She Maroons show more antidotes against Kawempe

Usually, teams believe that to stop Kawempe Muslim imposing themselves in games, they should get physical and sometimes dirty.

Others opt to keep the ball high or ensure the game takes a start-stop mode. Kawempe have, however, grown to relish a physical battle.

Last weekend though, She Maroons proved Kawempe can be given a taste of its own medicine.  

For the first half hour, Kawempe looked in control in Luzira Prison, knocking the ball around and making the hosts tour their own pitch – arguably the biggest in the Finance Trust Bank Fufa Women Super League.

Fortunately for Kawempe, that period of dominance produced a lucky goal when young wingers Sumaya Nabuto and Shadia Nabirye combined for the latter to hit the ball across goal and into the net for a 7th minute opener.

Maroons coach Simon Ocuka made a change midway the first half and tables turned. The move to bring on Rachael Nassimbwa for left back Fauzia Alinda allowed them to play and stretched Kawempe more than they hoped to.

“We made the change so we could be more composed on the ball and play the way we wanted,” Ocuka explained.

Maroons started to possess the ball but in the first half, as Kawempe coach Ayub Khalifah noted, “they passed the ball more in their defence in the first half and for us that was okay.”

Stretched midfield

However, two halftime changes bringing in striker Lillian Kasuubo and Doreen Nakayiwa for Immaculate Kizza and Kauthara Naluyima helped the home side dominate even more as they poured numbers forward. Jackline Adong ran the midfield.

“Then we slightly lost the midfield in the second half but we came here for the win and fortunately we did that. We are telling the girls that we want them to play well but when we cannot, let us find ways to get results,” Khalifah added.

Kawempe captain Phionah Nabulime was forced to shuttle wide to help out the left winger Nabuto as she struggled with overloads. Agnes Nabukenya had to join Hadijah Nandago upfront to press a home defence that was building from the back and that left Krusum Namutebi isolated in midfield.

Missed chances

Sometimes Nandago and Nabukenya were successful and Kawempe got a few counterattacks. One of Nabukenya’s attempts was ruled out for offside while she also missed a penalty in the 70th minute, and Nabirye also shot wide after freezing Maroons goalkeeper Proscovia Adong.

But generally, Kawempe were pinned to their half and the only blemish in Maroons game was failing to hit the back of the net.

“We failed to find a split second where we could compose ourselves and score. A goal could have changed everything but take nothing away from Kawempe, they were organized when it mattered and managed to see out the game,” Ocuka said.

Finance Trust Bank Fufa Women Super League

She Maroons Results so far

She Maroons 0-1 Kawempe Muslim

She Maroons 2-0 Uganda Martyrs

Makerere University 0-0 She Maroons

Kawempe Muslim’s clean slate

Kawempe 3-0 Rines SS

Wakiso Hill 0-3 Kawempe

She Maroons 0-1 Kawempe