New Zealand have qualified for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup by beating Tahiti 4-1 in their OFC U16 Championship semi-final in the Solomon Islands on Wednesday evening.
 
New Zealand were fast out of the blocks, Oskar Van Hattum giving them the lead just a few moments after kick-off before Henry Hamilton took his tournament goal tally to six with a quick-fire double.
 
That gave the Kiwis a well-deserved 3-0 lead with under 25 minutes on the clock and they went on to complete the job in the second half, Matthew Garbett stroking home from the spot to help book his country a ticket to Peru.
 
With so much riding on the outcome, an early goal to settle the nerves would have been exactly what Jose Figueira was after and his players didn’t disappoint, a quick free kick from Hamilton allowing Van Hattum to be played in on goal and he rounded goalkeeper Josselin Capel to slot home in just the second minute.
 
It got even better around ten minutes later as Matthew Garbett found space down the right to pick out leading marksman Hamilton at the back post and he beat Capel to place one New Zealand foot in Peru. Both feet were all but firmly planted in South America when Hamilton hit his second, again turning in from close range after outstanding work by Van Hattum on the right and a saved shot from Garbett.
 
New Zealand were now threatening to run riot and Tahiti had barely had a sniff of goal but the French Polynesians provided more resistance in the second period and were in fact next to find the net some time later, Tekaki Sangue giving them faint hope with just over ten minutes remaining.

But any prospect of a remarkable comeback was stamped out just a few minutes later when the dangerous Van Hattum was brought down in the box and Garbett coolly side-footed his penalty into the bottom corner to restore the three-goal cushion.
 
Safe in the knowledge their spot in Peru is secure, New Zealand will now take on hosts Solomon Islands in the OFC U-16 Championship final on Saturday and Figueira is expecting his players to be up for the challenge.

“I think it sets up a really good final and I guess we don’t need much motivation after the last result against them,” he says.
 
“We’ll let the boys enjoy it tonight and reflect on what they’ve accomplished but we want to get the job done in the last game.”
 
Match Details

Tahiti 1 (Tekaki Sangue 79’)
New Zealand 4 (Oskar Van Hattum 2’, Henry Hamilton 13’, 24’, Matthew Garbett pen 82’)
HT: 0-3

New Zealand: 12. Luca Taylor (GK), 2. Max Drake, 3. Kris Naicker, 5. Ryan Verney (19. Hayden Aish 62’), 6. Campbell Strong (c), 7. Marko Stamenic, 8. Jackson Manuel, 9. Henry Hamilton (15. Bradley Wilson 59’), 11. Matthew Garbett, 14. Oskar Van Hattum (4. Adam Hillis 84’), 17. Nathan Lobo
Substitutes not used: 1. Alex Paulsen (GK), 10. Joseph Lee, 13. Finn O’Connor, 16. Sean Bright, 18. Benjamin Old, 20. Harry Bark 
Cautions: Marko Stamenic 37’, Henry Hamilton 57’
Coach: Jose Figueira

A long season of hard-work and dedication paid off for the Baradene First XI on Saturday, winning the NZSS Girls Premier Lotto tournament in Taupo.

Second in the Auckland Provincial Championship, Baradene went one better in Taupo, beating Hamilton Girls’ High School 3-1 in the final to claim the school’s maiden NZSS Premier title.

“When the final whistle blew in the final, the girls were just ecstatic,” said team manager Bernadette Goulding. “This was the first time Baradene had been in a national final and to win it for the first time was special for the players and everyone involved.”

What set Baradene apart from the other 31 teams at Taupo?

“We have a star team, not a team of stars,” said Bernadette. “Hannah Pilley had a great tournament, getting our MVP and winning the tournament Golden Boot [joint with Natalie Ohlson from WEGC], while year 10 player Prue Catton and year 11 Petra Buyck and year 13 Olivia Gordon were three other consistent players for us all week. But overall all the girls played out of their skins and played well together.”

Victory for Baradene over Hamilton was also sweeter as they had lost to them 3-2 on the opening afternoon of the tournament.

“Things just weren’t going right for us that game, we had the majority of the chances and they had three chances and scored off all of them. It was also 2-2 up until the last minute when Hamilton scored the winner.”
​
This meant they finished second in Pool D, also beating Nelson Girls’ College 5-0 and Hutt Valley High School 4-0 in pool play.

