Wiyeta out to reclaim Under-16 football title

[PHOTO: COURTESY]

Former Under-16 girls' football champions Wiyeta will be on a mission to salvage their title at this year’s secondary schools Term Two national games set for next week in Eldoret.

Wiyeta, who won the inaugural trophy in Embu following the inclusion of the category in 2016, finished second and relinquish their crown last year following a 1-0 loss to winners Olympic Mixed in the final played in Mombasa.  

They qualified for this year’s nationals after edging out Tartar 4-3 in post-match penalties after their match ended 1-1 in regular time.

The junior girls will be seeking to emulate their seniors who won both the national and East Africa titles last year.

Nonetheless, they will face stiff competition from defending champions Olympic, who also qualified for the nationals, and will be seeking to retain their gong.

Wiyeta coach Edgar Manyara said their main objective is to recapture the title.

“Last year we came close but the girls conceded an early goal and our opponents defended their lead to snatch the trophy.

"It was a painful loss but on the other hand, we learnt invaluable lessons and the girls vowed to avoid such mistakes,” Manyara said.

Wiyeta will rely on the services of promising strikers Jamila Amida, Jacinta Karemana and Monica Awinja, who were instrumental in their regional campaign.

Amida showed her worth netting eight goals in their Rift Valley Region semi-final clash against Kipsisgis Girls, while Karemana was on target seven times.  

"We want to regain our win," said Amida.