Aili Iilonga
THE Namibian women’s hockey team displayed confidence as it beat its Zambian counterpart twice in a row during the hockey test series that were held over the weekend.
Namibian captain Maggy Mengo had her shot saved, while Kiana Cormack shot narrowly wide, but their pressure paid off when Tara Myburgh finished off an attack by Mengo to put Namibia 2-0 ahead after 11 minutes of the game.
Zambia opened the game on 27 minutes when Catherine Kalomo struck a rebound into the net, after Namibian goal keeper Berencia Diamond had saved Patricia Banda’s initial shot.
Zambia pushed hard for the equaliser and Diamond came to Namibia’s rescue with a great save to deny Margret Munthali a shot just before the half time break.
The home side dominated the final stages with Kiana Cormack scoring a hat-trick to complete a comprehensive victory.
She made it 4-1 when she intercepted the ball on the halfway line, ran right through and then dribbled past Zambia’s goalie to put the ball into an empty net.
The victory brought an end to a dominant performance by the home team and coach Erwin Handura said the series had provided much needed preparation for upcoming events this year.
Namibia play South Africa next month, while they will compete in the final Olympic Games qualifying tournament in Valencia, Spain in June.
“Zambia pressed us hard in the second test, so we reformed our strategy to dominate the midfield area and as a result, we were able to score six goals,” he said, adding “The series provided us with was great preparation for our next series against South Africa next month.”
