The ball goes into the net for Waterside-Karori’s late equaliser. PHOTOS/JADE CVETKOV
FOOTBALL
CHRIS COGDALE
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MEN
Wairarapa United 1
Waterside-Karori 1
Trust House Wairarapa United conceded a scrappy goal from the last corner of the game to be denied a valuable three points in the Central League.
After a lacklustre first half, United took the lead at Trust House Memorial Park, seven minutes into the second spell through player-interim coach Paul Ifill.
The home side continued to control possession and territory but couldn’t find a second goal to put the game out of reach, and Ifill said it became a catch-22 situation.
“Do you go for the second and put them to bed or do you hold on, but I wasn’t sure we’d score again so we tried to hold on,” he said.
“We did pretty well, and I don’t think they had many clear-cut chances and for them to score from the last corner of the game was pretty gutting.”
The goal itself was an ugly one, coming after United goalkeeper Scott Morris appeared to parry the ball up, only for it to fall to Waterside’s Cai McLean, who
scrambled it into the net.
Ifill said the result made it more difficult to qualify for the new national championship by finishing in the top four in the Central League, but the team were still in with a shout.
United sit fourth-equal with Western Suburbs but fifth on goal difference.
WOMEN
Wairarapa United 1
Palmerston North Marist 2
Two first-half goals from counter attack proved the undoing of Tumu ITM Wairarapa United in their W-League loss to Palmerston North Marist at Trust House Memorial Park.
As in previous games United were behind early, when former United defender Amber Phillips hoofed a long ball from deep in her own half, which Jessie Falloon ran on to, beat her defender and crossed for Charlotte Lancaster to place the ball in the bottom corner.
Lancaster again combined with Falloon for her second goal, which also came from a counter attack after 26 minutes.
United had a great chance to pull a goal back a minute later only for TJ Lyne-Lewis’s header to go over the top.
Captain Tui Dugan did get United on the scoresheet in the 32nd minute with a beautifully struck shot from 20m.
Both teams had opportunities to score in the second half, but in the end, Marist controlled territory and possession, and were deserved winners.
Dugan felt that United fell into the trap and played Marist’s style of game rather than their own game.
“We weren’t connecting,” she said, “we tried something new and went out a bit more defensive than we have in the past because we are known for conceding early goals and we did again.
“We tried to go back to our old ways, but we weren’t gelling, our units were too far apart, and it wasn’t our day.
United remain second in the W-League but now rely on other results to win the championship.
