Africa-Press – South-Sudan. Bright Starlets had nowhere to bury their heads after honouring sumptuous fixtures in 2021. It was all an embarrassment. Drubbing came their way, left, right, and centre. From the hammering in Kenya to the unlucky results in South Africa and other friends lost by razor-thin margins, the ugly streak was long and heartbreaking.
However, this week the girls turned a corner after they made a meal out of their neighbours from Sudan, pumping six goals against the hosts without conceding any. The convincing 6-0 win against Sudan may have signalled the rebirth of the new face of the Bright Starlets team under the tutelage of Shirlene Booysen.
The Sudanese team failed to contain the visiting Bright Starlets in a match played at the Jebel Aulia Stadium on Wednesday. The South Sudanese side was too strong, suave, and outsmarting, like the waters of the River Nile slipping through the stubborn rocks.
Deborah Stephen netted a hat-trick for the visiting side, while Chiang Thomas scored a brace, and substitute Diana Padonyi also made sure she was on the scoresheet.
Shirlene Booysen, South Sudan’s head coach, said she was happy with the way her team attacked and defended.
“This is a good start in the New Year and we shall keep working hard,” added Booysen.
Speaking to The City Review, the Deputy Secretary-General of South Sudan Football Association, Joseph Archangelo Apai applauded the Senior Women’s National Team for their wonderful performance in Khartoum and said that they hope that the return leg on February 21 will be of the same performance.
The two teams are expected to play a second international friendly match at the same stadium.
Archangelo said the friendlies were organized to meet the total preparation for the upcoming international matches in CECAFA and other tournaments.
“We call upon South Sudanese in Sudan to stand with the team and support towards building a wonderful team,” he stressed.
The Deputy Secretary-General revealed that South Sudan’s Women’s Cup for 2021/2022 is set to commence on 24th February 2022 at Buluk Training Center and will also involve the launch of the pilot project for Menstrual Hygiene and Education to Women playing football and their dependencies.
While South Sudan’s women’s team has played in CECAFA Championships, the 2021 COSAFA Women’s Championship and the Women’s AFCON 2022 qualifiers, the Sudan team is now experienced enough since it was started over a year ago.
Last year the Sudan team played in the Arab Women’s Cup 2021 in Egypt where they lost all the matches. SA’s Shilene Booysen is coming up for a year in charge of the South Sudan senior women’s football team,
In the past CECAFA Cup Women’s Competition, South Sudan’s national women’s soccer team, the Bright Starlets displayed a dismal performance which led them to be defeated by Burundi 3-0 and seriously thrashed by Tanzania 9-0.
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