(Published - 4 December 2018)

After a stellar performance at the 2018 Africa Women Cup of Nations (AWCON) - officially known as Total Women’s Africa Cup of Nations - former UWC Ladies Football Club star and Banyana Banyana striker, Chrestinah Thembi Kgatlana, has received almost every accolade a footballer can dream of.

She was named as the Total Woman of the Competition, finished as the Top Goal-scorer of the Tournament, was selected for the AWCON 2018 Best Eleven squad, and has been shortlisted for the Confederation of African Football Woman of the Year for the second consecutive year.

“I’m very overwhelmed and content with all my achievements in this year’s AWCON, personally and with the team,” the Houston Dash FC forward said. “The achievements mean a lot to me and my career. This shows how much I have grown as a player over the past years since I have joined UWC and Banyana Banyana.”

At the tournament - where Banyana Banyana finished as runners up to Nigeria on Saturday - the Johannesburg-born Kgatlana scored five goals in five games and received three player of the match awards.

Kgatlana was one of the six current and former UWC footballers in the Banyana Banyana squad for the 2018 Africa Women Cup of Nations. Others included current UWC goalkeeper Roxanne Barker, former goalkeeper Kylin Swart, Jermaine Seoposenwe who plays for JVW FC in Johannesburg, and Leandra Smeda, who is on the books of Gintra University in Lithuania. In addition, former UWC midfielder Rachel Sebati, who is with Tshwane University of Technology, was a travelling standby player.