UGO, EFFIOM: WE’LL STOP CONFLUENCE IN 90 MINUTES

Rivers Angels Right back, Ugo Njoku and Left back, Mabel Effiom are confident the six times Women Federation Cup Champions will emerge victors in the quarter final clash of the oldest football competition tomorrow.

The last year’s champions will be bidding for a place in the semifinals as they take on Kogi based Confluence Queens at the Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium in Enugu by 3pm.

Njoku in a chat with the club’s media officer said the team will ensure to get the job done in regulation time.

“I promise Rivers State a total victory of tomorrow because Kogi Confluence is not a push over team and also we’re a good side and also they are also good side, so tomorrow’s game , 90 minutes will decide” Ugo said.

“We’re not going to a penalty shootout anymore because our girls, everybody is ready because we’re going all out, full force to the game, we’re not scared of any team in this country, we are equal to the task” she added.

Former Rivers Angels forward, Lola Philips will be reuniting with the team for the first time since joining the Kogi based team and left back Mabel Effiom says her presence is no threat to the team.

“What I hope for tomorrow’s game is we’ll come out with victory and our defense will do very very well because I believe that God will surely help us come out with victory”

“In terms of marking, we’ll do our possible best to stop her, so her own case is never our problem, so we’ll do our possible best to make sure that we keep our net safe from goals” said Effiom.

Ugo Njoku

In other quarter final games tomorrow, we have

Edo Queens Vs Bayelsa Queens (Neros) – 3pm

Osun Queens Vs Nasarawa Amazons (Benin) – 3pm

FC Robo Vs Sunshine Queens (Oleh) – 3pm

COD LADIES FAIL TO STOP RESILIENT RIVERS ANGELS

Women’s Federation Cup defending Champions, Rivers Angels of Port Harcourt progressed to the quarter finals of the competition defeating COD Ladies of Lagos, 4-1 in the round of 16 encounter.

Mercy Amanze opened scoring on the 13th minute and three minutes later, Ayila Loveth slotted in the second goal.

And on the 40th minute, Ijeoma Emenike headed in a cross from Mabel Effiom to extend the lead to 3-0 before half time.

However, Monday Gift gave the Ann Chiejine led team a goal on the 47th minute but the highly spirited Angels kept up the pressure on their opponents as Ijeoma completed her brace on the 65th minute to seal the deserved victory for the Edwin Okon tutored side.

Rivers Angels Coach Edwin Okon

The last time both teams met at this stage, it ended 6-1 in favour of Rivers Angels and Coach Edwin Okon believes his opponents have improved

“I thank God for the victory, FA cup is not a thing that you joke over and I have seen improvements in the team because we played them last year and there’s improvement this year, last year it was six, today is four so I want to say there’s improvement” Okon stated.

“We are the defending champions you can as well see the way the team plays, we’ll try as much as we can, some of our players are in the U-20 that are supposed to beef up the team but all the same we can’t stop the national assignment; we just make do with what we have to get to the finals, our target is just the cup because we’re the defending champions”

“We want to win it for the sixth time, we’ve won it five good times, I think if we win this, it will be the sixth time” He added.

Mercy Amanze who opened scoring for the team equally gave her thoughts after the game.

“Am so so happy for the victory, I have been putting in some extra training because of this competition, I always love playing in the Federations cup since I started my football career game” Said Amanze.

“ I am happy and I love the way my team played, we played in unity and God granted us victory today” she added.

COD Ladies coach and former captain of the Senior women’s National team, the Super Falcons, Ann Chiejine said her team faced a more experienced opponent.

City of David Babes of Lagos.

“The graph is rising, I paraded young lads, young girls, school girls, two of them are in school, you cannot compare them with this people, but we’ll get there, give them two, three more years this people would have been old, we’ll take over” Ann said.

“It’s a gradual process, we have a structure, COD is a structured team, we have a structure, we have focus and we have our philosophy, so with time we’ll get to all this ones, we’re not keen about the goals, we want to see how our players can play together so give us one or two more years, but right now, we have come, we have seen and we’ll go back to our drawing boards” she added.

And in other centers:

Ibom Angels 0-0 Confluence Queens (AP 3-5)

Moje Queens 1-4 Edo Queens

Bayelsa Queens 5-1 Beautiful Tour

Osun Babes 3-1 Fortress Ladies

Rising Queens 0-3 FC Robo

Delta Queens 0-3 Nasarawa Amazons (W/0)

Alberto Queens 0-4 Sunshine Queens

ANGELS GO PAST TARABA QUEENS DESPITE HEAVY DOWN

A 74th minute own goal from Emmnuela Unagbu ensured visiting Rivers Angels of Port Harcourt picked all 3 points to extend their unbeaten run to four matches as actions resumed in the Nigeria Women Football League with match day 4.

