Hockey: Strathmore University cement top spot after win over Lakers in Kisumu
Hockey
By
Washington Onyango
| Sep 25, 2022
Strathmore University Scorpions stretched their lead at the top of the 2022 Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) Women's Premier League after they narrowly edged out Lakers Hockey Club 1-0 in a match played at Simba Club in Kisumu on Sunday.
Kenyan international Grace Bwire scored the lone goal of the match after converting a short corner in the 54th minute of the match to hand the visitors important three-points
Victory saw the university students maintain their perfect start to the season as they continue with their surge towards attempting to dethrone record champions Blazers.
Strathmore in the process registered their fifth win of the season and extended their lead at the helm of the seven-club league.
Strathmore are top of the log with 15 points and are yet to concede a single goal this season.
Apart from their win against the Lakers, they have defeated Sliders (2-0), Wolverines (1-0), Sailors (2-0) and defending champions Blazers (2-0).
Speaking after the match, Strathmore head coach Meshack Senge lauded his charges for not giving up in the match despite a few refereeing calls that went against them.
"We had not played for the past three months and to dominate the game the way we did against Lakers shows that the girls are determined and focused on the league."
"For us, we approach every game as our first match of the season without taking into account our past results and am happy we are coming out of Kisumu with a win."
"My main concern was just a few umpiring calls that we did not agree with. I can't say they were biased but we need to revisit some of the calls and how we should interpret them," said Senge.
Lakers coach Austin Tuju blamed their defeat on a lack of regular training and not taking their chances in the match.
"We started the match poorly after we allowed our opponents to dominate in the first quarter and second quarter but am happy with how we reacted in the final half."
"The girls didn't take their chances too in the match and when they scored deep into the last quarter we could not respond. Despite a few calls that we did not agree to, I am confident we still have time to bounce back," said Tuju.
The Lakers have now lost two games and remain second from the bottom with four points.
The Kisumu hockey club is currently sixth on the log with four points collected from their narrow 1-0 win over newbies Wolverines and their barren draw against Sailors in May.
The Lakers lost 1-0 to United States International University Africa (USIU-A) during their opening match of the season.