15/08/2026
NSA Talentees Fire 27-Goal Warning Shot in Munhumutapa Challenge Cup
By Kuchineyi Lewis
The Bindura University of Science Education (BUSE) National Sports Academy Talentees have announced their arrival in emphatic fashion in the Munhumutapa Challenge Cup, scoring an extraordinary 27 goals in just two group-stage matches as the young side moved into the next phase of the competition.
The Talentees opened their campaign with a staggering 17–0 victory over BPPS Golden Stars before following it up with a commanding 10–1 triumph over Auckland Academy.
The two victories produced a remarkable goal tally that underlines not only the attacking quality within the NSA squad, but also the depth of talent being developed through the Academy's football programme.
The first match was nothing short of a statement of intent.
The Talentees dismantled BPPS Golden Stars 17–0, with Petros Mutapula (Pipiro) leading the scoring charge in a performance that saw him find the net six times in the two encounters.
His goals came in the 3rd, 7th, 9th and 11th minutes, followed by further strikes later in the match.
Team captain, Tawanayasha Chisuse (Kalala) also contributed three goals, while Marlon Zuruwi and Justice Chadenga added multiple goals to an attack that proved relentless throughout the encounter.
The opening goal arrived in the 3rd minute, with Pipiro finishing after an assist from Tavonga Maheka.
Maheka again supplied Pipiro for the third goal in the 7th minute, before Chisuse turned provider for Mutapula's fourth and fifth goals.
Marlon then joined the scoring in the 15th minute after being assisted by Justice, before Justice added a goal of his own in the 20th minute.
The combination between the Talentees was particularly notable, with Justice scoring again after a Maheka assist in the 26th minute, while Marlon also scored in the ninth goal.
Kalala subsequently scored after assists from Daniel Kategu and Justice, while Tadiwanashe Marimo “Agusto” converted from the penalty spot.
Justice later scored after a Pipiro assist, while Pipiro returned the favour by assisting Marlon.
The match therefore demonstrated that the Academy's attacking threat was not dependent on one individual.
Goals were being created through combinations, movement and unselfish play across the team.
If the 17–0 victory could have been dismissed as an isolated attacking explosion, the Talentees quickly put that argument to rest.
They returned for their second group fixture and defeated Auckland Academy 10–1, taking their total to an astonishing 27 goals in two matches.
Marlon opened the scoring after being assisted by Justice, before Justice converted a free kick following an assist from Agusto.
The attacking partnership continued when Pipito scored twice, both times assisted by Marlon.
Marlon subsequently scored again after being set up by Pipiro, while Hope Mucherwa converted from the penalty spot.
Prestigious Chipondo added another goal after an assist from Kenny Makoni, before Pipiro scored twice and Craig completed the ten-goal haul.
But for the National Sports Academy, the significance of this campaign extends beyond the scorelines.
The Munhumutapa Challenge Cup is providing the Talentees with an increasingly important competitive platform through which the Academy can measure the progress of its talent identification, development and nurturing programme.
The quality of the goals also provides an encouraging indicator.
That collective contribution is significant for an Academy whose philosophy is centred on developing players capable of functioning effectively within a team environment.
The group-stage results therefore offer another opportunity to ask a more important question than how many goals can the Talentees score?
How will they respond when the quality of opposition rises?
That is where the next stage of the competition becomes particularly important.
From dominating group matches to seeking bigger tests
The Talentees are now looking ahead to the provincial stage, where the challenge is expected to become considerably tougher.
And that is precisely the kind of challenge the young BUSE side needs.
The Academy is looking beyond simply dominating age-group opposition.
Its long-term objective is to prepare footballers capable of progressing into increasingly demanding environments and eventually competing at the highest levels of Zimbabwean and international football.
That is why the Talentees will be watching the competition draw with particular interest.
The possibility of being matched against a Premier Soccer League side represents the type of examination that could provide an invaluable assessment of their development.
The recent example of fellow academy side Scottland Academy, which was drawn against established Premier Soccer League club Caps United in the competition, provides an intriguing benchmark for what an academy-versus-PSL encounter can offer.
For the NSA Talentees, such a fixture would be about much more than the result.
It would be an opportunity to place the BUSE talent development project under the microscope against established senior professionals.
It would allow the Talentees to demonstrate how far they have progressed technically, tactically, physically and psychologically.
And it would give the wider football fraternity a glimpse of the
talent being identified and nurtured through the National Sports Academy.
Twenty-seven goals have carried the Talentees into the next stage.
But the Academy knows that the true measure of progress is not how convincingly a developing team defeats weaker opposition.
It is how that team responds when the environment becomes difficult, the margins become smaller and the opponent possesses greater experience.
For now, however, the numbers are impossible to ignore.
Two matches.
Two victories.
27 goals scored.
Only one conceded.
Sports and Recreation Commission Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Football Association Castle L***r Premier Soccer League Simba Bhora FC MWOS FC Highlanders F.C CAPS United Football Club Dynamos FC
