Penalties deny Hutt in semifinal
‘‘I think we went pretty well and we only conceded the one goal in four games.’’
Lower Hutt City had to bow out of the regional under-19 football tournament at the semifinal stage after going down in an epic penalty shoot-out to Miramar Rangers, the eventual winners.
The heart-breaking 8-7 loss at the annual Upper Hutt City Bob Bamford Memorial tournament at Maidstone Park followed the side comfortably playing their way to the final four.
Lower Hutt won three games before their enforced exit in a performance which left their coach Steve Coleman satisfied with his young charges ahead of the Lotto Premier Under-19 tournament in Napier over Labour Weekend.
‘‘I think we went pretty well and we only conceded the one goal in four games.’’
Lower Hutt beat North Wellington 3-1 and valley rivals Stop Out 3-0 in pool play and Island Bay 4-0 in a quarter final before coming unstuck against Miramar in a game which, at the end of normal time, was a 0-0 deadlock.
‘‘In that game we could have taken some chances early on and really with penalties it’s a lottery from there.
‘‘So we’re disappointed to not have made the final but we are very happy with where we are tracking,’’ Coleman said.
Ryan Kelly, the side’s striker, was a stand-out performer, impressive enough to pick up Player of the Tournament.
‘‘That was well deserved. It’s not easy to play as a front man on your own,’’ Coleman said.
The Lower Hutt youth squad will head to Napier looking to both back up and improve on their 2016 effort where they were quarterfinalists – the only side outside Auckland to make the final eight.
There is plenty of talent in a side which, in Napier, will feature four New Zealand Secondary School players.
Alongside Kelly in that team are his Hutt Valley High School teammate Caleb Emmins, Matt Hickling (Tawa College) and a guest Wairarapa player in Tom Wagner from Rathkeale College.