The team got featured on Icelandic TV
* Attacking midfielder Faith Chinzimu led the way for Ascent with a whopping nine goals in six games
* Including a stellar 60-yard solo run and score that earned the draw with Arsenal
By Duncan Mlanjira
Lilongwe-based Ascent Soccer academy, which is playing a pivotal role in the development of women’s football from the grassroots, sent its U-16 girls last month to Reykjavik, Iceland — Malawi’s first full female squad (junior or senior) to ever play competitively in Europe, and they made a huge mark as ambassadors of the ‘Warm Heart of Africa’.
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After their return, Ascent Soccer reports that the team were drawn in the group stages against top Icelandic side, Throttur FC; Danish champs FC Nordsjaelland and English Premier League’s Arsenal FC, in which Ascent Soccer “still turned heads with a roster that was an average age of just 14.5 years”.
In their tournament opening match they drew 1-1 with Arsenal before beating Iceland’s Volsungur FC and England’s Brighton & Hove Albion in penalties in a 5th place match.
“It was a wildly successful week for the Ascent girls,” said Ascent Soccer co-founder George Maguire in the report. “Attacking midfielder Faith Chinzimu, who has already been capped by Malawi’s senior women’s national team, led the way for Ascent with a whopping nine goals in six games — including a stellar 60-yard solo run and score that earned the draw with Arsenal.
“What a week for the Ascent girls. We’re so proud of their efforts both on and off the pitch, and their results are a reflection of just how hard our girls and staff have been working — they earned it.”
Maguire added that beyond the playing field, the girls also had a chance to do some sightseeing in Reykjavik, enjoyed some whale watching, get featured on Icelandic TV and meet up with Iceland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir.
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“Another step up the mountain in our Ascent girls,” said the report that added that Ascent Soccer also had U-16 boys on the eventful three-week international tour that included stops in Iceland and Ireland.
The U-16 boys returned to Europe this year as defending champions of the Rey Cup champions and they were undefeated in the group stages to get into the knockout round with high expectations.
“After a comfortable 2-0 win in the quarterfinals, Ascent created plenty of opportunities in the semifinal, only to drop a tight 1-0 decision to Afturelding FC.
“The boys then bounced back to claim third place with a penalty shootout victory. It was a successful opening 10 days in Europe, for a side whose average age is just 15.
“Alongside all of the football, there was whale watching, city strolls and plenty of new food adventures,” said the report, adding that the players then headed for Ireland “where they played some of their best football of the summer” and collected a trio of victories, which included a cracking 3-2 win at Irish top tier academy St. Patrick’s Athletic FC.
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“And along with seeing the sights and testing their skills at ‘hurling’, they also stepped out of their comfort zone with a little rafting on the Irish Sea.
“This was another irreplaceable growth opportunity for our emerging boys of talent and promise,” Maguire said. “These trips to Europe accelerate our learning and challenge our student-athletes to be brave, while also giving them a window into the world of football they are competing against, as they work towards earnings pathways in the global game.”
“The Ascent Soccer staff and scholars are now enjoying some well deserved rest and recovery, as they prepare for a brand new school and soccer year in September.”
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