BULAWAYO Athletic Club (Bac) hockey team lost 4-3 to the Reformed Ladies of Ghana in their opening match in the Hockey Africa Clubs Championships at the Khumalo Hockey Stadium yesterday.
REPORT BY VITALIS MOYO SPORTS REPORTER
The match, which was the third fixture of the day, saw Bac opening the score sheet with a goal from Nichole Taylor in the 10th minute.
The Reformed Ladies quickly replied two minutes later through Gloria Darko.
Bac looked good when attacking with a lot of opportunities in the dying stages of the first stanza, but they failed to convert, leaving the teams tied at 1-1 at half time.
In the second half, Bac sought to continue in their offensive type of play, but looked shaky at the back and their lack of composure showed as they allowed their opponents to go ahead with another goal from Darko in the 30th minute. Reformed Ladies kept pressure on the Bac defence and were rewarded again in the 44th minute with another goal from Darko.
Brilliant individual skill from Taylor saw them grab a goal back with 13 minutes left on the clock setting up a thrilling end to the game.
Reformed Ladies then wrapped up the game with a goal from Nutisisasa Amagah in the 66th minute with only four minutes left in the clock.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Bac managed to get a consolation goal in the dying seconds of the match from Lorraine Williams.
Bac’s South Africa-based coach Michael McKillop said he was pleased with his players’ performance despite the loss.
“The girls played well considering that a majority of them are young and have lack of exposure to this level of play due to the lack of competitive play during the year. Hopefully with the first game out of the way, the girls will use it as a platform to learn and create more confidence,” he said.
In the games played on the opening day on Saturday, Golden Sticks lost to Trustees 3-2, Telcom Ladies of Zambia drew 1-1 with University as Hippo HC beat Hullets 2-1 (men).
In yesterday’s, games Custom Ladies beat Trust University 2-1 while Telcom Ladies drew 1-1 with Heartland University.
