She-polopolo take on Zim girls

bia Daily Mail by Online Editor on 6/1/13

CECILIA ZULU reports:
THE national women soccer team today takes on Zimbabwe in an international friendly at Nkoloma stadium aimed at keeping them in shape for future assignments.
Both teams do not have any immediate international competitions. Their next engagements are respective World Cup qualifiers scheduled to begin next year.
Zambia, tutored by Albert Kachinga consists of junior players mainly from the under-17 team which won gold at the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa (SCSA) Zone Six games last December in Lusaka.
Goalkeeper Susan Nalwamba is likely to start while Mwila Bowa and Noria Sosala are expected to sharpen the striking force.
Susan Banda and Mary Mwakapila will be in the attacking midfield while Lwendo Chisamu, Mulai Wilombe and Emelda Musonda will consolidate the defence.
Kachinga, who has rated Zimbabwe as tough opponents said the game will help him assess and keep players fit ahead of the qualifiers.
This is a very important game for us. We will use it to assess all players ahead of the qualifiers. We also need to keep players active seasonal international games. Zimbabwe is a strong team. They have very experienced players, it will be a competitive game, he said
The two sides met at junior level in last years Zone Six games during which Zambia reigned supreme with a 2-1 victory.
The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has embarked on a programme to keep the team in shape.
FAZ spokesperson Erick Mwanza said women football has not been as active as that of men, hence the need to periodically check on their fitness levels.
This is part of the continuous assessment programme not that they have an immediate competition. We want to keep them in check so that they are ready for any challenge, he said.
Mwanza said the gate charges have been pegged at K5 all round.
He appealed to soccer fans to turn out in large numbers and give support to the team.