Another champ in offing
The tried and tested. Lady Doves will rely on their versatile attacker Winnie Babirye (L) while in Hasifah Nassuna (R), UCU have arguably the most creative mind in local women’s football.
Photos by John Batanudde
KAMPALA- After four years of Kawempe Muslim’s dominance in the Fufa Women Elite League (FWEL), we are finally set to have a new champion.
The pressure is on Uganda Christian University (UCU) Lady Cardinals after they ousted the champions in a 4-2 playoffs win at StarTimes Stadium, Lugogo on Thursday.
Lady Doves are confident of their chances too after stopping the free-scoring Kampala Queens on Thursday and are also on the verge of securing an unprecedented Fufa Women Cup and FWEL double.
On Thursday, UCU needed the ingenuity of striker Hasifah Nassuna and goalkeeper Ruth Aturo, who were part of a Kawempe team that beat the Mukono side 4-1 in the finals of the 2016/17 season before moving east.
“We have always wanted to win this trophy for UCU but there is added motivation now that we have to play in memory of our coach,” Nassuna offered on Thursday.
She was speaking about Peter Ssebulime, who passed on due to kidney failure in the thick of the the regular season run in.
Nassuna, who has scored half of UCU’s 30 goals in 15 league matches, is confident of their chances despite the fact that they face a team coached by the national team Crested Cranes’ fitness trainer Olive Mbekeka.
“Lady Doves are a good side and they have showed so by reaching the finals of the Cup and league but I think we can better them.”
Mbekeka is also so confident of her side’s chances that she stated: “only the sky coming down can stop us from lifting the league now.”
Nassuna’s confidence comes from the fact that Lady Doves do not score as freely as UCU. In 15 matches, the Masindi side has scored 21 times.
However, Mbekeka’s side are more solid. They have conceded just eight times and will be buoyed by keeping a cleansheet against the league’s most potent side KQ in the playoffs.
UCU on the other hand conceded 12 times in regular season and twice in playoffs, where they were actually more comfortable. But all that does not matter today. Only the 90 minutes on the clock do.
STARTIMES STADIUM TODAY
FWEL FINALS
UCU Lady Cardinals vs. Lady Doves
THIRD PLACE PLAYOFFS
Kawempe Muslim vs. Kampala Queens
