BANYANA Banyana is one step closer to qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games after beating the Harambe Starlets of Kenya 1-0 on Sunday, August 2.
The clash took place at Machakos Stadium in Machakos town on the outskirts of Nairobi and was the second match in two weeks that saw Banyana Banyana come out victorious.
First half substitute Rhoda Mulaudzi scored the goal that was enough to see Vera Pauw’s charges into the fourth round of the Rio Olympic qualifiers.
In front of a decent crowd the host team came out guns blazing and initially placed the visitors under enormous pressure.
Despite two training sessions on the uneven pitch, Banyana Banyana still struggled on the uneven footing.
Pauw was forced to change her plans early on in the match when Thembi Kgatlana was taken off after colliding with the Kenyan goalkeeper. Mulaudzi was brought on and became a handful for the Kenyan defenders.
Mulaudzi eventually registered her first goal for Banyana Banyana in the twenty-fourth minute. Her well taken long-range shot, after she beat off a defender, silenced the home supporters instantly.
The goal seemed to give the Sasol-sponsored Banyana Banyana an upper-hand as they took control of the rest of the half.
Forward Sanah Mollo had a great chance to increase the lead in the thirty-first minute but her shot sailed just over the bar.
A minute later, Banyana Banyana goalkeeper Roxanne Barker also came to the party when she made a great save by parrying the ball for a corner from a Kenyan set-piece taken on the edge of the box. Barker made another great save just before the half-time break, coming out to punch a shot that was destined for goal. This action kept Banyana Banyana in the lead going into recess.
Four minutes after the break Mollo had another opportunity at goal but her shot went wide. Kenya got a chance in the 58th minute but the shot went wide off Barker’s goal posts.
Banyana Banyana did well to hold on to the 1-0 lead with Barker making two crucial saves towards the dying minutes of the match and Mollo coming close to extending the lead seven minutes into stoppage time, but her on-target header was blocked by the Kenyan defenders.
The South African team returned home on Monday, August 3.
