Nine –time African champions, Nigeria will set up a training camp in theFederal Capital, Abuja as from Monday, as part of preparations for the finalround of qualification series for the 12th Women Africa Cup ofNations holding in Morocco in the summer of next year.
Head Coach Randy Waldrum has selected an equal blend of home –based andoverseas –based professionals for the camping taking place between 22nd– 30th November, and which is aimed at further improving the bond,affinity and familiarity among the group as well as the curation of tactical andtechnical methods that would work best for the squad in match situations. Thereare 15 home girls and 15 foreign –based stars.
Leading the home girls are forwards Gift Monday and Vivian Ikechukwu,who scored two goals each during the Aisha Buhari Invitational Tournament in Lagosin September, and there are also goalkeeper Onyinyechukwu Okeke, defender AkudoOgbonna, midfielder Goodness Onyebuchi and forward Mary-Ann Ezenagu.
Defender Onome Ebi leads the overseas –based crew, alongside midfieder RasheedatAjibade, defenders Patricia George and Ashley Plumptre and forward Desire Oparanozie.
The home camping comes few months after a similar camping programme inthe Austrian capital, Vienna and towards the end of what has been a busy yearfor the Falcons, in which they also participated in the Turkish Women’s Cup Tournament,the USWNT Summer Series in the United States of America and the Aisha BuhariInvitational Tournament in Lagos.
The team has reached the final round of the 12th Women AFCONqualifiers after a 2-1 aggregate defeat of arch rivals Ghana, and will confrontanother strong West African side, Cote d’Ivoire for a place in Morocco. The finalround of qualifiers will hold in February next year, with the first leg takingplace in Lagos.
ALL THE INVITED PLAYERS:
Goalkeepers: Onyinyechukwu Okeke (BayelsaQueens); Ibubeleye Whyte (Rivers Angels); Uchenna Chukwu (Nasarawa Amazons)
Defenders: Onome Ebi (Minsk FC,Belarus); Maureen Okpala (Nasarawa Amazons); Patricia George (SC Sand,Germany); Ashley Plumptre (Leicester City, England); Miracle Joseph (BayelsaQueens); Joy Duru (Nasarawa Amazons); Nicole Payne (West Virginia University,USA); Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash, USA); Glory Edet (Bayelsa Queens); AkudoOgbonna (Edo Queens)
Midfielders: Adekite Dada (Watford FC,England); Peace Efih (Kiryat Gat, Israel); Yetunde Aluko (WFC Ramat Hasharon, Israel);Amanda Mbadinuju (Bayelsa Queens); Goodness Onyebuchi (Edo Queens); Grace Igboamalu(Bayelsa Queens); Toni Oyedupe Payne (Sevilla FC, Spain); Regina Otu (Minsk FC,Belarus); Christy Ucheibe (Minsk FC, Belarus)
Forwards: Rasheedat Ajibade (AtleticoMadrid, Spain); Esther Okoronkwo (AS Saint Etienne, France); Mary-Ann Ezenagu(Rivers Angels); Desire Oparanozie (Dijon FC, France); Vivian Ikechukwu (RiversAngels); Gift Monday (FC Robo); Juliet Bassey (Bayelsa Queens); ChinonyeremMacleans (Gonirk Leczna (Poland)
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