LDF Ladies head coach Lengana Nkhethoa is expecting fireworks when Women’s Super League (WSL) arch-rivals Lesotho Defence Force Ladies (LDF) and Kick4Life Ladies lock horns in a top of the table clash on Sunday at AGRIC College. The sides go into the showdown with perfect records this season and their clash headlines the return of the women’s premiership following the year-end festive break.
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LDF Ladies etched their name into the history books last season by becoming the first club in Lesotho football, men or women, to win every game in a league campaign.
Stunningly, Nkhethoa’s side appear on course repeat the feat.
LDF Ladies are once again on top of the league and have scored a ridiculous 50 goals in their seven games at an average of just over seven goals per game.
Almost as dauntingly, LDF Ladies are yet to concede a single goal this season.
The only team that can stop the army side from another perfect campaign are Kick4Life who have finished runners up to LDF Ladies for the past three years.
That makes Sunday’s stakes that much higher because Kick4Life simply have to get something from the match to retain any hopes of dethroning LDF Ladies as Lesotho’s queens.
Tensions will only be heightened by the fact that both sides are full of players that know each other from the national team setup.
Familiarity breeds contempt as the saying goes, and Nkhethoa pleaded with both teams to “take emotions out of the game and play fair.”
“I saw that our games with Kick4Life are emotive,” he explained. “When players are together a lot, especially at the national team, it becomes tough when they face each other; they stop playing and turn a game to a fight. I wish that in this coming game the players will compete for the ball rather than other things,” Nkhethoa said.
Kick4Life will be fired up, no doubt.
Last season LDF Ladies beat them twice and the army side have already drawn the first blood this season by beating Kick4Life in the WSL Top 4 tournament at the beginning of the campaign.
In general, the champions have not shown any mercy to their opponents this season and Nkhethoa said LDF Ladies will go into Sunday’s clash well prepared because they are fully aware they are going against the only local team capable of giving them trouble.
This is Nkhethoa’s third season in charge and LDF Ladies have collected major honour available and are yet to lose to Kick4Life under his tenure. He said this week LDF Ladies are focused on winning, opening a gap at the top and maintaining their high standards.
“We are focusing on being at the international level and now we are looking for outside competitions to keep our standard high. But we respect every team, and our attitude and principles will remain the same (against Kick4Life),” Nkhethoa said.
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