Herentals crowned Women’s League Champs
HERENTALS Queens coach Simbarashe Dedza has hailed the club’s leadership for their vision that has ensured that the women’s football project is treated equally as the men’s Premiership side.
This year the men’s side — Herentals — have done remarkably well in the Castle Lager Premiership.
They are in the Chibuku Super Cup finals and also finished in the league’s top eight.
Not to be outdone, the women’s side have gone a notch higher and won the league title for the first time in their history.
Herentals were crowned the 2022 Zimbabwe Women’s Football League champions on Sunday when they beat Midlands State University Queens 3-0 at Motor Action Sports Club.
The Students’ forward Maud Mafuruse and Melanda Rungu scored in the first half before Alice Moyo killed the match as a contest with the third goal in the second half.
Herentals finished the season with 72 points. They only lost once to Harare City and also drawn once the entire season.
It is the first time that Herentals women’s football club have won the league title. They have managed to end the dominance of Black Rhinos Queens. The army side will not reach the 72-point mark even if they win all their outstanding games.
Herentals coach, Simbarashe Dedza, hailed the club’s leadership for giving women’s football equal treatment and motivating them to achieve great things.
“Firstly, I want to thank the club directors for this project. They balance the two teams and they are passionate about football and want to change players’ lives through football. They love seeing people transform their lives through football,” said Dedza.
The youthful coach says his troops were so motivated by the Champions League factor and badly want to play in the CAF tournament for women’s football that was introduced last year. Black Rhinos Queens made history by becoming the first Zimbabwean club to feature in the tournament’s qualifiers last year.
This year Zimbabwe was not represented due to FIFA’s suspension.
“Our captain Loveness Mukura led the players and her vice Tabeth Mutinhiri, also a brave character, encouraged others.
“The players were so motivated because they want to play in the CAF Women’s Champions League. They are motivated to go and play in the CAF tournament and probably secure contracts outside. We are coming up and showing what we have despite the long dominance of Black Rhinos Queens.
“Another thing is our type of football is different from other types of football. In Spain, they once introduced Tikki Takka from Pep Guardiola and here in Zimbabwe as Herentals football club, we have introduced another type of football called bombardment of football whereby we bombard teams, we don’t fear teams, we go to attack, the best way to defend is to attack and that has given us more impact in both men’s and women’s football teams,” said Dedza.
Herentals Queens had a solid defence which was led by veteran Mighty Warriors goalkeeper Lindiwe Magwede and her understudy Doreen Zvayi. Polite Mabika operated from the right back while Moyo operated from the left back and Talent Mukwanda complete the defence which only conceded six goals this season.
Midfielders Nyasha Munemo, Grace Kazembe and Shylin Dambamuromo operated from the middle of the park with strikers Mafuruse, Praynence Zvawanda and Melody Tatenda scoring a lot of crucial goals for the club.
The club gets its players from their schools’ structure where they hold tournaments at their various colleges and scout great talent. The club also beefed-up their squad with some league players. They bought the quartet of Mafuruse, Moyo, Shylin Dambamuromo and Melody Tatenda from Mutare side Faith Drive. The players added significant value to the team. They also acquired Natasha Mabungu from COSA Guruve.