Asubo Gafford WFC remained perfect as they won their second game in the FUFA women beach soccer league in as many games to pile pressure on early leaders Kampala junior team (KJT) ladies who were held to a two all draw by Gomba ladies on Sunday.
Asubo Gafford starting five against Nansana Ladies
Asubo Gafford are second on the table with six points, one behind KJT but the latter has featured in three matches.
In the lopsided contest, Fatumah Nakasumba and Madina Nakayi struck four and two goals respectively to give Rogers Nkugwa’s side an emphatic 6-0 clean victory over Nansana ladies at FUFA technical centre beach soccer arena.
Nakasumba’s tally is now at ten goals, four better off KJT’s youngster Leticia Nakyeyune in second on the scorers’ chart.
Nakyeyune (left) vieing for the ball against Gomba Ladies
Resilient Gomba ladies held their nerves and they had to come from behind twice to earn their first point this season against the youthful KJT in the other game of the third outing.
Miriam Nakayiwa cancelled out Zainab Birungi’s opener for KJT before she stood to be counted again when she evened the game for Gomba with a late strike after Nakyeyune thought she had won it for her side.
Communication on when the league will resume shall be made in the due course.
Following a rest of about twelve days, the FUFA beach Soccer league is back this Sunday of February 12th for another pulsating action on match day three.
Current table standings
Ms Sand Lions entertain Kiringente BSC in a meeting of two hard fighting teams and MUBS will seek to get their season back on the rails when they face KIU at Mutoola resort beach in Mukono.
Kampala Junior Team (KJT) will play Grace Church in another seemingly interesting fixture.
Sixth placed Ms Sand Lions held to a 3-2 win at Buganda Royal last time out and will aim to build on that result to close the gap at the top given that early pace setters – Mutoola BSC and Jinja Lions are not in action.
Ms Sand Lions’s player leaves Baker Lukooya (down) in awe
Contrastingly, Kiringente were unlucky to lose 2-0 at Jinja Lions on match day two after putting up a good show with their aggressive approach and they may fancy this moment to start recording points on their account.
The fixture between KIU and MUBS promises a thriller as both teams will focus on earning their first points this season from the clash.
After the departure of Charles Ayeikho, coach Adam Kato Juma took over the reigns at MUBS but he couldn’t rescue his side from the 3-1 beating by Mutoola in his first game in charge, therefore, the two time league champions need to right the situation before it becomes unrepairable.
MUBS players (in orange) in a previous match against Mutoola
KIU however forfeited their match against Grace Church and they accordingly lost the game by 3-0 as per the rules and regulations of the competition.
Meanwhile, Grace Church will have to encounter a stern test this time against the energetic KJT who shockingly beat Wolves 4-3 on their league debut.
The FUFA beach soccer league 2022/23 continued with four fixtures played on match day two.
Sunday saw eight teams feature, with MUBS, Mutoola and Buganda Royal among those in action at FUFA technical center beach soccer arena in Njeru.
Buganda Royal 2-3 Ms Sand Lions
Ms Sand Lions got their season off to a good start with a 3-2 win over Buganda Royal.
The opening two periods collapsed when they were all even before Ibrahim Juma’s team was devoured in the third period to lose their second game on the count.
Action between Buganda Royal and Ms Sand Lions
For the entire show, Buganda Royal was playing catch up, reminiscent of their first defeat at Jinja Lions.
Paul Kato cancelled out Yusuf Joloba and Simon Kizito’s goals in the first and second period respectively but Joloba was there again for his team with the third goal in the third period to ensure Buganda Royal fell hard for the second time in as many games.
Jinja Lions 2-0 Kiringente BSC
Jinja Lions shown it was a no fluke beating Buganda Royal in their opening match as they battered down Kiringente.
Nicholas Mwere (in blue) was a thorn in Kiringente’s foot
They all went hard against each with the first period not seeing a goal. But Kiringente ran out of steam as the game wore on to allow the energetic Nicholas Mwere to evenly score in the remaining two periods for the Sand Kings.
MUBS 1-3 Mutoola BSC
The two time champions – MUBS faced a difficult evening after Herbert Abima scored at the wrong end to gift Mutoola the lead.
