Faithdrive fights relegation

Fungai Munyoro
VISITING Auckland Queens coach Jerrymike Gumbo hailed young Faithdrive Queens as a powerful force that is in a class of its own, but the Mutare side still has a lot of work to do to avoid the chop. In an interview, the 25-year-old gaffer saluted the club saying it has the potential to scale the heights of greatness. “I really admired the courage of the young Faithdrive girls. It is really a good side with potential to scale the heights of greatness. I wish them well. I hope they will survive relegation,’’ said the youthful mentor who has been with the Harare side for the past five years.

Auckland Queens was promoted into the Super League last year and are currently doing very well in the league.
The club has done well in terms of nurturing talent.
It has other two teams playing in the first and second division.

Auckland Juniors are playing in the First Division, while Auckland Academy is still in the Second Division.
The two sides – Faithdrive and Auckland – drew one all at Dangamvura High School last weekend in Mutare.
Faithdrive are currently occupying ninth position on the log table, while Auckland Queens are on third position after 17 rounds of league matches.

Auckland Queens were the first to find the target in the 55th minute through the boot of Moreblessing Marumahoko.
Latter, Auckland lacked concentration thereby giving their opponents a chance to wake up from their deep slumber and equalised in the 78th minute through 14-year-old and woman of the moment Maud Mafuruse.

Mafuruse has been doing very well for the Admire Mahachi-coached side and earning her stripes after being named part of the Zimbabwe U-20 squad.
So far she has netted 10 goals in the 11 matches she has featured.

Faithdrive head coach Mahachi said that they could have won the match if only his charges did not waste scoring chances.
“The girls wasted many scoring chances and we could have won the game but we are going to correct our mistakes and try to win the next game,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, Mutare’s representatives in the Women Soccer League, Tenax Queens, were handed a three-nil defeat by log leaders Black Rhinos Queens in a league match played in Harare last weekend.

Tenax put up a brilliant first half performance as the game was balanced but failed to come to the party after the breather.
Current log leaders Rhinos Queens produced a brilliant performance to silence the “The Prison Girls’’, as Tenax are affectionately known.

Tenax now have homework and need to go back to the drawing board and come up with a better plan in order to win the remaining games.
The Swift Dzangare-coached side has not been doing very well and are occupying sixth position and have amassed only 16 points from 13 matches.

Rhinos found the back of the net through crowd favourite Rutendo Makore in the 47th minute.
Makore exposed the weakness of Tenax defence and gave them a hard time throughout the match. Rhinos continued with their neat passing game giving Tenax no chance to regroup.

The Harare giants continued knocking at Tenax doors until a second goal came through Kuda Basopo in the 56th minute before Shupi Juwao sealed victory over Tenax Queens in the 67th minute.

Rhinos coach Weddington Thomas Chinyanganya was an elated man after the game.
“I am very happy with the way my girls played though we failed to utilise many chances we created, but such is football.

“Now that we are on top it shows that we are working hard. Tenax displayed a good game it also shows that the coaches are doing a good job, it was unfortunate that they lost,’’ said the Rhinos gaffer.

Indeed, the Harare side could have easily run into double digits had they not squandered their chances.
On the other hand, Tenax coach Dzangare said that his defence failed to contain the marauding Rhinos strikers.

“In the first half we played well and we collapsed in the second half. Makore gave the girls a hard time because of her speed.
“The midfield did not do well as they got tired and the strikers as well. We failed to score goals but we are going to work on that,’’ he said.