Meisha Boone in action when Wairarapa United played Wellington United earlier this season. PHOTO/FILE
FOOTBALL
JAKE BELESKI
[email protected]
Wellington United were able to celebrate winning the Capital Football W-League on Saturday after beating Wairarapa United 1-0 at Newtown Park.
Wellington only needed a single point from the match to claim the title but took all three after a goal from Suzanne Giesen proved enough to get the job done.
Wairarapa have been competitive every time they have played Wellington United this season but have found them too tough a hurdle to overcome.
Wellington are yet to lose a match this season, but Wairarapa can take some comfort from the fact they held them to a 3-3 draw earlier in the campaign and have pushed them close on other occasions.
The result means that Wellington move to 40 points with one round of matches to play, having won 13 of their 14 matches to date, along with a single draw.
Wairarapa have 32 points and are guaranteed to finish in second place – a remarkable turnaround after the struggles of last year’s campaign.
Coach Paul Ifill has brought together a group of girls who know they can match it with any team in the country, and that should give them a solid foundation to build on in seasons to come.
Wairarapa’s final W-League match of the season will be at home next weekend against Palmerston North Marist Football Club, and they will be aiming to finish on a winning note.
Missing out on the W-League title does not mean Wairarapa have nothing left to play for this season, as they are still in with a chance of winning the Capital Football Kelly Cup trophy.
They are through to the semifinals of the knockout competition, and Ifill said they were scheduled to meet Wellington once again on a date that was yet to be confirmed.
Meanwhile, in men’s action, Wairarapa United went down 4-5 in a Central League thriller against Waterside Karori on Sunday in Masterton.
The win was crucial for Karori as it guaranteed they are safe from relegation heading into next weekend’s final round of matches.
Wairarapa opened the scoring through Hamish Watson but Karori led 3-1 and then 5-3 before a late Cam Lindsay goal closed the gap to one.
Wairarapa’s final match will be next weekend against league leaders Napier City Rovers in Napier.
