Kayole Starlets head coach Mary Odhiambo hails team bond and rising Star Shilwatso

Kayole Starlets head coach Mary Odhiambo. (X/Kayole Starlets)

By Erick Kariuki
Sunday, November 2, 2025

Speaking to The Eastleigh Voice after the match, head coach Mary Odhiambo credited the win to hard work and lessons learned from their previous outing.

Kayole Starlets’ fairy-tale start to life in the top flight continued over the weekend after they secured a 2-0 win over Kisumu All Starlets at Kasarani Annex, making it back-to-back victories in the FKF Women’s Premier League.

The newly promoted side, who have now won two of their opening three matches, looked composed and confident from kickoff, dictating play through their in-form midfielder Ashley Shilwatso, who has quickly established herself as the team’s creative heartbeat.

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After a goalless first half in which Shilwatso and skipper Hellen Ochieng combined to create several close chances, the deadlock was finally broken in the 61st minute. Substitute Linda Kihara, introduced shortly after the restart, made an instant impact by tapping in from Drailer’s cross. The momentum stayed with Kayole, and with seven minutes left on the clock, Shilwatso reacted quickest to a goalkeeper spill from Faith Naliaka’s delivery to double the lead and seal another impressive win for the league newcomers.

That strike took Shilwatso’s tally to four goals and one assist in three matches, a stunning start for the midfielder who recently earned her first-ever call-up to the Harambee Starlets ahead of the upcoming WAFCON qualifiers against The Gambia.

Kayole Starlets midfielder Euphraiser Ashley Shilwatso. (Photo: X/Kayole Starlets)

Speaking to The Eastleigh Voice after the match, head coach Mary Odhiambo credited the win to hard work and lessons learned from their previous outing.

“Training worked for my team today. We focused on correcting the mistakes from our last match and implementing our game plan,” Odhiambo said. “Everything we practised came together, and I’m proud of how the players executed it.”

Odhiambo revealed that the international break provided a crucial opportunity for team bonding and tactical refinement, after Kayole held a week-long training camp in Mashuru, Kajiado County.

“The only thing that added value from the camp is that we were together for the longest time,” she explained. “We did everything we had planned, implemented our training routines, and bonded as a team. That togetherness is showing on the pitch.”

The coach also praised the impact of her second-half substitutes, singling out striker Linda Kihara for fulfilling her role perfectly.

“Linda is our number nine, and her task is to score goals,” Odhiambo said. “She scored today, she scored in the previous match, and we believe she’ll keep doing so in our upcoming games.”

Odhiambo reserved special praise for Ashley Shilwatso, describing her as a driven and disciplined player whose hard work continues to inspire the squad.

“Ashley is a very top-quality player, and she works extremely hard; that’s her secret,” said the coach. “She’s ambitious, she wants to go far, and my job is to give her the best training and push her to achieve more. Her first national team call-up makes me very happy because she truly deserves it.”

Despite their early success, Odhiambo remains grounded, insisting the team will maintain focus on steady growth rather than immediate glory.

“We are taking it one game at a time,” she emphasised. “It’s still our debut season, and we want to learn, improve, and build a strong foundation for the future.”