It was the second consecutive win for UWC—the first university in Africa to contest the qualifiers—after beating FC Ongos from Namibia 3-0 at the weekend.
They finished on top of the group, thanks to their superior goal difference to Herentals Queens, as both teams finished on six points.
At Mpira Stadium in Blantyre, the first half ended goalless before the proceedings came to life in the second stanza.
UWC started the second half on a high, going ahead barely after a minute when Noxolo Cesane sneaked a shot into the net after catching Herentals Queens’ defence napping with a swift pass-and-support move.
Some 14 minutes later, Cesane’s Banyana Banya teammate Bongeka Gamede added the second goal for UWC after she found space at the near-post to place the ball into the net following a corner kick from the left that had caused mayhem in the box.
Alice Moyo pulled one back for the Zimbabweans, resulting in her side putting more pressure on their opponents as they searched for an equaliser. But the UWC defence stood firm, and the game ended 2-1 in their favour.
She recalled being unhappy after they lost their opening game against the Green Buffaloes last week.
She complimented the opposition team, saying they really came at UWC, forcing them to play long balls in the early minutes and last 10 minutes of the match.
“Today, we needed to score, and that pushed us to fight and get the second goal. I’m happy with the team's performance in the group stages, but I still believe we still have the tank to take it further up. The beauty of our team is that players are versatile, and we can move them around because they are comfortable and technical, which is good for helping us if one is unavailable,” she told the media.
Mbuli said they would embrace the two days off to rest, recover and prepare for the semifinals on Thursday.
“Our group was determined, preparing us to face anyone in the semifinals. In the first game, we had to fight. In the second game, we had to fight, and in the third game, we also had to fight. This group prepared us mentally for the next round,” she said.
UWC will contest the semifinals against Young Buffaloes of Eswatini tomorrow at15h00 . The winner of the qualifiers will join Mamelodi Sundowns to play in the CAF Champions League.
