UoN end season winless after Titans loss

University of Nairobi (UoN) on Saturday ended their Kenya Hockey Union women’s Premier League campaign without a win after losing 1-0 to Kenyatta University (KU) Titans at the City Park Stadium, Nairobi.

Winger Alfine Muriel’s strike in the 28th minute was the difference between the two sides in their final match of the 2017/2018 season. UoN, who were making their debut this season, were looking to end their campaign with a win after losing 16 matches before Saturday’s encounter.

It was however not to be as the Titans, who missed a host of chances, finally found the opener to end their season with a win. The result left the Thika Road-based side in eighth place with 21 points, while UoN are rooted bottom with three points from three draws.

COMPLETED THE DOUBLE

The win saw Titans complete the double over their counterparts after winning 6-0 in the first leg fixture on May 6, 2017. Titans skipper Olympia Bett was disappointed that they couldn’t bag more goals and also failed to secure a top five finish.

“It has been an average season for us and we will look at the areas that we need to improve on next season so that we can achieve the target of breaking into the top five,” Bett told Nation Sport.

UoN coach John Waloti however picked positives from his team’s season noting that they will be better next season.

“Most of our players have not played at this level and I think there are a lot of good things we can take from the season. I think next season we will not finish bottom,” the coach said in post-match comments.

It was actually UoN who started brightly and almost caught out the Titans defence in the fifth minute.

Midfielder Hilda Juma dribbled past a host of Titans players and set up striker Faith Wanga but the latter just failed to beat keeper Daisy Odera. Titans would eventually settle in the match and Bett alongside midfield partner Brenda Omaido started controlling proceedings.

After a goalless first quarter, Titans took the lead two minutes to halftime as Bett and Omaido, a younger sister of Kenya international Audrey Omaido of Telkom, combined to put Muriel through to fire a backhand shot past UoN keeper Charity Karanja.

Titans’ top scorer Gloria Juma missed two clear-cut chances to add to the 12 goals she has scored this season but it did not matter as UoN failed to hit back.

In the men’s Premier League, 2012 champions Sikh Union Nairobi beat Technical University of Kenya 2-1 at the same venue to finish sixth in the log.

The season comes to a close next Sunday.