Junior Starlets’ of Kenya Marion Serenge blames loss to England on Inexperience
The Junior Starlets forward Marion Serenge has attributed her team’s 2-0 defeat to England in their FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup debut to a lack of experience.
The Kenyan side, making their first appearance in the tournament, faced England—2008 semi-finalists—on Friday. Lola Brown gave England the lead in the 29th minute by converting a penalty, while Lauryn Thompson sealed the win with a late goal in the 87th minute. The Junior Starlets fought hard but couldn’t prevent the European side from claiming victory.
Speaking after the match, the 16-year-old Serenge reflected on the difficulties of playing at such a high level for the first time. “The game was really tough. We have tried our best. Since it is our first experience, we are going to prepare more,” said the young forward, who studies at Archbishop Njenga Girls High School in Kakamega.
Serenge remained positive about the team’s chances moving forward, expressing confidence that the squad had learned valuable lessons from the loss. “We have now experienced it (the World Cup), and we know it will get better. We are going to work on our weak points,” she added.
Despite the setback, Serenge urged fans to stay hopeful and continue supporting the team. “It’s not like we’ve lost everything. We will regain it by improving ahead of our next match,” she said.
The Mildred Cheche-coached side now faces a tough challenge as they prepare to take on North Korea, the tournament’s most successful team, in their next game on Sunday, 20th October, at Estadio Cibao FC. The match is crucial as the Junior Starlets seek their first-ever World Cup win.
Kenya will round off their group stage campaign with a fixture against Mexico on Thursday, 24th October. With Serenge’s optimism and the team’s determination to improve, Kenyan fans remain hopeful that the Junior Starlets can make history on the world stage.
