Silver Strikers Ladies’ unbeaten run has come to an end in their first second-round match of the National Bank of Malawi National Women’s Premiership after suffering a 2-1 defeat against MDF Lioness in a tight match at the Silver Stadium on Monday afternoon.

The game, originally scheduled for Sunday, was rescheduled due to a waterlogged pitch caused by heavy rains. The same issue persisted on Monday, delaying kickoff by an hour.

The Bankers took the lead in the first half through their prolific scorer Deborah Henry, but the soldiers turned it around in the final 16 minutes to claim a massive win and revenge, as the Bankers had beaten them 2-1 at their home ground with a similar comeback in their opening match of the league.

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The game was tight from the beginning, comprising experienced and talented players from both sides. Both teams tested each other but failed to unlock the opposition’s defense.

The deadlock was broken in the 29th minute when Deborah Henry beat a defender before scoring her 15th goal of the season—her ninth consecutive match with a goal in the league. The Bankers then took full control of the match to hold a slender lead at halftime.

The visitors came out strong in the second half as Doreen Dickson headed over the bar from Sabina Thom’s cross in the 47th minute, before Ruth Rosemary blasted her attempt over the bar three minutes later. Salome Vinkhumbo was replaced by Caroline Majamanda for Lioness, while Mphatso Gondwe came on for Wezzie Mvula for the hosts on the hour mark.

Lioness continued searching for an equalizer as Thom missed a one-on-one situation in the 66th minute when her shot went wide. Ruth Tambala then curled her shot into the net after receiving a pass from Mary Major to level the scores in the 74th minute. Eight minutes later, Catherine Kachala connected with a Sabina Thom corner kick to score the winner.

Assistant head coach for MDF Lioness, Yohane Fulaye, said he was happy with the win as it will help them move up the league table.

“We failed to play well in the first half because of the pitch condition, but we tried hard in the second half as we saw that Silver were leaving many gaps. So we brought on new and more attacking players, which helped us get those goals,” said Fulaye.

Silver Strikers head coach Andrew Chikhosi accepted the defeat, saying the pitch condition affected their play.

“We just have to accept that we have lost today. In fact, this is a lesson to our team because we relaxed as we thought we could easily win games, but this has come in a painful way. Even our opponents are celebrating like it was a final,” said Chikhosi.

The win helped Lioness reclaim third spot in the league standings with 18 points from five wins, three draws, and two defeats, while the Bankers remain top on 27 points from nine wins and one defeat.

Meanwhile, Deborah Henry has extended her lead in the golden boot race to seven goals after netting her 15th goal of the season. Her closest challengers are Ascent Academy duo Mayamiko Mkandawire and Leticia Chinyamula, who both have eight goals each, while Mighty Wanderers Queens forward Tawina Kawaga has joined the race with six goals to her name.

Week 10 of the league yielded 12 goals across five matches, with Mighty Wanderers Queens standing as the highest-scoring team after bagging four goals on Saturday.