Crucial league win for Red Sox
The battle to avoid the Federation League wooden spoon took another twist when Red Soxmanawatu beat Massey University in a bottom-of-the-table clash.
Red Sox won the local derby 3-2 at Massey on Saturday and the win hauls them above Massey into sixth place, giving Red Sox the edge with four rounds remaining.
Red Sox dominated the first hour or so of the game, controlling the midfield, and they led 2-0 at halftime thanks to goals from Ryan Noble and Brandon Jackson.
Luke Fryer scored their third from a free kick, before momentum started to go Massey’s way.
Massey put their men forward and started pressuring Red Sox, who started to run out of steam.
Massey came back with goals to Joe Freeman and Matt Bertelsen, and created a couple of other chances, but left themselves too much to do. Matt Kilpatrick was great in central midfield for Red Sox, while Fryer, Paul Dalzell and Caleb Gaylard were all good in the middle of the park too.
Standouts for Massey were right back Lachie Campbell and centre back Billy Fitzgerald.
A last-minute goal from Regan Nash led to an upset 2-1 win over
in Taranaki. Marist started well with Patrick Smither scoring, from a free kick,
Rangers Marist Reserves New Plymouth
giving them a 1-0 halftime lead.
New Plymouth levelled the score, but Nash stepped up with a goal in the 90th minute.
Havelock North Wanderers Wanganui City
beat 3-1 in Hawke’s Bay and now have a sixpoint lead at the top of the league after New Plymouth’s loss. In the next tier down,
took the lead in the Horizons Premiership
Hokowhitu Rangers
when they beat fellow contenders 3-1 at Memorial
Wanganui City
Park.
In the women’s Capital W League, warmed up for their national knockout cup game against Upper Hutt next weekend, with a 6-0 thrashing of at Upper Hutt.
Marist were more clinical this week, more so than their win over Wairarapa United last week, and put away three goals in each half.
Mikaela Boxall had a great game in central midfield and scored a double.
TJ Lyne-lewis also scored a brace, while Hannah Fitzgerald and Lydia Bamford also scored.
Rose Morton was back for the game and she made a big difference at left back, while it was the last game for Siobhan Patterson, before she returns to the United States and she impressed too.
clinched the men’s Central League title with a 6-0 thrashing of last-placed
in Porirua
Marist Western Suburbs
on Sunday.
Stop Out North Marist Palmerston