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Ellina Mhlanga Senior Sports Reporter

AS the Zimbabwe senior women’s field hockey team steps on the field today, they will be seeking a victory to progress to the semi-finals of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Accra, Ghana.

Zimbabwe are up against Namibia in their last Pool A match at Theodosia Okoh Hockey Stadium and a win will see them proceeding to the next stage.

Zimbabwe opened their account with a defeat at the hands of South Africa on Monday.

But they quickly found their winning formula and went on to beat Uganda 5-0 in their second game to put their campaign back on track.

With the top two teams from Pool A and Pool B advancing to the semi-finals, the victory against Uganda was important for Zimbabwe.

The Patricia Davies-coached side had chance to watch their opponents in action and captain Mary Houghton believes they can build on their performance from the last two games when they take on Namibia this afternoon.

“I think our performances have been good. There are some areas that we need to work on but overall we are happy with how things are going so far.

“The win against Uganda was crucial and so is the next match against Namibia. Ahead of Namibia’s game we are looking to fine tune silly errors made in pressure situations,” said Houghton.

Defending champions South Africa have already secured their semi-final spot after winning their first two matches against Zimbabwe and Namibia.

They beat Namibia 6-0 on Tuesday for their second win.

Having lost a match each, Zimbabwe and Namibia will be hoping for maximum points today. It promises to be an interesting contest between the two teams.

Houghton expects a tough game but said they are hopeful of a favourable result.

“We expect Namibia will come hard at us, it is a must-win game for both of us in order to progress to the semi-finals. It will be a tough match but we are hoping to hold our own.

“We certainly hope we can secure a victory and progress to the semi-finals,” said Houghton.

South Africa have a date with Uganda today and they are likely to continue with their dominance in Pool A.