Harambee Starlets made a strong start to their 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games qualifying campaign with an 11-0 win over Seychelles.
Kenya produced a dominant performance at Ulinzi Sports Complex on Thursday in the first leg of the opening round of the African Olympic qualifiers.
Meanwhile, the victory gave new head coach Geoffrey ‘Solo’ Oduor a perfect start to his tenure.
Starlets score 11 goals against Seychelles
Kenya controlled the match from the opening whistle and kept the Seychelles defence under constant pressure.
As a result, the home side created several scoring chances throughout the game.
Valarie Nekesa, Aira Madalina, Enez Mango, Mercy Airo and Elizabeth Mideva each scored twice.
In addition, Martha Amunyolet found the net to complete the 11-0 victory.
Therefore, Starlets secured a huge advantage ahead of the second leg.
Oduor begins tenure with big win
Thursday’s victory marked Oduor’s first match in charge of Harambee Starlets.
He took over from Beldine Odemba as Kenya prepared for the Olympic qualifying campaign.
Under the new technical team, Starlets showed attacking confidence and clinical finishing throughout the match.
Furthermore, the convincing result gave Oduor an ideal start as he begins his time with the national team.
The team will now look to complete the job in the second leg.
Starlets face Seychelles again next Monday
Kenya will host Seychelles again next Monday at Ulinzi Sports Complex.
With an 11-goal advantage, Starlets are in a strong position to progress to the next round of the Olympic qualifiers.
However, the team will still need to maintain its focus in the return match.
In addition, the players will hope to carry their impressive attacking form into the second game.
Starlets bounce back from WAFCON disappointment
The emphatic win comes after a disappointing Women’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Morocco.
Kenya exited the tournament at the group stage without a win or a goal.
However, the victory over Seychelles provides a positive start under Oduor.
As a result, Starlets can now approach the next Olympic qualifier with renewed confidence as they continue their journey towards the 2028 Games.
