Queens Show Character to Earn a Point Against Herentals Juniors
Our MWOS FC Queens fought hard to secure a 1-1 draw against Herentals Queens Juniors at MWOS Ngoni Stadium this past Sunday, sharing the spoils in a fiercely competitive Northern Region Women’s Soccer League encounter.
Returning from a league bye, the Queens aimed for a strong start to the second round of the campaign. However, the visitors started brightly, pressing early and threatening from set pieces. While we gradually settled into our rhythm, highlighted by Kelly Kandemiri’s dangerous 15th-minute corner that found Palatial Makaruse for a header that went narrowly wide, we found ourselves trailing 1-0 at the interval following a tight midfield battle.
We returned for the second half with clear attacking intent, raising the tempo and playing much higher up the pitch. To inject fresh energy into the final third, the technical team introduced Grace Mubaira for Kandemiri, later following up by bringing on Tadiwa Tunduwe and Doreen Rugayo for Betty Pasipadana and Tanaka Samanga.
These tactical shifts immediately created more openings. In the 75th minute, Tawananyasha Mandishara brilliantly set up Makaruse inside the box, though her resulting shot was well-saved by the Herentals goalkeeper.
Our relentless pressure finally paid off in the 80th minute. A fierce scramble inside the Herentals penalty area forced an error from the visitors, with a Herentals player inadvertently turning the ball into her own net to hand us a well-deserved equaliser. We continued to push for a late winner, with Mubaira coming agonisingly close from a corner in the 85th minute, but the match ultimately concluded at 1-1.
Speaking after the hard-fought encounter, Head Coach Primrose Serima praised the squad’s determination to fight their way back into the game.
On the squad’s character: “I’m happy with the way the Queens played. In the first half, we were following their play and unfortunately conceded a goal, but we managed to raise our game in the second half. Through our own build-up and attacking play, we managed to get the equaliser.”
On the path forward: “We created chances, but unfortunately we could not utilise them to score more goals. We will be working more on our finishing, but I’m happy with the point. The girls have been working very hard.”
The coaching staff will now focus on sharpening our efficiency in the final third as we carry this vital point forward in our second-round campaign.
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