Kickoff (Cape Town)
1 October 2008
Nambia has named a strong Under-21 women's football squad for what could be a historic international friendly against South Africa's Banyana Banyana in Windhoek on Saturday.
The South Africans can expect a solid Namibian performance from a side that has greatly improved and will surely have plenty of surprises in the offing.
The side mostly consists of Under-20 players who will use the friendly as preparation for their Zone Six Under-20 Championships in Potchefstroom, South Africa, in December.
But there are four senior players in defender Novata Paulus, striker Stella Williams, midfielders Johanna Skrywer, Mangulukeni 'Zuma' Hamata and midfielder Salome Iyambo, who will provide the necessary competition for the training group.
Williams, the most experienced centre forward, is the leading national team scorer and also topped the charts in the domestic women's football league with 18 goals for her team Okahandja Beauties last season.
Namibia Football Association Women's Football Desk co-ordinator Jackey Gertze says seeing that South Africa have picked their strongest squad by calling players from the United States and Sweden for the friendly, the senior players will be kept for the encounter to add stability in some departments.
Most of the players in the Under-20 squad are indeed also in the senior team and these include the likes of first-choice goalkeeper Bonita Eixas, defender Stacy Naris and midfielder Leadri Lucas.
Other key players include midfielder Mary Jacobs and defender Susana Eises, who can also guard the sticks.
The sensational defender-cum-midfielder Rejoice Kasaona, who hails from Opuwo, and who does duty for Okahandja Beauties in the Khomas Women's Football League, will also be in the mix of things.
So will goal-getter Emma 'Kleintjie' Fredericks, who also strikes for Okahandja Beauties.
The stocky player has been a force in the Namibian attack alongside Williams and has improved with each game since the partnership.
The Namibian team has improved over the years and stands a good chance to make it to the final stages of the Zone Six Championships in South Africa.
But the first hurdle will be to show the home fans what they are made of when they take on the South Africans, who are also preparing for their international competitions.
The South African team is expected to arrive on Thursday.
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