In the round of 16 they beat Pool H winners New Plymouth Girls’ High School 2-1 to advance to the quarter-finals, where they would beat Wellington’s St Mary’s College 6-2 after being 1-0 down virtually from the opening kick-off and then 4-1 up at halftime.

“The quarter-final win was probably our best game, everything went well and worked for us.”

Then on to the semi-final.

“We played Palmerston Norths Girls’ High School, who were very strong and unlucky to not make the final.
Baradene won the semi-final 4-1, but this didn’t reflect the game. “On the day they played the better football. We had five or six chances and we scored off four of them.”

“It showed the quality of our team though, we weren’t playing as well as we did in the quarter-final but we were still able to put away our chances.”

Hamilton Girls’ High School beat Epsom Girls’ Grammar School in a penalty shootout in the other semi-final.

​The final itself was played in a strong wind, which was a factor in how it played out.

Baradene played against the wind in the first half, and went up 1-0 through a goal to playmaking year 10 player Prue Catton.  Hamilton equalised and it was all square.

“Hamilton scored about 10 minutes before halftime, so the coaches were thinking at that point that we just need to get through to halftime and we would be okay because we will have the wind next. We were literally holding on, but we got through.”

Hannah Pilley was the tournament’s Golden Boot with nine goals overall, but few were more important than the one she scored early in the second half latching on to a Petra Buyck cross that put Baradene up 2-1.

“That is when we started to look stronger. With 10 minutes to go our substitute Charlotte Gordon found herself in space and slotted the winner.”

Baradene’s win was the first by their school, but maintains a grip on the title by Auckland schools. Saint Kentigern College won last year and before that Mount Albert Grammar School won a four-peat between 2013-16.

In the Auckland competition, Baradene came third in the first part of the season, and then in the Auckland Provincial Championship (APC) they reached the final against St Kent’s.

“We had an excellent game in the APC final. It was 2-2 at fulltime. It went into extra time and it was still 2-2, but they won on a penalty shootout.”

​Just three players are school leavers in 2018, so the immediate future of Baradene appears promising.

After a long season playing for school, club and in some cases representative teams, most players are having a break now from playing as school and mock exams take precedence this week. Many players also play futsal so that will be coming up next for them.
​
Meanwhile, recent Auckland winners and defending NZSS champions St Kent’s could only finish ninth in Taupo, while MAGS were 25th overall.

Epsom Girls’ Grammar School, who came third in Auckland, also came third in Taupo by beating Palmerston North GHS 2-1 in the 3 v 4 match.

The leading South Island school was Burnside High School who finished fifth, one place ahead of St Andrew’s College who they beat 5-4 in the 5 v 6 match.

Westlake Girls’ High School won the Trevor Osten Memorial Trophy for winning the 17-32 knockout rounds. Westlake GHS beat Sacred Heart College, New Plymouth, 1-0 in the final.

The Baradene College NZSS winning team was:

Petra Buyck
Rosa Caird
Prue Catton
Kate Duncan
Charlotte Gordon
Olivia Gordon
Holly Marx
Ella Neal
Olivia Ongley
Neve Petherbridge
Hannah Pilley
Ruby Rimmer
Alex Saunders
Sophie Watts
Katie Harris
Margaret Wood
 
Coach: Ryan Shiffman
Manager: Bernadette Goulding 
Coordinator: Rachel Buyck

From fifth in Wellington to fourth in New Zealand, the rollercoaster ride of the St Patrick’s College, Wellington (Town) First XI football team is one of the more remarkable stories in college sport in 2018.

Had the ball bounced in a different direction and some greater administrative empathy been applied, it’s quite conceivable Town could have successfully defended their Premier Youth Wellington title and won the Nationals.

Captain Samuel Mitrakas was convinced his team would perform strongly at Nationals, despite a disappointing conclusion to the Wellington Trevor Rigby Cup.

“I always had a feeling we’d do alright. Our luck had to change sometime. Our management prepared us really well both mentally and physically,” Mitrakas acclaims.

Town are coached by Harry Rickus (a young Englishman with a UEFA B badge) and Luc Townsend, a respected teacher.

July 28, is the last round of Premier Youth Wellington competition before the teams are divided into a top four/bottom four section - a change in format from the previous season where the top two teams automatically qualified for the final.

Town only needs a solitary point to absolutely guarantee their place in the top four, but lose 1-2 to Wellington College leaving three teams tied on the same number of points.

