Holders Uganda Martyrs Lubaga made a winning start to this year’s end of year women beach soccer festival and made their intentions to retain the trophy clear with two huge wins as the women’s showpiece got off the mark at Mutoola Resort Beach in Mukono.
They beat Kampala Junior Team (KJT) 5-1 in group A’s first match which was also the opening game of the festival on Friday. Catherine Nagadya starred with four goals and Brenda Munyana sealed their win while Leticia Nakyeyune struck the consolation for KJT.
Uganda Martyrs then ran to a cleansheet when they whitewashed Talented Ladies 8-0 in their second match.
Nagadya and Fatuma Nakasumba scored a hat trick individually while Munyana and Esther Namusoke also joined the scoring party with a goal each.
Talented Ladies faced another blow at the hands of Mpata Ladies who defeated them 5-1 to extinguish their chances of making it out of the group before the latter were also given a taste of their own medicine by KJT who edged them 5-4 in the last game of group A on the day.
Last year’s finalists – Nansana Ladies put forward two wins to the board to take charge of group B with six points.
In their first game, they won by a 5-2 scoreline at Makindye Bees who have football stars Hasifah Nassuna, Samalie Nakacwa and Shakira Nyinagahirwa in their ranks. Nassuna and Nakacwa scored for their side but their strikes were not enough as Cissy Nantongo showed up with a hat trick before Justin Najjuko also made her presence felt with a brace.
They got the better of debutants Nile Queens in their second fixture to confirm their slot in the semi finals.
Najjuko’s hat trick, Yudaya Nalubega’s brace and a goal from Rebecca Nakasato earned them a 6-1 win, Gloria Mutesi scored the Nile Queens solitary goal in the game.
Gomba Ladies brushed aside Nile Queens 8-3 before they were held to a four all draw by Makindye Bees to sit second in the group with four points.
By the end of match day one, Catherine Nagadya of Uganda Martyrs and Shamsa Najjuma of Gomba Ladies were leading the goal scoring chart with seven goals each, and they are followed by Leticia Nakyeyune of KJT and Justin Najjuko of Nansana Ladies with six and five goals respectively.
Uganda Women Football Association (UWFA) chairperson Magret Kubingi and super beach soccer delegate Anthony Tumwesigye attended the opening games.
The festival is scheduled to end on Saturday with four group stage matches before the final.
Match day one results
Group A
Uganda Martyrs 5-1 Kampala JT
Mpata Ladies 5-1 Talented Ladies
Uganda Martyrs 8-0 Talented Ladies
Kampala JT 5- 4 Mpata Ladies
Group B
Nansana Ladies 5-2 Makindye Bees
Gomba Ladies 8-3 Nile Queens
Nansana Ladies 6-1 Nile Queens
Makindye Bees 4-4 Gomba Ladies
Match day two fixtures
Talented Ladies Vs Kampala JT
Nile Queens Vs Makindye Bees
Mpata Ladies Vs Uganda Martyrs
Gomba Ladies Vs Nansana Ladies
Semi final
M13 Winner Group A Vs Runner Up Group B
M14 Runner Up Group A Vs Winner Group B
Classification match
M15 Looser M#13 Vs Looser M#14
Final
M16 Winner M#13 Vs Winner M#14
Action between Prison Ladies and Kampala Junior Team in inaugural edition
