Junior Starlets' head coach Mildred Cheche lauds charges despite debut FIFA U-17 World Cup loss to England

Junior Starlets head coach Mildred Cheche has hailed her charges' performance despite their 2-0 loss to England U-17 during their opening Group C fixture of the 2024 FIFA women’s U-17 world cup at the CFC Stadium in the Dominican Republic.

Starlets made their world cup debut on Friday early morning, being the only Kenya side to participate at a word cup finals.

The youngsters huffed and puffed with Valerie Nekesa and Marion Serenge leading the charge but could not break England’s backline.

England sank Kenyan hearts with goals from Lola Brown and Lauryn Thompson.

Cheche during the post-match conference via FIFA+ revealed that she was pleased with her team’s performance.

“The team did very well, considering it is their first time. Hopefully for the next two games we give our best and we will see what happens,” expressed Cheche.

“The had good defensive organization and the power to run behind the opponents. I think they did very well as we had planned,” she added.

Starlets' performance couldn’t be faulted as they put on a brave fighting face against a formidable opponent in their first outing at a world cup finals.

The tactician however hopes the experience gained at the global stage inspires the youngsters to qualify for future global tournaments.

“This means we have a big platform for us to explore and a big platform to come again next year. So, we are going to utilize the platform to showcase what we are made of,” she expressed.

Starlets next take on Mexico U-17 in their second group C fixture on Monday, October 21 at the Cibao Stadium.

North Korea currently tops the group with 3 points having won 3-0 against the Mexicans and are only ahead of England on goal difference while Kenya places third.