FC Ongos Ladies saw their advantage at the top of the FNB Women Super League cut from three points to just one, after dropping points during a weekend of action that intensified the title race.
Ongos entered the weekend with a three-point lead at the summit and appeared set to strengthen their grip after beating Mighty Angels FC 6-1 on Saturday. However, the league leaders were held to a goalless draw by African Stars Queens on Sunday, opening the door for NDF Mighty Gunners Ladies to close the gap.
Mighty Gunners capitalised by collecting maximum points from their two fixtures. They defeated Nust Babes 2-0 on Saturday before beating V-Power Angels 4-1 on Sunday to move onto 47 points, just one behind Ongos on 48.
Coach Mathias Haimbodi says his side started slowly against Nust Babes but recovered well to secure the victory.
“The game was a bit sloppy in the first 10 minutes, but we managed to capitalize. We regrouped at halftime and I’m happy with the results,” Haimbodi says.
Haimbodi says Mighty Gunners are focused on collecting points as they continue chasing Ongos.
“For now, we are not focused on how much they are scoring. We are focused on catching up with them because they are three points clear of us, so basically we want to collect the points first and then focus on the goals,” he said before the weekend games.
The title challengers continued to show their attacking strength, with Mighty Gunners maintaining the league’s best scoring record after netting 69 goals in 19 matches.
Elsewhere, the race for the top four also took off after Unam Bokkies and Khomas Nampol Ladies registered mix fortunes.
Unam started strongly with a 3-1 victory over Desert Foxes on Saturday, but their momentum was halted on Sunday when they suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Khomas Nampol at HTS Stadium.
The only goal of the match came in the dying stages through Helena Shumbwa, who headed home after connecting with a cross from a teammate following a flowing attacking move.
Shumbwa says the encounter had been a difficult battle against a strong Unam side.
“The game was not an easy one. Unam came hard, but when we got the chance, we scored a goal,” she says.
She explained that the winning move came after good passing play between teammates before she utilised the cross inside the box.
“We were playing tic-tac, where we all connected with each other, and I got the assist from my teammate Matusha, and then I made sure I scored with the header,” Shumbwa says.
The forward adds that she had entered the match determined to make an impact after her coach encouraged her to take every opportunity in front of goal.
“My coach told me that whatever opportunity I get, I must make sure I score a goal,” she says.
Khomas Nampol had earlier lost 2-1 to Arrows Ladies on Saturday before bouncing back strongly to remain firmly in contention for a top-three finish. Unam remained third on 34 points, while Khomas Nampol trail closely on 33.
Arrows Ladies’ victory over Khomas Nampol was secured by Miriam Latungala Tobias, who scored the winning goal late in the match.
Tobias described the encounter as difficult and praised her coach for motivating the team after a shaky first half.
“The game was tough. Our opponents were very strong. The first half was a bit shaky but our coach motivated us that we can win this match,” Tobias says.
She says pressure from the coach to constantly press defenders helped her seize the winning opportunity.
“One thing about our coach, if you don’t press, you pinch. That was on my mind the whole match, and when the opportunity came, I took it,” she says.
Arrows Ladies completed a perfect weekend by defeating Desert Foxes 3-0 on Sunday to climb to 29 points.
African Stars Queens also enjoyed a positive weekend after beating Julinho Athletic 2-0 on Saturday before frustrating league leaders Ongos in a hard-fought goalless draw on Sunday. The results moved Stars to 32 points in fifth place.
Windhoek City SC also enjoyed a productive weekend after collecting six points from two matches. They first defeated V-Power Angels 3-1 on Saturday before cruising to a dominant 3-0 victory over Nust Babes at HTS Stadium on Sunday.
In their win against Nust Babes, Charlotte Richter opened the scoring for Windhoek City in the 20th minute before doubling the advantage in the 69th minute with a solo run from outside the box to complete her brace. Veronica April sealed the victory in the 81st minute after calmly finishing past the goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation.
Richter said the side had been under pressure during the match but managed to stay composed and work together to secure maximum points over the weekend.
“Today we were under pressure but we tried our best to play the ball out so we could get the second goal,” Richter says.
She says teamwork had played a major role in the club’s strong weekend performances.
“I like the fact that the team is working together. There is no shouting at each other, we are all working,” she says.
At the bottom end of the table, Desert Foxes remain rooted to last place with just one point after suffering defeats to Unam Bokkies and Arrows Ladies, while Nust Babes and Mighty Angels also endured difficult weekends in the relegation battle.
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