SENIOR national women’s football team coach Rosemary Mugadza joined the rest of the squad in camp yesterday as the team stepped up preparations for their traditional Unity Cup match against Lesotho at Rufaro Stadium on Saturday. HENRY MHARA SPORTS REPORTER
The Mighty Warriors have been in camp since last week, but without Mugadza who was in Bulawayo for her mother’s funeral. Mugadza’s mother passed on two weeks ago. In her absence, assistant coach Yohannes Chikaola and goalkeepers coach Matsika Ndega have been training the team. Mugadza was back in the capital yesterday and held her first session with the team at Barclays Sports Club.
Mighty Warriors technical director Takaendesa Jongwe was expected to join with the rest of the team later in the day yesterday. Team manager Charity Munemo said: “The coach has been going through a very difficult period after losing her mother, but she is a strong person and are happy that she is here now. The preparations have been going on well.
“No injuries have been recorded so far and the players are looking forward to the match.” Munemo said all the players called into camp responded save for second choice goalkeeper Portia Mukutya who has been sidelined with an injury she picked while playing for her South African club.
Cyclone goalkeeper Lindiwe Magwede will play cover to first choice goalie Chido Dzingirai. The Saturday match between the two sides will be the third for the Mighty Warriors and Banyana Banyana this year. Zimbabwe played two friendly matches in Maseru last month with the Mighty Warriors winning 5-1 and 6-1 respectively.
After the Lesotho match, the Zimbabwe women will fly out to Cairo the following day for another friendly match against their Egyptian counterparts.
The matches against Lesotho and Egypt are part of a series of preparatory matches that Zimbabwe has lined up for the African Women’s Championships qualifiers set to begin next year.
Zimbabwe will meet Botswana in the first round in February. Negotiations for another match against a continental heavyweight before the Lady Zebras match are ongoing. The African Women’s Championships finals, the women’s version of the men’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament, also serve as a qualification tournament for the 2015 Canada Fifa Women’s World Cup and the Mighty Warriors are leaving no stone unturned in their preparations for the two tournaments.
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Mighty Warriors squad: C Dzingirai, L Magwede, A Banda, E Chinyerere, E Jeke, M Chirandu, N Majika, P Khumalo, L Magwede, F Muzongondi, T Mushanagwenzi, G Bande, M Musasa, R Mutyavaviri, E Msipa, N Munemo, P Mujuru, V Bepete, T Mandaza, R Machingura, M Nyaumwe, K Chiparaushe, R Pote
