the performance into our next match,” said Chimwala.

The Civil Servants have now moved up the table with 19 points from five wins, four draws and three defeats, while Moyale Sisters remain 8th with five points from one win, two draws and nine defeats.

Ntopwa Queens Return to Winning Ways

Kukoma Ntopwa Queens returned to winning ways after securing a 3-0 win over MK Academy in a match played at Mpira Stadium.

The match was delayed from 10:00 hrs to 13:40 hrs following a car breakdown that forced the visitors to play without full warm-ups. Takondwa Gambuleni netted twice, with Sarah Mlimbika scoring her first goal of the season to seal the win.

Head coach for the Amaghetto Kids, Isaac Jomo Osman, was happy with his team’s performance in the game.

“The league is getting hotter and we have accepted that we have had a tough season. We have seen some problems in this game, mostly up front, so those are the things that we need to correct so that next season we should have a good team,” said Osman.

MK Academy head coach Davie Sibale said his team failed to play their normal game due to player fatigue.

“We had problems with traveling which made our players tired in the game, but still they tried. This is an academy where we are grooming players, so I believe that they will grow into perfect players with the experience they are getting now,” said Sibale.

The win pushed Ntopwa Queens up to 18 points from 12 games in 7th position, while MK Academy remain 9th on the table with 4 points from four draws and eight defeats.

Bullets Women and MDF Lioness Share Spoils

In a late kick-off at Mpira Stadium, FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Women and MDF Lioness played to a 1-1 draw in a very physical match that made the game tight throughout the entire 90 minutes.

The game opened with Sabina Thom winning a penalty which was denied by Thoko Mwase’s great save in the 9th minute. Monalisa Mhango then won a penalty in the 21st minute which Carol Mlenzo converted, but the lead was short-lived as Salomy Vinkhumbo leveled the scores four minutes later. Those goals proved to be enough for the match.

Assistant coach for Bullets Women, Charles Lubani, described the result as fair given the team’s lack of depth due to injuries.

“It was a tough match but I have to thank my players because they have played very well. With lack of depth due to injuries, I would say they have done well and a draw is a fair result,” said Lubani.

Assistant coach for MDF Lioness, Yohane Fulaye, said the match was tough but also hailed his players for their job well done.

“We have to accept the result because the game was quite a tough one. We wanted an early goal but we missed the penalty. A mistake we made gifted them a penalty which they scored, however we came back into the game quickly, but it was then tough,” said Fulaye.

Following the result, Bullets Women dropped down to fourth on the table with 19 points from 12 games, while Lioness also dropped to fifth with 19 points from 12 games as well.

Wanderers Queens Move Up to Third

At Kamuzu Stadium, Mighty Wanderers Queens returned to winning ways and moved up to third in the league thanks to a 2-0 victory over Topik Academy.

Tawina Kawaga opened the scoring with her 8th goal of the season in the 29th minute before Atuweni Njilima grabbed the second four minutes later. Funny Moyo shone in midfield to earn the player of the match award for the Nomads, who secured their second home win.

Head coach for the Nomads, Thom Kazembe, said the win was good for them and hailed his players for fighting for the victory.

“It was a tough game because we are also coming from a win, but we still got chances that we scored and I am happy,” said Kazembe.

Kelvin Bwayala, assistant coach for Topik Academy, said the team lacked confidence in the first half which led to conceding the goals.

“It was a good game but we were not composed and lacked confidence which made our opponents get goals. The future looks good as games are still being played and we can bounce back in the league,” said Bwayala.

The result took the Nomads up to 20 points from six wins, two draws and four defeats in third position, while Topik Academy remain bottom with just three points from three draws and nine defeats.

In Week 12, a total of 13 goals were scored, with Civil Service United and Kukoma Ntopwa Queens being the highest-scoring teams. The week recorded four wins and one draw across all matches.