Shepherds got one early thanks to a Albert Api strike and went into half-time hanging on to their 1-0 lead.
But Tupuji were not about to roll over and gift a win to the newbies. They were back on level terms soon after the restart when Ando cracked home a superb 40-metre free kick to send the Tupuji fans wild.
But it was Sheperds who made the most of their chances against the 10-man Tupuji – defender Tintin was dismissed late in the game – and managed to find the net again for the 2-1 win.
In the second game of the day, the young Academy side came away with a 2-0 win over Ifira Blackbirds, another team new to the division.
It was a double strike in each half from promising forward Jean Kaltak that sealed the victory for Academy.
Academy dominated much of the game with their brilliant ball control, passing and superior fitness against a struggling Ifira side that did not show the same form that earned them a surprise 2-1 win over O-League representatives Amical recently.
The last match of the day saw Spirit 08 scraping a 2-1 win over a revamped Yatel side.
Spirit hit the lead early, only for Yatel to level the scores with a brilliant goal just before half time. Spirt got back into the game late in the second spell to seal the win.