Prime
Rines stun Amus to storm final
Trouble causer. Priscah Ayerango made life difficult for Amus players. PHOTOS/COURTESY OF USSSA MEDIA
What you need to know:
Rines kept the ball well and used the trickery of their front free; wingers Immaculate Odaru and Priscah Ayerango, plus striker Halimah Mupyanga to wreck havoc.
Rines SS play Kawempe Muslim in Friday’s girls’ football final of the extended Fresh Dairy Games at Standard High School Zzana, Ndejje Campus.
The Wakiso-based Rines beat overwhelming favourites and 2023 champions Amus College 2-0 in the semifinals on a cool Thursday afternoon that had followed a small downpour in Ndejje.
Rines kept the ball well and used the trickery of their front free; wingers Immaculate Odaru and Priscah Ayerango, plus striker Halimah Mupyanga to wreck havoc.
They were rewarded in the 27th minute when Ayerango, one of the smallest bodies on pitch, headed in from a corner.
Mupyanga made it 2-0 deep in the 35-minute second half to make another sustained wave of pressure from the underdogs pay off.
“We are happy because the girls understood what we worked on in training (on Wednesday after the quarterfinals and executed it,” Rines coach Bright Nyanzi, said.
Job well done. Rines players celebrate a comfortable win over Amus.
Tactical nous
Despite being the most decorated side in the competition, Kawempe were also not regarded favourites for their clash with St. Noa Girls School Zzana.
St. Noa were yet to concede in the competition and their striker Sylvia Kabene boasted of 23 goals. The pace of Kamiyati Naigaga and Sumaiyah Nalumu on the flanks was also a concern.
But the tactical nous of coach Moses Nkata got Kawempe through with a 1-0 win courtesy of Hadijah Babirye’s 30th minute header off captain and centreback Sharifah Nakimera’s freekick from the centre circle.
“We knew they had the pace and wanted to run in behind so we closed the spaces behind our defence.
“They also like to shoot from distance but we trusted our midfield to cut off those chances.
“We now play another tricky side in Rines. They used some really young players in the (Fufa Women Super) League and that is working for them because they are playing with a lot of confidence,” Nkata said.
Playing for positions
In the other matches of the day, Boni Consilii showed fight but it was not enough as they lost 2-1 to Uganda Martyrs High School (UMHS) Lubaga in the 5-8th place playoff.
Shamusa Namujju and Sharon Kanyiginya shot home in the third and eighth minutes respectively but Rinah Ariho pulled one back shortly before halftime. The second half was end to end but the scoring boots of the players seemed to shy away from goal and got even worse with the rain hammering down in the final minutes.
Also, Danielle Ahumuza’s 13th minute strike proved decisive as Sheema Girls beat Sacred Hearts SSS Gulu 1-0 in the first classification match of the day.
FRESH DAIRY GAMES
FRIDAY FIXTURES - Standard High School Zzana, Ndejje Campus
Final: Kawempe Muslim vs. Rines, 2pm
3rd place: St. Noa vs. Amus College, 12noon
5th place: Uganda Martyrs HS Lubaga vs. Sheema Girls
7th place: Boni Consilii vs. Sacred Hearts Gulu
Thursday Results
Semifinals
Kawempe 1-0 St. Noa
Amus College 0-2 Rines SS
5-8th Place
Sheema Girls 1-0 Sacred Heart Gulu
Boni Consilii 1-2 UMHS
