Harambee Starlets steely midfielder Corazon Aquino has said she misses the Kenya Women's, Premier League.
The 21-year-old joined Portugal’s top tier side, Atletico Auriense in January from Gaspo Youth FC.
Aquino was the unsung hero as David Ouma-tutored Starlets clinched the Cecafa women’s Challenge trophy in Tanzania last year.
She pulled the creative strings from an attacking midfield position en-route the famous victory but can also play as a defensive midfielder.
Aquino, who was part of Starlets team that came close to obtaining an Olympic ticket last year before losing to Zambia in the penultimate game, said the KWPL and the national team opened the doors for her overseas venture.
“The KWPL paved way for me to play for Starlets and that is the reason why I am now in Portugal. I really miss the competitive home league, my teammates at Gaspo and the national team, who made me believe in myself,” said the all-round player.
The powerful midfielder guided Gaspo to a second-place finish last season and tipped the side to fight for the title once again. Aquino went for trials at FC Rosenberg in Sweden in 2017 and has been an ever-present member of the Starlets team since 2016.
“Going by last season’s fighting spirit shown by the team on our way to becoming runners up, Gaspo has a really good chance of lifting the title which has been won by Vihiga Queens three times in a row now. The team is on an upward trajectory having finished fifth in the 2018 season and with the calibre of players in the team, they must be front runners in the title race,” she said.
Aquino gave her approval of dividing the league into two Zones—A and B. “The decision to revert back to the old format was to reduce traveling expenses hence teams can compete in their regions,” she noted.
The indefatigable player said the move can only be good if it will help lessen the number of walkovers dished out by teams.
“If that will reduce the number of walkovers then the better. Teams are cash-strapped and transport to honour matches has been a monumental challenge. It won’t be a big problem for teams now to play all their matches. It was really daunting to see teams earning three points without producing sweat,” she said.
The tireless player joined Gaspo from Vihiga Queens in 2018 after winning the team’s second title. She started playing football in an academy at Nairobi’s Makongeni.