No way through: Mutoola players (in green) close down an opponent
Sharif Apuuli added the second before Isma Kawawulo reduced the deficit for MUBS but Paul Nsege ploughed in the third goal for Mutoola as they ascended to the top of the table with six points.
Wolves 3-4 Kampala Junior Team
Full of energy and grit, KJT stunned Wolves 4-3 in an entertaining affair for the neutrals.
Najib Muwoge’s hattrick and another strike from Staurt Kaffuluma was enough to win the game for KJT, while Ramadhan Ongen’s brace and a goal from Julius Sentamu remained a mere consolation for their side.
Meanwhile, Grace Church were a beneficiary of a walkover when KIU failed to honor their fixture.
Match day three will be played on February 12, 2023 at FUFA technical center beach soccer arena.
The FUFA beach soccer league 2022/23 campaign eventually got going on Sunday after three games were played whereas two were deferred to a date that will be communicated in the due course.
Action between Mutoola and Grace Church
Twenty one goals were scored on match day one altogether; defending champions – St. Lawrence University and Mutoola played to wins at a moment Jinja Lions slogged Buganda Royal at Fufa technical center beach soccer arena in Njeru.
The University side began from where they stopped last season with a 5-2 advantage at Ms Sand Lions to start their title defense brightly.
Rica Byaruhanga set the four time champions on the journey of victory with a cool finish before Sulaiman Ochero, Baker Lukooya, George Kaddu and new man Ronald Magwali confirmed the win for Davis Nnono’s side with a goal each.
Ms Sand Lions struck twice through Robert Kato and Abbey Kauma but their goals only remained a consolation.
Jinja Lions then produced an earsplitting roar when they convincingly beat Buganda Royal in the second match on the day to get their season off to a dream start.
Debutant Simon Ojera put the Sand Kings ahead in the first period before Herbert Onyango made it 2-0 in the second period.
Fredrick Ngalo utilized the third period to score their third goal to pose a real scare for the last season’s finalists.
Ngalo celebrating with Onyango after scoring a goal
Although they struggled to find a spark against the well drilled Jinja based club, Paul Lule, and after many attempts, finally beat Julius Sseguya in the opponents goal to at least provide something for Buganda Royal to go home with.
Paul Lule (in blue) executing an overhead kick
In the last game, Mutoola kept their shoulder to the wheel to get the better of a never giving up Grace Church with a 6-4 win.
Paul Nsege and Sharif Apuuli scored twice individually, Musa Ssali and Peter Mukwata added a goal each to take Mutoola’s tally to six but Mulani Babu also showed up with a brace for Grace Church while Jacob Nakisi and Ben Owen strikes threatened to overturn the tables but Mutoola held on until the final whistle.
Matches between MUBS and Kiringente, Wolves and KIU were postponed and communication about the rescheduling of the said matches will be made soon.
Fufa beach soccer league will continue this coming Sunday of January 29, 2023 with five fixtures at FUFA technical center beach soccer arena. First match will kick off at 1PM
The fixtures for the men’s and women’s beach soccer league opening matches for season 2022/23 have been released, with all the fixtures in the two competitions lined up for Sunday January 22 at Fufa Technical Center in Njeru.
Fufa beach soccer league defending champions St. Lawrence will kick start their title defence against Ms Sand Lions while Buganda Royal will begin their season with a tie against Jinja Lions.
Jinja Lions’ Herbert Onyango (in red) vie for the ball with Baker Lukooya (in blue) of St. Lawrence during a league game last season
Kiringente BSC to face off with the two time league champions MUBS as Mutoola and KIU play Grace Church and Wolves respectively.
Matches in the men’s league will start at 1pm (EAT) following the Fufa women beach soccer league games which have been scheduled to begin two hours before.
In the Fufa women beach soccer league, Prison Ladies will open the campaign against Nansana Ladies while Mpata Ladies will clash with Gomba Queens.
Ajax Queens will entertain Gafford Ladies as Uganda Martyrs take on Kampala Junior Team (KJT). The matches have been scheduled to begin at 11am (EAT).
Fufa beach soccer league – match day one fixtures:
MS Sand Lions Vs ST Lawrence BSC
Buganda Royal Vs Jinja Lions BSC
Kiringente BSC Vs MUBS
Mutoola BSC Vs Grace Church BSC
KIU BSC Vs Wolves BSC
Kick off: 1pm
Fufa women beach soccer league – match day one fixtures:
Fufa women beach soccer league is back after three years of no action which was caused by the outbreak of COVID 19.
