Central notch first win

Canterbury United Pride extended their lead at the top of the National Women’s League, while Central picked up their first win of the season.

The Pride beat Southern United 3-1 at English Park in Christchurch on Saturday, and will have a chance to dent the southerners’ final hopes further when they meet again at Sunnyvale Park in Dunedin today, in the second leg of a double-header round.

Central stunned Waikato-Bay of Plenty with a late goal to win 1-0 at Massey University in Palmerston North on Saturday – their first triumph of the season.

If WaiBop don’t reverse the result when they meet again at the same venue today, it will be advantage Central in the battle to avoid the wooden spoon.

Auckland and Northern Lights got the round under way on Thursday night, but neither side could find the back of the net, so they had to settle for a 0-0 draw, which kept Auckland in front in the race for the second spot in the final.

They meet again tomorrow, taking advantage of their close proximity to enjoy a longer break between games than their rivals.

An Auckland win at QBE Stadium would leave the defending champions in the box seat to join the Pride in the final, but a Northern win would bring the two teams level heading into the second half of the season.

Capital have the bye during the double-header round.