UNIMAID close to second round, as UNIBEN, UNN, FUTA close to round of 16

• LAUTECH hold UNILAG
UNIMAID Desert Warriors are close to qualifying for the round of 16 of the on-going Higher Institutions Football League (HiFL) after three matches with their seven points given them the edge over their opponents.

The Maiduguri Warriors beat BUK Stallions 2-0 and drew with KUST Pyramids 2-2 at the Kano Centre of the competition. However, the Federal University, Oye, Ekiti (FUOYO) Dazzlers are on the verge of exiting the competition after three games.

Playing in Benin, the FUOYE Dazzlers were beaten UNIBEN Royals and Adekunle Ajasin University 1-0 and 2-0 respectively.

UNIBEN are also close to the round of 16 with six points in Zone D.

In Uyo, FUNAI Hawks defeated UNIUYO Tuskites 2-1 and also beat UNIZIK Cardinals 1-0 to top the group with six points. Anichebe Elvis scored a brace for UNN Lions against the IAUE Minders to end the game at 3-2 in Uyo. The Lions now have six points from their two matches.

The classification match between UNILAG Marines and LAUTECH ended in a 1-1 draw. Having recorded a win in their first matches, both teams knew that a win will take them to the summit of Pot 1 in Zone C.

The Marines scored the first goal through a super free-kick taken by Olatunde Emmanuel in the 27th minute. However, a miscommunication between the goalkeeper and a defender of the Marines led to a corner kick, which was headed in by LAUTECH’s Abiodun Adegbite in the 42nd for the equaliser.

Although both teams ended on four points, LAUTECH tops Pot 1 having scored three goals against the two scored by the Marines. Earlier, the FUTA Tigers defeated Olabisi Onabanjo University by 1-0 a win that earned them four points in Pot 2.

Speaking on the games, Nigerian University Games Association (NUGA) President, Prof. Stephen Hamafyelto, said, “HiFL presents a great opportunity for Nigerian youths to express themselves and excel in sports as a career equal to their academic pursuits. We really appreciate the organization put in place by our member institutions because the news across the centres are very encouraging. We appreciate the participating schools for their sportsmanship and encourage everyone to just enjoy the spectacle.”