The 2019/20 campaign was cancelled when sports activities were banned by the government while the two seasons that followed were not played due to the adverse effects of the pandemic.
Action between Gomba Ladies and KJT in the just concluded women beach soccer festival
Nine teams have confirmed participation in the 2022/23 season with the campaign getting underway on Sunday January 22 at the Fufa technical center beach soccer arena in Njeru.
Two time women beach soccer festival winners – Uganda Martyrs, Gafford Ladies, Ajax Queens, Mutoola Ladies, Nansana Ladies, Prison Ladies, Mpata Ladies, Gomba Queens and Kampala Junior Team (KJT) are the sides that will compete for this season’s title.
The fixtures will be released with in the course of the week.
Mutesa 1 Royal University Ladies were the last side to win the women’s beach soccer league in the 2018/19 season when it was last held but they will not be part this time.
St. Lawrence University won the second edition of the UBSA super four beach soccer tournament with a 10-7 victory over Buganda Royal at Mutoola resort beach.
Sand Cranes star – Baker Lukooya struck four times in the final, including a worldie to lift his side from two goals down to beat Buganda Royal in a thrilling final on Sunday.
Baker Lukooya (in blue) outsmarts his marker during the final
MUBS did not show up to defend their title they won in the inaugural edition to allow Buganda Royal set up the final with SLAU who defeated KIU 13-7 in the first knock out match of this year’s competition.
The reigning Fufa beach soccer league champions, coming against a familiar foe who they comfortably beat in last season’s league final, had a false start to the game and they struggled to burry in their chances in the opening moments of the contest but they grew into the game as the clock ticked.
Buganda Royal soon took the lead through Dasan Mubiru who immediately doubled his side’s lead before Lukooya pulled one back for St.Lawrence. Paul Kato ensured Buganda Royal’s two goal cushion was restored with a cool finish but they failed to close the gates as Sulaiman Ochero scored two quick fire goals to tie the first period 3-3.
Just a few minutes into the second period, Lukooya put his awesome skills on display and left fans grinning from ear to ear when he scored a beauty for his team from a tight angle near the corner flag with an overhead kick, and the stylish forward added two more before Junior Mukunzi and Dasan Mubiru reduced St Lawrence’s advantage to one goal.
At 6-5, it looked like a mission possible for Buganda Royal – however, Jonathan Kikonyogo and Faruku Ssemukutu scotched their hope of any potential come back, each with a goal to stretch the lead for their side.
Despite being three goals down, Buganda Royal remained resilient and continued to put Davis Nnono’s side under pressure in the third period. They threatened to level the matters again when Mukunzi and Paul Lule found the net to reduce their goal deficit to one but Joshua Lubwama and Ochero stepped up to seal the win for their side.
Joshua Lubwama celebrating with Lukooya after scoring a goal
St. Lawrence, making their second appearance in the final of the super four on the trot, became the second team to win the tournament following MUBS’ success in 2021.
The UBSA super four tournament was a precursor to Fufa beach soccer league that kicks off the next Sunday of January 22, 2023.
UBSA beach soccer super four will be played the next Sunday of January 15, 2023 at Mutoola resort beach.
The super four is a tournament that is always played by the four teams that reached the play offs of the previous season and it is often staged before the beginning of every new campaign of the Fufa beach soccer league.
In this tournament, the team that finished as the first (champions) in the league play the team that came fourth while the one who ranked second play who finished in the third place.
St Lawrence and MUBS in a semi final bout last season
St Lawrence University, Buganda Royal Institute, MUBS and KIU were the teams who reached the play offs last season, finishing first, second, third and fourth in that order and they are set to battle again for this year’s cup.
St. Lawrence beat Buganda Royal 9-5 in the final to win the league for the record fourth time while MUBS defeated KIU with a 5-2 victory to finish third.
The 2022/23 Fufa Beach Soccer League will start on Sunday January 22, 2023 and has been scheduled to end in June, with eleven teams competing.
It will be played on a double round robin system and the top four teams by the end of the regular season will engage in the championship play offs, and the winners of their respective ties will proceed to the final to determine the champion.
