Kampala Stallions, Wananchi Ladies start 2025 season on a high

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Sunday evening was only for the strong-hearted as both men and women’s sides of Kampala Hockey Club (KHC) and Wananchi battled for the season-opening honours in the memorial Shield.

The Shield starts off the club season and is played between the winners of the previous season’s National Hockey League (NHL) and the Uganda Cup.

For the ladies’, Wananchi won the NHL while the Swans bagged the Cup. Their match promised fireworks and it was not long before Wananchi opened the scoring through Doreen Mbabazi. Shortly after, she doubled the lead from a counterattack.

The Swans came out of the shell and reorganized in a more attacking formation that pinned Wananchi back for the larger part of the second and third quarters. They were rewarded for their efforts with goals from sisters Winnie Alaro and Lucky Akello.

In the fourth quarter, Wananchi was there for the taking but the Swans maintained rather than up the ante as the match went for eight-second shootouts. The match took the opposite turn. Peace Makhoha missed for Wananchi while Norah Alum scored for the Swans.

However, Alum’s sisters Akello and Alaro could not replicate their regular time finesse as they missed theirs to allow Wananchi to take advantage through Jolly Alimo and Doreen Asiimwe.

Alaro was actually fouled but her penalty stroke could not get past Wananchi goalie Angel Achayo. Pauline Ninsiima and Winnie Nandi converted for the Swans but goalkeeper Rhema Ahairwe could not stop Teddy Lucy Aciro and Teopista Anyango from securing the Shield for Wananchi.

Stallions show mettle

The men’s Shield also started in equally dramatic fashion as Wananchi took a 2-0 halftime lead from penalty corners converted by Jackson Musinguzi.

The Stallions struggled to stop Wananchi in the first quarter but eventually found solutions by slowing the tempo of the game.

In the third quarter, Aaron Mutenyo took the ball off his teammate Stewart Ssempebwa to half the deficit.

In the fourth quarter, the Stallions pinned Wananchi in their defensive quarter but the latter were not giving anything away.

At the death, KHC won a penalty corner and the entire 10 outfield players went to camp at the circle. Alfred Agaba got past the first runner and delivered a goal that got the sizeable crowd off its feet.

The sides went for a heart-racing shootout competition that was settled after 12 takes. Brian Bayuule, Agaba, Richard Ssemwogerere, Stewart Kavuma, and Dulf Musoke converted KHC’s first takes. Musinguzi, Innocent Tumukunde, Shafiq Byamukama, Emmanuel Baguma, and Elias Okello converted for Wananchi.

Then came sudden death! Baguma missed against his brother Richard Kaijuka in KHC’s goal. KHC thought Kavuma would convert but after rounding the keeper, he somehow put the ball out.

Byamukama converted to give Wananchi an advantage but Bayuule leveled. Kaijukathen punched Musinguzi’s second attempt over the bar but Agaba went in two minds and missed too.

Tumukunde and Musoke took the keepers wide but they were not sold. Okello and Ssemwogerere eventually converted to kick off another set of sudden death takes at 7-7. Bayuule and Byamukama made it 8-8.

Agaba was fouled by Wananchi keeper Emmanuel Ogwang and Kavuma converted the stroke to give KHC a 9-8 lead. Tumukunde tried to take Kaijuka wide again but the latter covered well to win it for the Stallions.