Prisons XI ladies are the winners of the inaugural ‘The Real Football Queens’ pre-season tournament.
Prisons XI beat BDF XI 4 – 1 in penalty shootout after both teams had failed to score in regular time.
In what was an interesting battle between the prison guards and their army counterparts, it was always Prisons XI who were expected to win. Despite all the ammunition they have in their arsenal, they however found it difficult to break the BDF XI rearguard.
Prisons XI, who boasted the likes of Nondi Mahlasela and Kefilwe ‘Cobra’ Lentswe in their ranks posed a serious threat. Lentswe in particular was very impressive as she ran rings around her opponents when the ball got to her feet.
Both teams had some interesting chances, but unfortunately found keepers at both goal posts unyielding. In the end, it was the goalkeepers who would decide where the floating trophy and gold medals will head to.
From the penalty shootout that followed, Prisons XI ladies emerged the heroine as she saved three of the four penalties, with only BDF XI playmaker Gaone Tlhobogang finding the back of her net. Prisons XI on the other hand expertly dispatched their spot kicks, thanks to Nancy Baeletsi, One Botshabelo, Mahlasela and Theo George.
In the losers’ final Zodiac Collabo Girls eased past Township Rollers ladies football club to claim bronze. While Collabo Girls were good, Rollers’ ladies were dismal. The team, now seemingly neglected, is a shadow of the team it once used to be.
While the winners will surely get plaudits for their victory, this was once again a tournament where the growth of women’s football over the years was on display. With the ladies’ senior national team coach Gaoletlhoo Nkutlwisang and Botswana Football Association (BFA) women’s football manager Tsholofelo Setlhoko in attendance, the ladies sought to impress and they surely left a mark.
The most impressive display of the weekend was perhaps the youthful FC Ambassadors. While they did not make it to the semifinals after losing 3 – 4 to the Rollers’ ladies after the game ended with the scores at 2 – 2, FC Ambassadors caught the eye.
Playing with freedom and verve, FC Ambassadors were not out of place against Rollers. Impressively, the best players for FC Ambassadors were teenage forwards Keotshepile ‘Mbesuma’ Kesetse and One Pitso, both 14 and 17 years of age respectively. They were joined by 12-year-old winger Keamogetse Moloi. The latter is a standard 7 pupil and as per the team coach, a permission had to be sought from her guardians to appear at the tournament as she is about to sit for her final examinations.
