The Young Mighty Warriors make their debut at the COSAFA Championships this afternoon when they meet hosts South Africa in the Under-17 women’s regional tournament.

The match is at The Oval at Nelson Mandela Bay in Port Elizabeth.

Coach Annie Konje leads her troops into the battle knowing fully well the threat posed by the hosts Bantwana.

The Mighty Warriors were beaten 0-1 by Tanzania on Wednesday.

Skipper Emmaculate Msipa was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 74th minute and will miss the next match against Botswana on Sunday.

Zimbabwe could still make it to the semi-finals should they beat Botswana comprehensively and other results go in their favour.

“Losing to Tanzania really hurt us,” Msipa told The Herald from Port Elizabeth.

“We didn’t expect to lose the match, they were not that good.

“In the first 20 minutes, we put them under pressure and got about four clear chances but we didn’t utilise those chances.

“We were hurt, but it’s part of the game.

“Yesterday (Wednesday), our main objective was for the senior players to blend with the junior players

“We were not under pressure but we just want to go into the match and get exposure and, above all, enjoy the game after a long lay-off.

“As the captain, I didn’t expect the red card. The referee, I feel, was too harsh, her decision was very poor.

“Even most fouls were going against us, I feel she didn’t have a good match.”