Red-hot Starlets breeze past poor Seychelles in another double-digit goal fest

By  Toto Arege

Correspondent

NMG Sport

What you need to know:

• Coach Godfrey Oduor singled out hat-trick heroine Jentrix Shikangwa for praise.
• Harambee Starlets will face either Malawi or Zimbabwe in the third round in February.

Harambee Starlets coach Godfrey ‘Solo’ Oduor says his team will shift focus to preparations for the third round of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games women’s football qualifiers after thrashing Seychelles 22-0 on aggregate.

Kenya completed the demolition with an 11-0 victory in the second leg at Ulinzi Sports Complex, Nairobi, on Monday, having registered an identical scoreline in the first leg at the same venue last Thursday.

Starlets will face either Malawi or Zimbabwe in the third round in February, with Malawi holding a 2-0 advantage ahead of Tuesday’s return leg in Harare following their victory in the first leg in Lilongwe on Friday.

“We will watch their game on Tuesday when they play Zimbabwe and then start our preparations. We have a good pool of players, so we are trying to see who can give us what we want,” said Oduor.

The coach praised his players for their confidence and attacking intent, particularly their ability to score from distance.

“We just give them strength and confidence so they can express themselves properly on the pitch, and I am happy with what they are doing. Scoring from outside the 18-yard area shows that if we get a tough opponent, we will give them a hard time,” he said.

Oduor expects a tough contest in the next round, regardless of whether Kenya face Malawi or Zimbabwe, pointing to the experience gained by the teams at the recent 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) in Morocco.

“We have several players who play at a high level and were at the Wafcon. Malawi also played at Wafcon, so we expect fireworks between Malawi and Kenya or Zimbabwe,” he said.

The coach singled out hat-trick heroine Jentrix Shikangwa for praise, saying the forward had demonstrated leadership and an ability to influence play from midfield.

“She has shown she can command the midfield and guide teammates to create goals. She is among the players we will nurture so that she can play even better,” the coach said.

Oduor made wholesale changes to the starting team that featured in the first leg, handing veteran goalkeeper Lilian Awuor a starting role after she joined the squad following the opening match.

Awuor was protected by Vivian Nasaka, Wincate Kaari, Enez Mango and Ruth Ingosi in defence, while captain Mwanahalima Adam partnered Vivian Corazone and Fasilah Adhiambo in midfield. Shikangwa and Violet Nanjala led the attack.

Debutant Makungu opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a powerful strike from the right wing after receiving a long pass from Nanjala.

Nanjala doubled Kenya’s advantage six minutes later after beating three Seychelles defenders, before Shikangwa made it 3-0 in the 17th minute with a long-range effort.

The forward struck again three minutes later, converting Adam’s assist to put Starlets firmly in control.

Nasaka added the fifth goal in the 31st minute, with Kenya taking a commanding lead into the break. It was the defender’s first goal for Starlets since 2019, when she scored against Djibouti in a 12-0 victory during the Cecafa Women’s Championship.

Adam extended the lead in the 48th minute before Oduor made a double substitution six minutes later, introducing Marion Serenge for Makungu and Elizabeth Mideva for the injured Wanjala, who was stretchered off.

Seychelles coach Chris Yip-Au responded by introducing Yara Djarnely for Elvina Irene in the 60th minute in an attempt to strengthen her side’s attack, but the change did little to halt Kenya’s dominance.

Awuor was replaced by Vivian Shiyonzo in the 69th minute, before Shikangwa completed her hat-trick in the 76th minute from Nasaka’s cross to make it 9-0.

Adam scored her second in the 79th minute, while Adhiambo added the 11th goal in the 86th minute to complete another emphatic performance by Starlets.

Despite the heavy defeat, Yip-Au said the tie had provided valuable experience for her young team against a more experienced opponent.

“It is a learning process. We come from a very small country, and we were playing a side whose players feature overseas. It was very different compared to the first match. We struggled, yes, but we are very grateful for this experience,” said Yip-Au.

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