Kick4Life graduates to get US college football scholarships

Lesia Thetsane in action for Lesotho's Under-20 national team in 2016

Kick4Life graduates Lesia Thetsane and Mako Makoanyane have signed letters of intent accepting offers of full four-year football scholarships in the United States.

The offers are from Columbia College in Columbia, Missouri and the pair will make their move later in the year.

Thetsane and Makoanyane left Lesotho for the US in August 2016 to spend two years playing football on fully-funded scholarships at State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Missouri.

The players have since enjoyed success at State Fair, both academically and on the playing field. 

In 2017 Thetsane earned All-Region first team and Missouri Community College Athletic Conference (MCCAC) all-conference first team honours while Makoanyane earned MCCAC all-conference first team honours. Lesia scored three goals and led State Fair with eight assists while Mako was the team’s top goalscorer with 10 goals including two game winners.

In August 2018, Lesia and Mako will again make the step up academically and on the football pitch with the move to Columbia.

The Columbia College Cougars Men’s Soccer team ended last season ranked seventh in the US from close to 200 colleges in the NAIA Men’s Soccer Coaches’ Postseason Poll.  Columbia finished the year with a regular season record of 19 wins, two losses and three draws and only lost in the playoffs in a penalty shoot-out to the eventual national champions.

Columbia’s coach is John Klein who has been in charge since 2000. He played college soccer with Duke and St Louis and played professionally in the U.S.

Klein said he believes Lesia and Makoanyane can make a big contribution to the Cougars’ success in 2018 and beyond.

Although still in the early stages of planning their moves to Columbia, Lesia currently intends to major in Business and Makoanyane in Environmental Science. They will both report to Columbia for pre-season training and the start of the college year in August.

Thetsane moved to the US after enjoying an impressive 2015/16 campaign with Kick4Life.

The left footer was nominated for the young player of the season award after the season but eventually lost to current LMPS striker Roboama Koloti.

Both Makoanyane and Thetsane have been capped at Under-20 level for Lesotho but are yet to don the Likuena jersey.