Zimbabwe finished 23rd at the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup in Santiago, Chile, which concluded on Saturday.
They secured the position with a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Namibia in the 23rd-place playoff.
Namibia finished the tournament winless in 24th place.
Namibia took an early lead with a goal in the seventh minute, but Zimbabwe rallied with strikes from Nyasha Bvute in the 14th minute and Panaka Kambaza in the 40th minute to claim the win.
The tournament proved challenging for Zimbabwe in Group B.
They began with a heavy 13–0 defeat to Argentina on 2 December, followed by a 3–0 loss to Wales on December 4 and a 21–0 defeat to Belgium on December 6, highlighting significant defensive difficulties.
These results placed Zimbabwe in the 17th–24th classification bracket.
Their hopes of a higher finish were ended by hosts Chile, who defeated them 6–1 in the first classification round on December 7.
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Bulls to charge into Zimbabwe gold stocks
- Ndiraya concerned as goals dry up
- Letters: How solar power is transforming African farms
Keep Reading
Zimbabwe showed more fight in their next match against Malaysia on December 10. After a 3–3 draw in regulation time, they were narrowly defeated 5–3 in a penalty shootout.
The team ended the tournament on a positive note, however, clinching 23rd place with a narrow 2–1 victory over Namibia to conclude a difficult campaign with a resilient performance.
The Netherlands were crowned champions on Saturday after defeating Argentina 2–1 in a closely contested final.
