UCU to test Lady Doves’ resolve in Fufa Women Super League

Lady Doves are four points to the good in the shortened format of the Fufa Women Super League that is running at Fufa Technical Centre – Njeru.

But despite being pegged back yesterday by Olila High School, their star-forward Fazila Ikwaput is in red-hot form. She loves these grounds as this is where she announced herself to women’s football, when she combined with Hasifa Nassuna to put countries to the sword during the Cecafa Women Championship in 2016.

The two Crested Cranes forwards will, however, be in a battle for supremacy today as they bid to help their teams to the top of Group II in the FWSL.

It is the third competitive meeting between Lady Doves and Uganda Christian University (UCU) Lady Cardinals – with each side winning once in the previous encounters.

First Nassuna helped UCU to a 2-0 win in the finals of the then topflight Fufa Women Elite League (FWEL) in 2019.

But Ikwaput and co. earned their revenge in a 2-1 win during the inaugural FWSL season (2019/2020) in December 2019, shortly before sport was forced into lockdown over the raging Covid-19 pandemic.

After grabbing four in the 5-0 rout of Isra Soccer Academy, Ikwaput scored Doves’ lone goal – running from the right to power her shot into the roof of Eglas Ajumo’s goal – yesterday as they drew 1-1 with her former school Olila in the scorching afternoon heat.

Siporosa Amoding scored Olila’s equalizer, earning them their first point and giving them a life-line in this group ahead of today’s encounter with Isra.

Nassuna is yet to get herself among the goals but her side, despite a labored display, beat She Corporate 1-0 courtesy of Shadia Nankya’s 5th minute free-kick that was parried past the goal-line by the latter team’s captain and goalkeeper Vanessa Karungi.

“We played well and created lots of chances but lack was not on our side. We have two days of rest and we’ll bounce back stronger on Friday,” She Corporate coach Ali Zinda, said.