WaiBOP prepares for Auckland
WaiBOP have an excellent opportunity at Cambridge this weekend of advancing their case for a finals play-off place in football’s National Women’s League.
WaiBOP – who represent the best players in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty – have started strongly with a 2-2 draw with Capital followed by an impressive 4-1 win against Central in Palmerston North.
On Sunday, at Cambridge’s John Kerkhof Park (kick off 1pm), WaiBOP meet Auckland who have started the competition with three successive losses.
If WaiBOP beat Auckland, it will help the home side in its quest to finish in the top four and earn a play in the end-of-season play-offs for the national championship.
WaiBOP is currently fourth on the table but have a game in hand over Northern and Capital who lead the league.
Against Central, WaiBOP had the advantage of including former Football Fern Helen Arjomandi and New Zealand U-17 rep Sarah Krystman, both of whom were unavailable for the previous match against Capital.
Both played key roles as the WaiBOP performance meant the result was never going to be in doubt.
Kim Maguire got WaiBOP off to the ideal start when she scored after just five minutes and Krystman made it 2-0 with a strike from outside of the box in the 40th minute.
Central continued to fight their way back into the match but their spirits were broken when Maguire effectively killed the game off when she scored her second in the 56th minute to make it 3-0.
Central found the back of the net for the first time in the 2016 campaign when an awesome strike by Hannah Robert in the 59th minute was too good for the WaiBOP keeper but the joy was short-lived.
An 88th minute goal to Leah Gubb for WaiBOP Football sealed a memorable win.
‘‘We are definitely happy with the result, putting in four goals and the performance was good,’’ said WaiBOP coach Barry Gardiner.
‘‘The first half in particular we knocked the ball around well and we stuck to our game plan which caused them problems. But full credit to Central they made life difficult for us in the second half, but overall we are happy with the final result.’’