AFRI SPORT

Title: Liberian Female Lone Star Set for WAFCON Qualifying Clash in Cape Verde

The stage is set, and the Liberian women's national team, known as the Female Lone Star, is geared up for a pivotal journey. In the early hours of Tuesday morning, they embarked on a mission to Cape Verde for the first leg of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations 2024 Qualifying match.

Heading this spirited delegation is none other than Executive Committee member, Tickly D. Monkoney, Jr., who is determined to witness the women of Liberia shine on the continental stage.

The Female Lone Star is set to lock horns with Cape Verde on Friday, 22nd September in the vibrant city of Praia. The anticipation is palpable, and the stakes are high as these women aim to secure a promising start to their WAFCON qualification campaign. The return leg of this fierce competition is scheduled for Tuesday, 26th September, to be held at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Monrovia, where they will aim to protect their home turf.

Coach Selam Kebede, who assumed her role as head coach in July of this year, has meticulously prepared her squad for this challenging encounter. Following weeks of rigorous training camps and an extensive scouting process, she unveiled a 22-player squad list that she believes can carry Liberia's hopes on their shoulders.

For Coach Selam, Friday's game signifies her first major test since taking the helm. Her journey to this point has been marked by dedication and hard work, as she explains, "We started by organizing travel and games in different counties that had never participated in the National team selection before. After that, we went to the community competition, then to the lower league, and finally to the higher league."

She further emphasized, "In this process, we were able to assess more than 41 teams and more than 900 players in a relatively short time. In the end, we selected a group of twenty-eight players who have undergone rigorous training in preparation for our game against Cape Verde."

This Liberian squad is youthful and brimming with potential, and Coach Selam is confident in their abilities. Their mission is not only to secure a place in the Women's Africa Cup of Nations but also to inspire a new generation of female footballers in Liberia.

This Friday's meeting will be the second encounter between the two teams. In their first-ever clash during the third-place playoffs of the 2020 WAFU A Women's Tournament in Sierra Leone, Liberia emerged victorious with a 1-0 win.

As the Female Lone Star embarks on this journey to Cape Verde, they carry with them the hopes and dreams of a nation. The Liberian football community eagerly awaits their performance and remains optimistic about their prospects in the Women's Africa Cup of Nations 2024 Qualifying matches. This is their moment to shine, and they are ready to seize it.