Hasaacas are southern zone champions again
Hasaacas Ladies have been crowned southern zone champions of the Malta Guinness Women’s Premier League after a hard fought 1:0 win over Faith Ladies in the final match day at the Gyandu Park in Sekondi.
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It was a final crunch match and the outcome was crucial to deciding the Champions of the zone.
It took an unsuspecting final connection from Fatoumata Tamboura on the 74th minute to confirm the winners.
With the two sides separated by two points, Hasaacas needed a draw to win the title for the seventh time, while Faith needed any win to make history of being champions on their second attempt.
Given their experience and home advantage and invincibility , this should have been a game that didn’t have to put the record title holders on edge, but they were wary of the threat Faith posed.
Indeed, in their first round they were beaten 0-1 at Dansoman and were not going to take chances in this final game.
The visiting team also came with the intention of not handing Hasaacas' desired result on a silver platter.
They matched them boot for boot and held them to a goalless draw to end the first half.
When the match resumed for the second half, Hasaacas Ladies increased the tempo of their game and piled the heat on Faith Ladies, pushing them to the wall, but they remained resolute and absorbed the heat.
Intermittently, they also took their turn to threaten the champions, but they survived.
It was one of those moments, when Hasaacas changed a threat into an opportunity forcing Faith to concede a corner kick.
The resultant kick was nodded home by Tamboura who took advantage of a momentarily disorganised defence.
That would be the only goal and decider of the 2022/2023 champions for the southern zone.
Though disappointed that they couldn't realise their dream of winning, Faith Ladies could be proud as they finished a respectable third on the log.
For Hasaacas, it was a big relief that they managed to retain the title they first won in 2012-2013 and which they only lost in 2017 when they were dethroned by Lady Strikers and in 2018, 2019 and 2020 when the competition was suspended.
Northern
Having won, they head for Accra and await the winners of the northern zone for the final play-off.
