Namibia’s senior women’s hockey team has advanced to the playoffs of the ongoing Central South Africa Hockey qualifiers after a decisive 3-0 victory over host nation Zimbabwe at St. John Astroturf in Harare. 

The win marks Namibia’s second straight victory, following their 20-0 thrashing of Eswatini on Saturday.

With this win, Namibia tops the group with six points, followed by Zambia in second place with three points after two matches. 

Zimbabwe is third with three points, while Eswatini is at the bottom, having lost both their matches so far at the tournament.

Namibia’s final group match will be on Tuesday against second-placed Zambia, who will be looking to secure a win and advance to the next round. 

Meanwhile, Namibia’s men’s national hockey team started their campaign impressively with a 28-0 victory over Eswatini. They played yesterday while the paper had gone to print.

The women’s team captain, Kiana-chè Cormack, expressed satisfaction with the results, noting that the win provides a psychological advantage heading into their final group match.

 “Not the best result, but we’re happy to have earned the points, which will boost the team’s morale. I’m pleased with the team’s overall performance, as everyone gave their all,”

Looking ahead to the match against Zambia, she acknowledged the challenge, but remained optimistic. 

“Zambia is always tough to play against, but we managed to collect points against Zimbabwe today. We expect a tough test on Tuesday as they are a strong team, and we’ve seen what they’re capable of on the field. It’s a match to look forward to.”

The ongoing qualifiers serve as the pathway to the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), scheduled for next year. 

Three teams from the women’s division will earn spots at the Africa Cup of Nations, while only two spots are available in the men’s division.

-mkambukwe@nepc.com.na