Despite beating Rongotai College and St Patrick’s College, Silverstream, the other schools involved, Town is demoted to the bottom four because of an inferior goal difference.

Law 16.1 of the College Sport Wellington Football handbook states:

“The process for differentiating two teams tied on round robin competition points shall be: a. The team who won the most recent competition match between those two teams shall be afforded the higher rank.”

However Law 20 relating to semis and finals is applied. That rule states.
​
“In the case of teams being equal on competition points they will be differentiated firstly on goal difference in all competition games.”

“We thought we were through,” Mitrakas admits.

“We found out at Wednesday practice we were in the bottom four. We were absolutely gutted, but we don’t control the rules so we had no choice but to pick ourselves up,” he continued.

The top four teams played each other in a round-robin series before the top two advanced to the final. The absence of a one-off semi-final was the source of the confusion.

Given the choice would Mitrakas have structed the competition differently?

“I don’t know. I don’t mind the top four. I guess there's lots of way you can structure a competition,” Mitrakas answered.

There was nothing confusing about Town’s response. In the bottom four they defeated Tawa College (4-0), Scots College (2-1) and Wairarapa College (8-1) with Mitrakas scoring in all three games.

Ironically Silverstream, the team with the worst record against Rongotai and Town in the earlier round, lost to Hutt International Boys’ School in the final having beaten HIBS twice previously. HIBS were the lowest finishing Wellington team at Nationals coming in 24th place.

Town was grouped in Pool B at Nationals alongside New Plymouth Boys’ High School, Lincoln High School and perennial contenders Sacred Heart College. The first two fixtures were identified as a ‘must-win.’

A heavy downpour played a major role in the New Plymouth match.
​
“It was played on grass which made the pitch really muddy. We scored an early goal and were able to sit back a bit more because it was hard to create chances. We scored another goal and won 2-0,” Mitrakas reflects.

There would be no sitting back against Lincoln High School.

“I thought Lincoln would do a lot better than what they ended up doing. We beat them 1-0 and had to really work for it,” Mitrakas shared.

Both Town and Sacred Heart were through to the Round of 16 by the time they met which allowed both sides to rest some key players. However Town were eager to show they could compete against the 2016 champions.

“We didn’t want to roll over. We had to show we could compete against a very strong Auckland team. A 1-1 draw gave us a lot of confidence,” Mitrakas asserted.

St Andrew’s College (1-0) and King’s College, Auckland (2-0) were dispatched in the Round of 16 and quarter final respectively establishing a rematch with Sacred Heart in the semi. 
​
An even battle was locked up at 0-0 approaching the end of regulation. Mitrakas captures what happened next.

“We won a penalty in referee’s time. If I scored with the last kick of the game we would’ve won, but the keeper made a great save. The game went to a shootout and I was always going to be the first shooter for us. I missed again,” Mitrakas morns.

Sacred Heart prevailed 5-3 and went onto win the final against Mount Albert Grammar School.

In the playoff for third Town faced St Kentigern College who had beaten Sacred Heart twice and romped to the Premier League title in Auckland. More anguish was to follow.

“St Kent’s were a really good possession side, but we gave as good as we got. They won by scoring a goal with the last play of the game,” Mitrakas rues.

Year 11 striker Nathan Simes, goalkeeper Themba Clarke and defender Lachlan O'Connor were among Town’s standouts.

Regular Wellington Phoenix starter Liberato Cacace was absent.
 
“Liberato is a class player and there's no doubt he would’ve made a difference, but we’ve played most of the season without him so I'm not sure how much we could of changed things,” Mitrakas observers.
 
Town’s finish is the best by a Wellington school since St Patrick’s College, Silverstream lost the final to Sacred Heart in 2011.
 
“I’m really proud of the boys. There's lots of leaders in the team and we could have fell apart after Wellington,” Mitrakas concluded.

Mitrakas plays for senior football for Wellington Olympic in the Central and Capital leagues. In 2019 he intends to work, play and study with the goal of earning a scholarship to the USA in 2020.

​“We have a big rivalry with St Kent’s. We never want to lose to St Kent’s. When we lost the league to them we resolved the only way to get them back was to win Nationals,” Kingsley Sinclair from the Sacred Heart College First XI football team says.

Despite surrendering the Auckland Premiership for the first time in four seasons, Sacred Heart won the National title for the fourth occasion in the last eight years in Christchurch on Friday.

