The ManicaPost
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
AFTER an impressive run in the preseason preparatory matches, Zimbabwe Women Premier Soccer League debutants, Mutare City Rovers Queens got a rude awakening in their season opener when they were clobbered 0-7 by Harare City away at the National Sports Stadium B Arena in Harare last Saturday.
Mutare City Rovers Queens will clash against Gweru side, Scorpion Queens either tomorrow (Saturday) or on Sunday as curtain raisers to one of the two Castle Lager Premiership encounters set for this weekend.
Faithdrive who were supposed to play Hearts of Oak from Bulawayo last weekend, but the visiting team failed to travel owing to financial constraints, will be clashing with Herentals in Harare this weekend.
However, it is the Mutare City Rovers Queens preseason preparations in which they played about four friendly matches that had raised much hope for a better performance and results when the league started last weekend.
They beat Yadah 5-0 and went on to hummer Africa University 8-0 before settling for a one-all stalemate with fellow Mutare-based Premiership side, Faithdrive.
The Huggings ‘Coach Voi’ Saungweme-coached team also dismissed Basket Round 2-0 in the other preseason friendly encounter.
Saungweme is being assisted by Zenzele Musikavanhu.
The club captain, Eunice Kaserera is not reading too much into the heavy defeat, saying it is too early to press the panic button.
“There is nothing much to say about that defeat in the first round of league matches. I guess some of our players lacked confidence because they are still juniors and this was their first time playing in the Premier League, but we are hoping for better results in the coming weeks,” said Kaserera.
Mutare City Council sports officer, Norman Nyaude said inexperience was their greatest enemy in the first match, but hopes are high that the team will find its feet in the league.
“We expected that since it was the first competitive match for most of our girls. We also hope to see some improvements. There is no doubt that we will be able to get better results as we go,” said Nyaude.
Talent Chitsaka, the Zimbabwe Women Premier League administrator, said some teams failed to fulfill their fixtures owing to financial constraints, while others had players who tested positive for Covid-19.
“MatchDay One went on well although we had some teams that failed to fulfill their fixtures owing to Covid-19 positive cases and financial constraints. We also have other teams that are still to finalise their positions,” said Chitsaka.
