Kenya's Junior Starlets are 90 minutes away from punching a maiden ticket to the 2024 Fifa U17 Women’s World Cup after beating Burundi 3-0 in Ethiopia on Sunday.
Goals from Lorna Faith, Marion Serenge and Susan Akoth in the 11th, 43rd, and 71st minutes respectively steered Kenya to victory in the first leg of the final round of the qualifiers at the Abebe Bikila Stadium, Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia on Sunday.
The outcome handed Kenya a much-needed advantage heading into the second leg that will be played on June 16.
Junior Starlets head coach Mildred Cheche was over the moon at the full-time whistle, lavishing praise on her charges for a job well done.
"We are all happy with the outcome and couldn't have hoped for anything better. We shall now have an easy time in the reverse fixture," Mildred stated.
"Still, we got a lot of work to do. There is no room to rest until we get the job done and dusted," she added.
Assistant coach Anne 'Aunty' Aluoch said playing on the same surface a fortnight earlier gave them an edge over their opponents.
“It was a big advantage playing in Ethiopia given we played in the same facility against Ethiopia in our first leg of the third round of the qualifier," Aluoch remarked.
"We must work extremely hard and prepare well enough for the next leg because our opponents will come fighting for their lives," she added.
She echoed Cheche's call to the girls to keep their focus intact even as they try to finish the job in Nairobi next week.
Junior Starlets captain Elizabeth Ochoka expressed confidence in the team's mojo to seal a World Cup slot.
Ochoka said the team rectified the shortcomings that popped up in their third-round encounter against Ethiopia, a fact that helped them register a resounding win against Burundi.
“The coaches addressed all the weak areas that could have soiled our campaign. We are happy everything is now flowing. That's what made it easy for us to win today," Ochoka stated.
"We came into the match knowing exactly what to do. The coaches instructed us to go for a big win and make our work easy in the second leg back home,” Ochoka said.
The aggregate winner will punch an automatic ticket to the 2024 Fifa U17 Women’s World Cup in October, which will be held in the Dominican Republic.
The 23-member squad comprises a blend of budding prodigies drawn from schools and clubs across the country.
