Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies warmed up for the second edition of the COSAFA Women’s Champions League zonal qualifiers with a dominant but hard-fought 3-1 win over the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in the Hollywoodbets Super League.
The 2022 instalment of the COSAFA competition returns to Durban and will be held from August 7-13.
The Brazilians, who are the reigning champions, will kickstart the defence of their title with a clash against debutants Costa Do Sol of Mozambique before tackling last year’s semi-finalists Double Action Ladies of Botswana after the three sides were drawn in Group A.
“We are up against teams that are seeking to etch their names into the record books as well. At Mamelodi Sundowns, we stick to our game plan and pay close attention to the Technical Team. We are confident of our chances in Durban and our aim is to win,” said Mamelodi Sundowns and Banyana Banyana goalkeeper Andile Dlamini.
Masandawana will be hoping to better last season’s achievement where they netted an impressive 22 goals across five matches in the tournament – and they made their intentions clear when head coach Jerry Tshabalala started with a strong attacking frontline against UJ – with Andisiwe Mgcoyi, Boitumelo Rabale, Melinda Kgadiete and Rhoda Mulaudzi all in the line-up.
It was Kgadiete who got better returns when she scored a brace in the fixture held at the Absa Tuks Stadium, with Mgcoyi chipping in with the other to make it 3-1.
The former Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies forward, who was part of the victorious Banyana Banyana squad in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco, registered her third goal of the season.
She walked away with the Woman of the Match award.
“Games against University of Johannesburg Ladies are always tough encounters and this was no exception. Due to their strong organization, they are very fearless without the ball. Despite their strengths, we found our grove thanks to the resilience of our team. Scoring the goals makes me happy, but winning the game is the more important,” said Kgadiete.
By Matlhomola Morake
