NWFL: Rivers Angels Emerged Winner of Champions Shield
- Otuene dedicates shield to Wike.
Team Manager of 7-time Women's Aiteo Cup Champions and winners of the maiden edition of Nigeria Women's Football League Champions Shield, Rivers Angels, Matilda Otuene Oyiloha has dedicated Sunday's victory to the State Governor, Barrister Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike.
Mrs Oyiloha said this after Sunday's victory over 2017 NWFL Champions from the Lafia base. According to her, the governor has been very supportive to the team and the only way to repay such gesture was by ensuring they maintain the winning culture of the team.
"I and my team wish to dedicate this Shield to our loving Governor, Barrister Nyesom Wike," said Oyiloha.
"Our amiable governor and the entire people of Rivers State have been so supportive which has taken us to where we are today.
"I want to thank the governor and equally promise the good people of our state that we'll keep up with the winning culture by bringing more laurels to the state," she added.
Uju Joseph scored the winning penalty kick for 2017 Aiteo cup champions Rivers Angels as they won the maiden edition of the Nigeria Women Football League Champions Shield at the Agege Stadium in Lagos State on Sunday thus going into the record books as the first professional Women League side to achieve the feat.
Once again, goalkeeper, Tochukwu Oluehi was the heroine as she saved two penalties to ensure her side made history in women's football.
Alice Ogebe opened scoring in the 42nd minute to put Angels ahead, pegging the scoreline at 1-0 going into the break with the first and only yellow card of the game coming in the 7th minute as Nasarawa Amazons Igboamalu Chinyere was booked for a hard tackle on Rivers Angels Gladys Akpa.
The Amazons from the city of Lafia were no pushovers as they rallied back stronger at the start of the second half, making dangerous moves in the 18-yard box of their opponents.
Their effort finally paid off when second half substitute Ugochi Emenayo who barely came onto the pitch of play for three minutes made a connecting cross to her teammate Ejalonibu Adegoke who converted with ease.
The victory celebration of Rivers Angels was later cut short when Alice Ogebe's effort was ruled offside in the 79th minute denying the youngster an opportunity of recording the first brace in the history of the NWFL Champions Shield.
All efforts made by both teams to claim superiority on the pitch of play proved abortive as the scoreline remained unchanged at full-time, taking the game into penalty shootout.
Rivers Angels goalkeeper Oluehi Tochukwu made two saves to deny Nasarawa Amazons the chance of tasting victory just as Amazons goalkeeper denied Angels' Juliet Sunday's spot kick from going past her, keeping the scoreline at 3-3.
Uju Joseph then grabbed the opportunity to grant her team victory of when she converted to give Angels a 4-3 win, crowning Edwin Okon's ladies as Champions of the 2018 NWFL Champions Shield.
The Jewel of Rivers have been placed in Group A ahead of the 2017/2018 NWFL season and will be away to Delta Queens in their opening game when the league resumes on April 7, 2018.
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