The game which was played at the Jolly Nyame stadium had a heavy down pour which made it difficult for both teams to get clear chances in the first half.

However, the 2014 NWFL and Federation Cup holders kept on with the pressure as a Mabel Effiom’s corner kick was flicked in by Emmanuela with goalkeeper Juliana Duru unable to stop it.

After the game, assistant coach of Rivers Angels, Whyte Ogbonda praised the efforts of the girls.

“Yes the players, they tried their best yesterday considering the fact that there was a heavy down pour and the pitch was flooded which did not allow a free flow of the game but by the end of the day we were able to play good football and I think the both sides gave good account of themselves” Whyte said.

“But in the aspect of Rivers Angels, I think they played well because the game was played in the opponents half all through the duration of the 90 minutes” He added.

On his part, Technical Adviser of Taraba Queens, Adewale Olatunji admitted the game was a good one but said he had a great task ahead of him.

“ both teams played well, but you know when you play inside the rain you expect anything to happen; yes they got the goal advantage and there’s nothing you can do, we tried to fight back and pick the ball to launch some attack but there’s nothing you can do about that”.

“It’s a very good match, both team played well, it’s a very good match, they put in their best” said Olatunji.

“This one is a big challenge in front of us now and we have to go back to the drawing board and you know we’re traveling to Akure and we want to see if we can pick something out of it and come back home and we await COD before moving to Abuja, we’ll try as much as possible to gather six or seven points by his grace so that we consolidate our stand on the league table” Olatunji added.

Rivers Angels Starting lineup

Meanwhile Rivers Angels left Taraba this morning for Abuja where they’re expected to take on COD ladies in the round of 16 clash of the Federation Cup on Wednesday.

In other results played in the Nigeria Women Football League:

Capital City Doves 1-1 Edo Queens

Pelican Stars 1-0 COD Ladies

Nasarawa Queens 1-0 Sunshine Queens

FC Taraba Queens 0-1 Rivers Angels

Martins White Doves 0-6 Delta Queens

Bayelsa Queens 1-0 Ibom Angels

Confluence Queens 1-1 Osun Babes

FC Robo Queens 3-0 Adamawa Queens (W/0)

RIVERS ANGELS IN FLYING START, TRASH CAPITAL CITY DOVES 4-0

An inspired Mabel Effiom performance handed Rivers Angels a 4-0 win against new comers, Capital City Doves of Abuja in a Nigeria Women Premier League Week 1 rescheduled game at the Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt.

Rivers Angels dominated the midfield and attacked early in the game with the inspired Effiom troubling the visitors with her darting runs and crosses from the left flank.

The former Ibom Angels full back, was playing in place of Ngozi Ebere who is on duty with the national team and made sure Ebere’s absence was not felt in the game.

The Port Harcourt based side opened scores on 19 minutes when newly-signed striker from Finland, Ijeoma Obi rammed home a fantastic bicycle kick which left Oluwaseun Sanusi who was in goal for Doves with no chance at all.

Two minutes later, the double champions increased the tally and this time around it was last season NWPL highest goal scorer, Amarachi Ojinma opening her account for the season.

The former Pelican stars forward got a just reward for her efforts after her shot was previously blocked by Sanusi taking advantage of a defensive error by the Abuja side to poke home.

Two soon became three in the 32nd minute as the hosts compounded their visitors’ woes. A perfectly weighed cross from Mercy Amanze found centre back Ihuoma Onyebuchi who teed up Ijeoma Obi to bury it past Sanusi.

Capital City Doves, lacking a cutting edge, outmuscled in the midfield and could not find their way through the Rivers Angels defense on countless occasions.

With ten minutes into the second half, the referee disallowed a goal scored by Grace Henry who pounced on a spilled ball from Sanusi. She was adjudged to be in an offside position.

The home side however continued the game without any protest but so much attention was on the coach of Capital City Doves, Ngozi Ezeh who on three different intervals called on her players to the sidelines after they conceded a goal from Rivers Angels side.

In the 75th minute however, Rivers Angels got icing on their well baked cake with a free kick from 25 yards from Ulunma Jerome who connected the newly introduced Ijeoma Emenike. Emenike did brilliantly to find a relentless Mercy Amanze who headed the ball into the net.

It wrapped up an efficient yet comfortable display for the Champions who were yet to kick a ball this term after they walked over Pelicans Stars in Calabar last weekend.

Rivers Angels Starting lineup

Assistant coach of Rivers Angels, Whyte Ogbonda expressed his delight after the match but admitted they were missing their key players who are on national duty.

