Western Jaguars' coach Mike Malungu has credited their 2-1 win over Greensharks in the men's Kenya Hockey Union Premier League match in Kakamega, to a well-executed tactical plan.
The Kakamega side came from behind to earn maximum points courtesy of goals from Sheldon Kimtai and Bethwel Masmbu. The pair scored in the 22nd and 51st minutes respectively, rendering Leon Magomere's 20th-minute goal a consolation.
"We trailed our opponents in the second quarter because we were less on the field after our defender Charles Shiundu conceded a penalty after being yellow-carded and missed five minutes," Malungu stated.
"The team stuck to the attacking strategy despite the setback. Our patient build-up paid off immediately as we equalised and we deserved three points for the effort and commitment of the team. We headed into the break with morale high."
Jaguars on Saturday edged out Parkroad Badgers 1-0 via Richard Njuki's 10th-minute effort. Greensharks' captain said they lost due to a lack of a cutting edge in attack.
The team is back on the drawing board in the second leg, which is likely to start after the national general elections on August 9. "We created many chances but we failed to convert them," he said.
Luck wasn't on our side but we have taken the positives and we intend to iron out the negatives before we take part in the second leg.
In the men's Super League, Kisumu Youngsters played out to a goalless draw against Parkroad Tigers while Parklands Sports Club beat Mvita 4-3 in a seven-goal thriller match.
Allan Odongo grabbed a brace for Parklands with Owen Oduor and Erick Odendo also on the scoresheet. Mvita responded through Javan Ochieng and Bil Olang.
Multimedia University played out to a 2-2 all draw against Kenya College of Accountancy University. David Lihru's brace in the eighth and 17th minutes earned MMU a vital point while Brian Kiptum and Kevin Oduor scored for KCA.
