Genetrix Men suffer first defeat
Genetrix Men’s unbeaten run in the Africa Cup for Club Champions (ACCC) came to an end yesterday following a 5-11 loss to Egypt’s Sharkia at the National Hockey Stadium in Blantyre.
The result also means the Malawian teams, three men’s and three women’s sides, are yet to register a victory against a foreign outfit.
Genetrix assistant coach Floyd Chomba attributed their defeat to complacency.
“We gave our opponents too much respect, especially at the beginning of the match. We could easily lose the ball and hardly thwarted their attacks. All the same, we are looking forward to better performance in our next fixtures,” he said.
Meanwhile, Genetrix Men have slipped on the seven-team table to third with 10 points from five games, the same as second-placed Western Jaguars of Kenya, who have a better goal difference.
Sharkia, the defending African club champions, are top with 15 points from five straight wins.
Genetrix Men started their campaign with 8-1 and 5-0 triumphs over fellow Malawian sides Parachute Battalion and Scorpions respectively, before getting points without breaking sweat after Nigeria’s Police Machines withdrew from the tournament at the eleventh hour.
They also settled for a goalless draw against Kenya’s Jaguars.
In the women’s category, Lakers of Kenya were, as of yesterday, leading the seven-team pack on 11 points from five outings.
The best Malawian performers in the division were Scorpions Ladies, who were fifth with three points from four fixtures.
National women’s hockey champions Genetrix Women and Capital Braves are sixth and seventh with three points and zero point, respectively, after five games apiece.
