03-08-2025
University still in hunt for title
Two second-half goals from Otago University have kept the title race alive — just — in the women's South Island league.
They beat Coastal Spirit 2-0 at Logan Park on Saturday, moving to 31 points and remaining a comfortable second on the table behind the Dunedin City Royals, who have a perfect 39 after 13 games.
Jemma McCormick and Georgina McEwan scored goals as University gained ascendancy in the second half.
After a tight opening half with few chances, University changed their formation after the break.
That yielded the first goal just two minutes into the second half, when McCormick scored from a well-rehearsed corner move.
The game ebbed and flowed, Laney Whiston in particular having a strong defensive performance to keep Coastal at bay.
It took until injury time for the students to guarantee their three points, when McEwan tapped the ball home in just her second appearance.
Roslyn Wakari claimed their fourth win of the season, beating Halswell 5-0 in Christchurch.
Amelie East-Giles opened the scoring on 40 minutes and got her second on 78 minutes, making it 4-0 after Zara Pratley and Harriet Park had also scored. Park finished off the win in injury time.
Yesterday the Dunedin City Royals claimed a 2-0 win over Universities of Canterbury at Tahuna Park, Hannah Mackay-Wright and Amy Hislop scoring first-half goals.
In the men's Southern League, the Dunedin City Royals continued their run of not being able to hold on to a lead, when they drew 2-2 with Ferrymead Bays at Logan Park.
Bays had a goal disallowed after 15 minutes, before the Royals' Ben Campbell, playing an advanced midfield role, got on the end of a free kick to head home in the 27th minute.
Tom Milton doubled the lead on 53 minutes, before Bays pulled one back three minutes later through a Jacob Killick penalty.
Luke Pritchard equalised on 65 minutes, and things began looking ominous for the Royals when Connor Neil was sent off on 70 minutes.
However, Anhel Toro Perez missed a 94th minute injury time penalty, which would have given Bays a comeback win.
Wānaka claimed their fifth win of the season with an emphatic 6-1 victory in Selwyn.
Conceding an early goal woke Wānaka, who scored three goals in the last 15 minutes of the first half.
The first was to Michael Johnson who scored from the edge of the box. Johnson then turned provider — with a defence splitting pass for Anthony Sprowson to run on to.
The pace of Sprowson was causing Selwyn problems and he benefited by scoring his second right on halftime. Ed Belingher rifled in the fourth on the hour mark when he was left unmarked in the penalty box and he smashed his shot into the far corner of the net.
Sprowson claimed his hat-trick in the 69th minute — running into another through ball and skipper Jake Thompson finished off the scoring heading home from close range on 73 minutes.
In the ODT Women's Southern Premiership Green Island reclaimed top spot from University with a 2-0 victory over the students, thanks to a goal in each half from Hannah Post and Charli Elliott.
Dunedin City Royals Reserves are two points off the pace, following a 1-1 draw with Roslyn. Maggie Burgess' second half equaliser cancelled out Aimee Kay's first half opener for Roslyn. The Royals do have games in hand over Green Island and University however.
Queens Park beat Northern 3-0.
Northern continued their 100% winning streak in the ODT Men's Southern Premiership with a 6-1 victory over Dunedin City Royals.
Nick Treadwell opened the scoring after only three minutes. Goals to Rory Hibbert and Jonas Gorman midway through the second half made the game safe. However when Kenny Nagata pulled one back for the Royals with eight minutes to go, it awakened Northern.
Hibbert scored a further three goals in the last four minutes.
Mosgiel remain second with a 2-0 win over Roslyn Wakari, University beat Northern Hearts 4-0 and Queens Park ran out 6-2 victors over Green Island.
— Neville Watson
