Three Edo Queens utility players, Chioma Olise, Emem Essien, and Suliat Abideen, were the first to score goals in the opening game of this year’s edition of the Betsy Obaseki Women Football Tournament BOWFT, which kicked off on Monday at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium Benin City the Edo State Capital.
The red-hot NWFL premiership side had a smooth start to the game as they hammered Naija Ratels of Abuja City 3-0 in the first match of the pre-season competition.
Chioma Olise, who opened the goal-scoring sheet in a decent time of 40 th minute, let fly a long-range belter to leave Naija Ratels goalkeeper Edward Favour, stranded.
The three goal scorers have consistently played a prominent role in the Edo Queens team featuring in virtually all matches involving Edo Queens since they joined the clubs two to three seasons ago.
Suliat Abideen, bagged her first goal of the BOWFT pre-season championship in the 50th minute, while Emem Essien, completed the scoring sheet in the 67th minute giving the host team a comfortable 3-0 lead.
The Abuja-based ladies made some dangerous moves to see if they could pull one back, but Edo Queens dean of defense Uroko Valentine, was always there on time to halt their moves. Both managers made some substitutions to add a bit to the game and also tested some of the newly recruited legs to see how ready they were for the league.
Edo Queens dominated play expressing confidence and sending warning signals to the rest opponent that it is not going to be business as usual. Having secured three maximum points in their first game, Edo Queens have promised their teeming fans in Benin City of victory in their next game.
Meanwhile, captain of the side Suliat Abideen, in a post-match interview said: “I’m happy for this victory, I also thank God for making me win the MVP of the match, I didn’t know I will win. Is actually a thing of joy for me.”
On hope of winning the competition she said: “This is the third time we are participating in this BOWFT pre-season tournament, we have come third, and second, but by the special grace of God we will win this edition.”
For Moses Aduku he said:
“Well I feel good and thank God for the victory. It has been work, work and work. It was a wonderful game, the Naija Ratels girls were not pushover, you know the Sheroes cup we played, we played them in final honestly what I saw them in this game, they have really improved but my girls were up to the task.”
“I believe in one game at a time, we have won this one we will go back and wait for 26th for the next game.”
“Yes last season was not a poor one for us, we took second in Betsy cup and took second again in Sheroes cup and in the league we played well but didn’t finish well so is still work in progress the girls are really doing well, I pray that their concentration level will remain the same. We are going.”
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