Young Mighty Warriors ace earns US scholarship

Sport
ZIMBABWE youth international Vanessa Maketo is set to continue her development in the United States after being awarded a four-year scholarship by Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon, Georgia, recently.

BY SPORTS REPORTER

ZIMBABWE youth international Vanessa Maketo is set to continue her development in the United States after being awarded a four-year scholarship by Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon, Georgia, recently.

Last week Mateko signed a letter of intent with Brewton-Parker College, who compete in the Southern States Athletic Conference.

When asked why she chose to attend the institution, she said: “God ordered my steps and guided me to this beautiful country, and from high school he created a path to BPC.”

Brewton-Parker College women’s soccer team coach Prince Borde was also excited by the acquisition of Mateko.

“Vanessa brings a lot of experience to group. She has already played in a lot of big games over her career. Her enthusiasm, work rate and intelligence is something we are excited about,” he said.

Mateko’s move was facilitated by former Arcadia United and Young Warriors utility player Miguel Lemming through his Ten Toes Africa project.

During her four-year stint, Maketo is expected to play a key role for Brewton-Parker College women’s soccer side (also known as the Lady Barons) while also pursuing her tertiary education.

Mateko, who has featured for the Zimbabwe Under-20 Young Mighty Warriors team, is a product of Northern Region Division One women’s side Maningi Queens FC.

The Seke-born promising midfielder’s breakthrough came last year when she joined Kimball Union Academy, a private boarding school located in New Hampshire, US, where her solid performances caught the attention of scouts from Brewton-Parker University.

Mateko is among the several players from the Harare-based Maningi Queens FC, who have been attracting interest outside the country as local women’s football continues to make tremendous strides despite limited financial support.

Last year the duo of 21-year-olds Mitchel Nyakatsapa and Natasha Ndowa joined a London-based fourth-tier team called New London Lionesses on one-year performance-based contracts, which were set to be reviewed last month.

They are the first Zimbabwe-born players to play in an English League division.