Nicholas Mwere (red) of Jinja Lions and Rica Byaruhanga (blue) of St. Lawrence in action last season
With the exception of the lowest ranked side on the table, six teams (beginning from number five to number ten) will also enter into a classification round to ascertain their final positions in the league. This is intended to provide more game time to the players.
This season will also have matches played at four different venues and they include; Mutoola resort beach, Fufa technical center beach soccer arena, Samachi beach in Busabala and Lido beach in Entebbe.
A sneak peek at Mutoola resort beach pitch
The eleven teams that will compete this campaign are;
Uganda Martyrs Lubaga reclaimed the women beach soccer festival title on Saturday to remain the only side to have won the competition following their triumph last year.
They showed some outstanding nerve to come from a goal down to beat Nansana Ladies 5-3 in a thrilling final contest at Mutoola Resort Beach in Mukono.
Cissy Nantongo ( in black) of Nansana Ladies vie for the ball with Fatuma Nakasumba (in white) of Uganda Martyrs
To reach this stage, Uganda Martyrs beat Gomba Ladies 6-3 in the semi final, while Nansana Ladies eased past Kampala Junior Team 6-0 at the same stage to set up a repeat of last year’s final.
During the hugely contested affair, Nansana drew the first blood and opened the scoring through Justin Najjuko, but Rogers Nkugwa’s girls soon started to rediscover their former selves and levelled the game through Fatuma Nakasumba’s penalty goal before the end of the first period.
Soon Nansana’s problems started creeping in as their only trusted goalkeeper Daphine Nyayenga was forced off because of a back problem and her place between the sticks was filled by Stella Namisango, an out field player.
Goalkeeper Daphine Nyayenga (in green shirt) was subbed off because of an injury
As expected, Uganda Martyrs hit three to lead 4-1 at the end of the second period as Catherine Nagadya scored twice and Nakasumba added another immediately after the stand in goalkeeper came on.
Nagadya (left) celebrating one of her goals with a team mate
Nyayenga returned to the fray in the last period after receiving treatment and Nansana started to look balanced and motivated, and almost came back in the game when Cissy Nantongo and Namisango struck goals for their side but Nagadya rose to the occasion to complete her hat trick and seal the victory for her side.
In the classification match, Gomba Ladies defeated KJT 4-1 to win the bronze medals.
Gomba Ladies won bronze
The champion will receive two million Uganda shillings (2,000,000/=) as the prize money for winning the competition on top of the trophy, Nansana Ladies will earn one million and five hundred thousand shillings (1,500,000/=) for finishing second while Gomba will receive one million Uganda shillings (1,000,000/=) for being the third placed team.
Catherine Nagadya scooped the topscorer’s award after netting fifteen goals and she was also voted as the most valuable player of the festival.
Daphine Nyayenga raced to the best goalkeeper award, and they will each get a cash prize of two hundred thousand shillings (200,000/=).
Nagadya after receiving her MVP medal
Other individual award winners were Leticia Nakyeyune of KJT and Rogers Nkugwa of Uganda Martyrs as the best young player and best coach respectively. Debutants – Nile Queens from Jinja won the fair play award.
Fufa second vice president Mr. Darius Mugoye graced the festival as the guest of honor, and he was flanked by Uganda Beach Soccer Association chairman Mr. Deo Mutabazi and Uganda Women Football Association chairperson Magret Kubingi, alongside other dignitaries.
Guest of honor Mr. Darius Mugoye handing over the trophy to the captain of Uganda Martyrs
Summary
Champion – Uganda Martyrs
Runners up – Nansana Ladies
Third placed team – Gomba Ladies
Awards
Best coach – Rogers Nkugwa (Uganda Martyrs)
Best young player – Leticia Nakyeyune (Kampala Junior Team)
Top scorer – Catherine Nagadya (15 goals)
MVP – Catherine Nagadya (Uganda Martyrs)
Best goalkeeper – Daphine Nyayenga (Nansana Ladies)
Fair play award – Nile Queens
This was the second edition of the women beach soccer festival and it is organised at the end of every calendar year by the Uganda Beach Soccer Association (UBSA) in conjunction with the Uganda Women Football Association (UWFA).
