Vihiga Queens battled hard in a thrilling match up against Simba Queens to finally get the win. Vihiga won 2 - 1 with goals from Maureen Achieng and midfield maestro Jentrix Shikangwa. Simba on the other hand stunned the home side with a comeback goal from Aisha Mnunka, seconds after coming in as a substitute for Monique Kipoi.
The game itself was deadlocked in the first half with both teams sharing possession and playing quite a physical bout (More than 10 fouls). Both teams also set out quite offensively with similar 4-4-3 formations that allowed a fierce midfield battle as they tried to outweigh each other. In the 21st minute, Simba's Flavian Musolo got clear on goal after going past 3 Vihiga players only to have her shot wide. The first half was later taken to a close when Vihiga's Joan Nabire had a missed opportunity once her low shot went wide.
The second half saw Maureen Achieng netting a header (her 7th goal of the tournament) from a well hit corner kick in the 65th minute drawing first blood. Soon after 5 minutes, Simba quickly equalised when Aisha Mnunka thumped in a goal from a loose ball that had rebounded off Vihiga's keeper Lilian Owuor making it 1-1.
"I am confident enough that the cup will remain in Kenya, because we are trying to rectify some of our mistakes so that by the time we reach the finals, I think we will not have any mistakes to lead the cup away. By the first half we had realised how Simba Queens were playing so it was just a matter of a strategy change that would favor us." Said Vihiga Queens assistant coach Boniface Nyamunyamu after the milestone win.
Simba Queens coach acknowledged how the loss was a lesson learnt for his side, still putting more emphasis on how they played well." It's a lesson learnt for us and we will go back home to prepare for a better comeback. My team was well prepared since we knew a tie against Vihiga Queens was surely going to be tough. Vihiga played much on the defense due to them being shy, that's why we got so much possession. But as football, it's a game of mistakes and once made, opponents get to punish you," said coach Omar
In the 78th minute, Jentrix Shikanga almost had Vihiga up a goal when her solo effort saw a cracking shot hit the side netting. Patience would prevail as Vihiga's efforts soon came to pay off when Jentrix finally netted in a beautiful header from a free kick by Alice Muderi in the 88th minute. The goal would seal the game at 2-1.
Vihiga Queens now have one hand on the regional cup as they await to see who wins in the semi-final clash pitted between Ethiopia's CBE FC and Uganda's Lady Doves.