Kenya Police Bullets began their title defence with a 2-1 win over Kayole Starlets at Utalii grounds, marking the dawn of a new era in the Kenya Women’s Premier League under head coach David Vijago.

Coach Vijago believes the performance is only the start of bigger things to come. “This is just the beginning. We are building something new here. It will take a few weeks for the team to fully settle into my system, but once that happens, we’ll play the kind of football people have not seen before,” he said. Bullets struck barely eight minutes into the match through Lavyne Achola’s effort that was later confirmed as an own goal, before Purity Alukwe doubled the advantage six minutes later to make it 2-0 inside 15 minutes.

Despite several missed opportunities, Kayole fought back, with Euphasier Shilwatso pulling one back deep into stoppage time.

“For a first game in the league and a first for the Bullets, it has not been so well,” Vijago admitted, noting his side is still adapting to his philosophy after just four days of training.

“I am introducing something new, something that has not been done here, so it will take some time. Probably after four weeks, we will have had enough time and will not have any excuse not to deliver.”

“We had a lot of chances; if we had not taken the ball up to the post, we would not have won,” he added. “There’s a big squad, and going forward, we will give a chance to players who deserve it and those who have proved themselves in training.”

The coach revealed that tactical adjustments influenced the second half.  He said:  “I like possessing the ball and having more players on the ground. The second plan was to get scores early enough, but we lost concentration and missed chances.”

Kayole Starlets’ head coach Mary Odhiambo praised her team’s spirit despite the loss, reflecting on a pre-season that started late.“Losing the first game of the league 2-1 is not what we wanted. We came knowing we would win, but we have lost, and the most painful thing is that it was an own goal,” she said.

Odhiambo, who gave new signing Euphrais her first start, said the player had been under their radar for some time.

“We know her well, even before last season, and we know her capability. Shalin Otieno, our centre forward, played on the wing, but in my system of play, I must rotate strikers because on other occasions, she’s number nine,” she explained.She noted the team’s slow start before a more dominant second half impacted their performance. “We started the first half slow, then picked up in the second. We’ll pick tips from how we played in the second half and roll with it for the next game.”Giving credit where it was due, Odhiambo hailed Shilwatso’s impact. “I gave her her flowers. We started rooting for her way back last season when she was in the Falling Waters of Barcelona. She played so well; last time she went to Bandari, but now we’ve gotten her. She has saved us. She followed the instructions and moved forward. I believe she will save us.”Elsewhere, Kibera Soccer Women and Ulinzi Starlets battled to a barren draw, while Trinity Starlets beat Kism All Starlets 4-2 in Round One. Zetech Sparks edged Kisped Queens 2-1 to cap the weekend’s opening fixtures.