Abel Ndooka
Tadious Manyepo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
HERENTALS Queens are slowly becoming a dominant force in the local league.
After winning two consecutive championships in 2022 and 2023, delivering the latter in an invincible manner, Vagoni Vebasa looked off their tracks this year.
While they started well, the Simba Dedza girls appeared to be losing the plot when losing 1-0 to rivals Black Rhinos Queens in the first half of the race to hand them over the keys.
Further blows in draws against Correctional Queens and slender wins against teams like Hope Academy saw them losing further ground, and for once, it looked like a two-horse race between Rhinos and Chapungu Queens.
But once the Student Queens got their mojo back, they steadily did their work, including beating Chapungu back-to-back and forcing a draw in the second leg of their meeting with Black Rhinos.
At the end, they managed to retain the title for the third time running.
But that won’t rival their incredible run in the CAF Women’s Champions League Cosafa qualifiers played in Blantyre, Malawi, in August.
With Zimbabwe under FIFA suspension, Herentals Queens missed out on the chance to make their bow in this tournament last year.
But they got their opportunity and debuted in Malawi.
They were the complete outsiders, especially after being placed in a strong Group B field with perennial campaigners Green Buffaloes of Zambia and Namibia’s FC Ongos, along with South Africa’s University of Western Cape.
No one gave them a chance, for they stood no chance.
That was on paper, and that remained on paper.
In the field of play, Vagoni Vebasa exploded.
They pinned down FC Ongos first, then Green Buffaloes, to secure their spot in the semi-final, although they lost to UWC in their only defeat in the group.
Once they progressed to the last four, Herentals Queens had the bookmakers believing they would win the ticket to the final tournament in Morocco.
They, however, came unstuck and fatigued.
A last-gasp effort by Botswana’s Gaborone United sank the Zimbabweans and dashed their hopes.
But they had done just enough to capture the imagination of many.
“It’s a year that we will not easily forget. We were almost there, but it wasn’t to be,” said Captain Loveness Mukura.
“The team was well-motivated. Everyone was playing with so much confidence.
“We went there as outsiders, and we were never given a chance.
“But we gave it our all. One thing that we are proud about is that we showed the heart.
“Each of us had the drive and the desire. We were fighting for each other. The fighting spirit in the unit is amazing, and it was in full display when we played in the CAF Women’s Champions League.
“It was a huge effort by the girls, and it was the biggest moment of the year as far as we are concerned.”
Mukura, who is vying for ZIFA vice-presidency in the upcoming January 25 election, said Herentals Queens have a chance to do well in the CAF Women’s Champions League Cosafa qualifiers next year.
“The good thing is that we have another chance to try and conquer again,” she added.
“Next season, we will try again. We have the clout and the passion to do well.
“Everyone wants to do well and wants to be remembered for conquering the continent.”
Online Reporter
