USIU sting Strathmore Scorpions to move second

United States International University-Africa (USIU-A) Spartans Sunday beat Strathmore University's Scorpions 2-0 to move second on the Kenya Hockey Union Premier League standings.

Two goals in either half from Rachel Wangui and Veronica Williams were enough to sink their fellow students and take their tally to 26 points, level with leaders Blazers (formerly Telkom) but with an inferior goal difference.

USIU-A coach Willis Okeyo was happy after securing second place.

"I’m extremely proud of our performance. We have collected six points this weekend and generally we have closed the gap on Blazers. We have two matches left against Kenyatta University and Blazers but at least we will be among the top two when the league comes to an end," said Okeyo.

Strathmore coach Meshack Senge conceded USIU were the better team.

"The top two finish is beyond us. The girls just didn’t turn up. They looked comfortable and were not aggressive, USIU A wanted the win more and they got it. The players seem to ride on the name and previous performance but sadly history doesn’t count," lamented Senge.

Blazers have played 10 games and were not in action at the weekend. Scorpions remain third on the standings with 18 points from 12 matches.

The match began with a minute of silence as in remembrance of former Spartans player Martha Masinde who passed away in 2017 due to respiratory complications.

It was a balanced match in the first quarter with both teams showing intent but were let down by their deliveries.

Spartans looked to have settled well with good runs and deservedly took the lead through Wangui's fantastic field goal in the 27th minute.

The presence of Gilly Okumu, who is fresh from featuring for German side Eintracht Frankfurt, didn’t help Scorpions either as they withered.

In the second half, USIU conceded penalty corners but Strathmore were wasteful in their deliveries. Spartans punished them through Williams' penalty corner to put the game beyond reach.