Lakers thump Wolverines to finish hockey season on high

Lakers Hockey Club concluded the Kenya Hockey Union, KHU Women's Premier League 2022 season on a high after beating DFG Wolverines 3-0 at Kisumu Day Grounds on Sunday.

Smarting from a frustrating barren draw against record Kenyan champions Blazers at Simba Club on Saturday, the Lakers were ruthless against strugglers Wolverines in their quest for a second place finish.

Skipper Alice Owiti atoned for yesterday's flick miss, netting the opener five minutes into play, before menacing Maurine Achieng' grabbed a brace scoring in the 32nd and 36th minutes respectively.

Placed second on the log standings, the three points raise Lakers' tally to 21, seven adrift of Strathmore University Scorpions, who have already been declared the league champions with two matches to spare.

Lakers are hoping to hang on to the second position to qualify for next year's Women's Africa Cup of Clubs for the first time. They will be praying that Blazers drop points against strugglers Sailors and Sliders in their final fixtures for them to remain in the second position.

"If we beat the Blazers on Saturday then we would have sealed the second spot, but now we have to depend on other results to be safe," Lakers Team Manager John Paul Otieno told Mozzart Sport.

However it goes, the Lakers are sure of bettering their last season's fourth finish in their maiden league appearance.

The self-sponsored team grappled with tough financial challenges that affected their performance throughout the season. "The fact that we don't have a steady source of income, it was hard assembling the ladies for training. This ensured that we took too long to find our rhythm, hence explaining the poor results in the first leg of the league," said Lakers coach Austin Tuju.

The team will take a break to reflect and plot for next season.