Buchanan — Despite an opening-day defeat at the 2025 National County Sports Meet (NCSM), Lofa County kickball coach Ezekiel Doekpa remains confident that his team will advance from the group stage.
Lofa County suffered a 3-1 home-run loss to defending champions Grand Bassa County on Sunday, December 14, at the Dorris Williams Sports Stadium in Buchanan, in a highly competitive Group C encounter.
Speaking to reporters after the match, the award-winning coach acknowledged the tough challenge but admitted the defeat was not the result he had expected.
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"I knew the game was going to be very tough because Bassa are the defending champions, but defeat was not what I expected," Doekpa said.
The Lofa coach suggested that certain officiating decisions influenced the match's outcome, though he noted his team respects the final ruling.
"Few calls from the empire changed the entire game result against us, but we still accept it because on the last play, the player was out," he stated.
Doekpa further argued that Lofa dominated large portions of the contest, especially in the early innings.
"We had all the opportunities from the first inning up to the fourth inning. We hit base several times, and Bassa didn't even have that opportunity," he added.
Despite the setback, Doekpa expressed unwavering belief in his squad's ability to recover and qualify for the next round.
"We will qualify. I assure the people of Lofa County take it to the bank," he declared confidently.
Drawing inspiration from global football, Doekpa compared Lofa's situation to Argentina's 2022 World Cup triumph, where the eventual champions rebounded from an opening-game defeat to Saudi Arabia.
"It's not a strange thing to lose your first game and still go on to win the tournament," he said.
"Argentina lost their first game and still won the World Cup, and we can do the same."
Looking ahead, Doekpa said his team is fully focused on their next Group C match against Grand Gedeh County, which he described as crucial to their qualification hopes.
"Our team is ready. We will secure the remaining points in the group and qualify for the quarterfinals," he emphasized.
As Group C action continues, all eyes will be on Lofa County's response as they seek to keep their NCSM kickball campaign on track.
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