FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Women’s hopes of breaking into the top four were dashed on Sunday afternoon as they fell 3-1 to Ascent Soccer Academy in Lilongwe, in their fifth outing of the 2025 NBM Women’s Premiership.
First Half Action
The hosts started on the front foot and struck first in the 7th minute. Alephar Chimbeta swung in a cross from the right, and Mayamiko Mkandawire rose above the Bullets defence to head home the opener.
The Maule Ladies responded swiftly. Just three minutes later, Ioulia Yiannakis delivered a perfectly weighted corner and Lyna James met it with a bullet header to level matters at 1-1.
Bullets then had to stay disciplined at the back as Ascent kept pressing. In the 22nd minute, goalkeeper Thokozani Mwase punched clear a dangerous free kick before Trizza Chiwere cleared the follow-up. Minutes later, another Chimbeta corner was headed away by Bernadetta Mkandawire.
A blow came in the 26th minute when captain Zainab Kapanda was forced off injured, with Mary Chavinda brought on as an early substitute.
The game turned controversial in the 39th minute. Ascent regained the lead when Mkandawire slotted home her second of the afternoon. The Bullets defence had momentarily stopped after the assistant referee raised his flag for offside, only for it to be dropped, leaving the hosts free to punish the lapse and restore their advantage.
Bullets earned a late corner before the break, but Ascent cleared and went into half-time leading 2-1.
Second Half Action
Head coach Maggie Chombo made a bold triple substitution at the restart, introducing Vanessa Issa, Matamando Makawa, and Caroline Mlezo for Chiwere, Yiannakis, and her new recruit Monalisa Mhango.
But just seven minutes later, Ascent struck again. Chimbeta capitalised on poor communication at the back to beat Mwase and extend the lead to 3-1 in the 53rd minute.
Bullets’ afternoon worsened when Chavinda, who had replaced Kapanda, was also forced off injured in the 58th minute, with Effa Msukwa coming on in her place.
The Maule Ladies continued to fight. In the 65th minute, Chikondi Mgodi stepped up for a free kick, but her effort was comfortably gathered by the Ascent goalkeeper.
Chombo’s charges threw numbers forward in the 75th minute, desperately seeking a way back, but Ascent’s defence stayed compact. The hosts tested Bullets again with corners in the 77th and 85th minutes, but Mwase and Mkandawire combined to keep the deficit at two.
In the 90th minute, Chimwemwe Sapangwa tried her luck from a free kick outside the box, but her strike went straight into the goalkeeper’s hands. Moments later, the referee’s whistle confirmed a 3-1 defeat for Bullets in the capital.
What It Means
Bullets travelled to Lilongwe hoping to collect all three points, which would have lifted them up to second place in the table on 10 points.
However, the defeat means Chombo’s side remain in sixth position with seven points from five games, missing the chance to climb into the top four. Ascent, meanwhile, strengthened their campaign with an important home victory to move into second place.
NBM Women’s Premiership Standings After Matchday 5
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| 1 | Silver Strikers Ladies | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 3 | +12 | 15 |
| 2 | Ascent Academy | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 3 | +10 | 12 |
| 3 | Kukoma Ntopwa Women | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 9 |
| 4 | Mighty Wanderers Queens | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 9 |
| 5 | MDF Lioness | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 8 |
| 6 | FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Women | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 7 |
| 7 | Civil Service Women | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 6 |
| 8 | Moyale Sisters | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 13 | -8 | 4 |
| 9 | MK Academy Women | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 11 | -7 | 1 |
| 10 | Topik Academy | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 22 | -20 | 0 |