“We are missing the players in the national camp if they were here we would have scored up to 10 goals. The standard of the game would have been higher than this but am happy because what we were looking for is just 3 points and at the end of the day they were able to get 3points and 4 goals so am happy they played to instruction and there is room for improvement, said Ogbonda.

Coach of Capital City Dove, Ngozi Ezeh admitted she was not disappointed with the result.

The girls tried their best. We just got into the league and we were not supposed to be in the league but I still believe these girls will still do wonders. I am not disappointed for what my girls played its not easy to face the champions, remember they are the champions of the league, Ezeh said.

“I have to inject new players and encourage the little ones that can meet up the league when next they come for the return leg in Abuja you will hear a different result, Ezeh concluded.

Highest goal scorer of NWPL 2013/2014 season, Amarachi Ojinma who was at Pelican Stars last season, believes she can replicate her scoring form for the Women League champions.

“By the special grace of God I believe I can do it. According to the league board, it is not a straight league but an abridged one. If I can’t get up to what I got(17) with Pelican Stars last season , I hope to get half of the goals I got last season, she said.

Rivers Angels next play Nasarawa Amazons On Saturday, May 16 at the Liberation Stadium Port Harcourt.

RIVERS ANGELS LOOSE 1-2 TO BAYELSA QUEENS IN PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY

Nigerian Women league and Federation Cup holders Rivers Angels were beaten 2-1 by Bayelsa Queens in a friendly game at the Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt on Wednesday.

The game was used as test for both sides who were drawn in separate groups of the upcoming Nigeria Women league season which kicks off on Saturday in an abridged format.

Fringe players such as Mabel Effiom, Peace Obioma, Uju Joseph, Emenike Ijeoma, Obi Ijeoma and NWPL topscorer last season Amarachi Orjinma were given the nod to show their worth in the absence of 10 key players who are away on national duty with the Super Falcons.

In the 7th minute, former Pelican queens forward, Orjinma fired her team’s first real attempt over the bar.

River Angels however went behind soon after as they conceded a free kick in the 21st minute when new recruit, Effiom brought down Uzoamaka Igwe on the edge of the 18 yard box.

Igwe dusted herself up and converted the kick from an acute angle position directly into the net, leaving goalkeeper Charity John with no chance.

Three minutes later, Effiom drew the host level after being awarded a free kick a few meters from the right hand of the 18 yard box.

The remaining part of the first half ended with not many clear cut chances created with more of the battle taking place in the midfield.

The second half started with the visitors acting like a house on fire with most of the action played in Rivers Angels half in the first 15 minutes of the second period.

Bayelsa Queens enjoyed the larger part of the possession, dominating play, and having the highest completed passes in the game.

Rivers Angels

Charity John who was in goal for Rivers Angels, had her hands full making three saves from Edeji Chidinma, Esther Udegbe and Rafiat Sule who all combined well on different occasions to cause terror on a porous Rivers Angels defence.

Amarachi Orjinma yet again found her shot roll over the bar in 63rd minute but the Flamingoes star Cynthia Aku made better use of her chance which was saved by Favour Nwaaha in goal for Bayelsa Queens.

In the 71st minute, another Flamingoes star, Joy Bokiri who was a torn in the flesh in the second half , linked up well with Rafiat Sule in the 18 yard box who slotted home the winner for Bayelsa Queens.

Two minutes later, Mabel Effiom yet again almost got the equaliser for the League champions but she was stopped by Favour Nwaaha.

Coach Ronaldson Odeh got the midfield orchestra, Edeji Chidinma off the pitch for Edith Eduviere who quickly made her impact felt by finding Joy Bokiri in the middle with both players linking up but her shot went far wide.

With eight minutes to regulation time, the visitors still proved unstoppable creating chances and winning a free kick which was taken by Lucky Odiri but Charity John was alert to avoid another goal into the back of her net.

Despite the win against Rivers Angels, Bayelsa Queens coach, Rolandson Odeh said he still has a lot of work to do before the league kicks off on Saturday.

“It has been able to expose a lot of lapses and i was thinking i was ready for the league but based on what i have seen today i have less than 24 hours to correct the mistakes i have seen here so to me it is still work in progress, said Odeh.”

Odeh added, it’s a friendly game not all teams would have come with their talented players and coupled with the fact that Rivers Angels are the household name of women football in Nigeria but it was a good game.

On his part, assistant coach of Rivers Angels, Whyte Ogbonda attributed the loss to the absence of his key players who are on national duty with the Super Falcons.

“Despite losing to Bayelsa Queens in this match we all know it is a friendly match but it is preparatory match to our league match which kicks off this weekend. Most of our players are not in the Rivers Angels camp but in the Super Falcons camp. We just managed to use what we have to execute this match but all the same we think the players at home will be able to execute the league match pending when the rest of the team will return to Port Harcourt, Ogbonda explained.”