Ascent earns 7 of 30 Women's National Team call-ups

The Malawi Women’s National Team opened training camp this week for 30 of the country’s top domestic talents and leading the way is Ascent Soccer, with seven invitations.

In May, the Ascent Soccer U21 Girls became the first youth team on the planet to qualify for an adult/senior Champions League with their senior women’s national title. Ascent’s championship winning squad was also a youthful one, with an average age of just 17.5 years.

Representing Ascent Soccer with the Scorchers for the two-week camp is two-time Malawi Player of the Year, Rose Kadzere (18, pictured), midfielder Leticia Chinyamula (18) who won the Female Emerging Talent Award at the inaugural COSAFA Awards, athletic midfielder Faith Chinzimu (17) and central defender Alinafe Majora.

Marium Mnenula (20), who scored the game-winner in the senior women’s national final, Maureen Kenneth (16) and Maggie Chavula (18) also received the camp invite, but are immersed in year end exams and will not attend. 

The camp is the first step in putting together the squad to defend the Cosafa Women’s Championship, which will take place in October. The Scorchers are also expected to have an international friendly during the September international window. 

Prior to these call-ups, Ascent has been the anchor provider of players to Malawi’s female youth national teams and has already nurtured five teenage senior national team players, including four that featured in Malawi’s first-ever COSAFA Cup victory in South Africa last year.

Ascent Soccer also has produced Lughano Nyondo (19), who recently graduated from Brooks School (MA) in the United States and will start in September at Boston’s Northeastern University on a full soccer scholarship.