The razzmatazz of the 2024 Goshen-Fam Women’s National Championship reaches the climax as Silver Strikers Ladies and Kukoma Ntopwa Women battle for gold at Mpira Stadium in Blantyre this afternoon.
The stakes are high in this encounter as the winner will pocket K9 million whereas the loser will get K5 million.
Silver Ladies and Ntopwa are familiar foes in domestic women’s football but they are facing each other for the first at this stage of the competition.
Both teams have had incredible runs in this year’s tournament.
- Advertisement -
Silver Ladies had to start from the play-offs, where they hammered Mighty Wanderers Queens 5-0 before registering a 6-0 win over Topik Sisters.
- Advertisement -
In the quarterfinals, they had to beat Capital City rivals Civil Service United Women 2-0 before knocking out champions Ascent Academy 4-2 on post-match penalties after the tie ended goal-less in regulation time.
So far, they are yet to concede in open play in this year’s tournament but have, on their part, scored 13 goals.
Ntopwa, on the other hand, earned automatic qualification to the quarterfinals after finishing second in the Southern Region.
They had to stun 2021 winners FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Women 2-1 in a Blantyre derby.
- Advertisement -
They had an easy ride over Topik, when they hammered them 4-0 in the semifinals to book a final date with Silver Ladies.
Silver Ladies, formerly known as DD Sunshine, would be looking to win the tournament for the first since they rebranded.
On the other hand, Ntopwa won the 2022 edition and went on to represent the country at the Caf Women’s Champions League/Cosafa Qualifier in Durban, South Africa.
Surely, there is a lot to play for in this match.
Silver Ladies Coach Andrew Chikhosi would like to prove that their performance in this year’s tournament was not a flash in the pan.
But Chikhosi said underrating Ntopwa would be at their own peril.
“It is a match where we need to be at our best. We need to concentrate on all the details of the entire match.
“That said, there is renewed hope in our camp,” Chikhosi said.
Deborah Henry, Ireen Nkhumalo, Ruth Nyirongo and Chisomo Banda are carrying Silver Ladies’ hopes in this tie.
But Ntopwa owner Isaac Jomo Osman, who doubles as technical director, believes that his troops are in the right frame of mind to reclaim the title.
“We expect a very tough match but we have what it takes to win the cup. We know what we want. We have been in such situations before and we will fight for it,” Osman said.
Kondawo Banda, Mary Chindeya, Saliva January and Rose Alufandika can cause plenty of problems. In an early kickoff, Ascent will meet Topik in a battle for bronze.
The third and fourth-placed team will pocket K3 million and K2 million, respectively.