Goals from Max Ongley, Joel Clissold and Riwai Stanton earned a 3-0 victory in the final against Mount Albert Grammar School.

MAGS was only fifth in Auckland, 21 points behind St Kent’s, but Sinclair was unsurprised to see their fellow Auckland adversaries in the decider. MAGS eliminated St Kent’s in the National semi-final with a Thomas Golding double the telling difference.

“Tournament football is different to league football. It’s about being the best team on the day and comes down to team spirit, luck and risk. MAGS are a good side. They are conditioned by the same coach we have so they’re fit and play a similar style,”  Sinclair explains.

Sacred Heart had drawn their last encounter with MAGS 4-4, but he believes collective leadership was the key to reversing that result.

“I’m officially the captain, but I believe we’re all captains,” Sinclair asserts.

“We’ve got a lot of experienced players and it’s the job of the seniors to help the juniors step up,” Sinclair continued.

The fickle nature of tournament football was best illustrated by Sacred Heart’s struggles against St Patrick’s College, Wellington. St Pats failed to make the top four in the capital, but held Sacred Heart to a 1-1 draw in pool play and then reached the National semi-final which was decided in a penalty shootout after both team's hit the woodwork multiple times in regulation.

“The semi-final was the toughest game. We knew they would come out firing after the group game. They’re a really good side. They fight hard for the whole 90 minutes. Both teams wanted it bad and we did get a little bit lucky,” Sinclair concedes.

Year 11 goalkeeper Declan Viljoen proved to be a hero saving a penalty with the last kick in regulation and  three in the shootout which Sacred Heart won. Jack Duncan, Malcolm Young, Ongley, Stanton and Sinclair converted their chances.

“Declan’s been in the squad since Year 9. He's started this year. He’s been huge,” Sinclair acclaims.

Sinclair plays in the midfield additionally appearing in senior fixtures for Eastern Suburbs in the National League. Easts were beaten in the semi-finals by eventual winners Auckland City, but twice tamed 2017 champions Team Wellington.

Sinclair was born on the Gold Coast, but represented New Zealand at the Under-17 FIFA World Cup last year and was in the New Zealand Under-20 squad who won OFC U-19 Championship in Tahiti in August.

Sacred Heart National Results

Pool Play: Lincoln High School, 1-0
Pool Play: St Patrick’s College, Wellington, 1-1
Pool Play: New Plymouth Boys’ High School, 3-0
Round of 16: St Paul’s Collegiate, 2-0
Quarter Final: St Patrick’s College, Silverstream, 3-0
Semi-Final: St Patrick’s College, Wellington, 0-0 (Won on penalties)
Grand Final: Mount Albert Grammar School, 3-0

The New Zealand go squad for the OFC U16 Football Championship this month has been selected.
 
The tournament is set to take place in the Solomon Islands from September 9 to 22 and 20 players have been named.
 
Two places for the 2019 U17 World Cup in Peru are available via Oceania qualifying.

The U-16 group will look to follow in the footsteps of their older counterparts, who have just qualified for the FIFA U-20 World Cup after winning the OFC U-19 Championship in Tahiti. The path to glory in French Polynesia was far from straightforward though and Figueira, who also coaches Team Wellington in the ISPS Handa Premiership, is expecting a stern examination of his squad’s abilities in Honiara.
 
New Zealand have been drawn in Group A with the hosts, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea while Group B consists of Fiji, New Caledonia, Tahiti and Samoa. The Solomon Islands is known as being the most football-mad nation in the South Pacific and fans regularly flock to Lawson Tama Stadium in their thousands to take in the action.
 
New Zealand open their OFC U-16 Championship campaign against Vanuatu on Sunday 9 September at 11am (NZT) with live coverage available via www.oceaniafootball.com
 
New Zealand squad for OFC U16 Championship 
 
Goalkeepers
Alex Paulsen (Wellington United)
Luca Taylor (Birkenhead United)

Defenders
Max Drake (North Shore United) 
Kris Naicker (Wellington United)
Adam Hillis (Wellington United)
Finn O’Connor (Wellington United)
Nathan Lobo (Birkenhead United)
Harry Bark (North Shore United)

Midfielders
Ryan Verney (Onehunga Sports) 
Campbell Strong (Eastern Suburbs)
Marko Stamenic (Western Suburbs)
Jackson Manuel (Wellington United)
Matthew Garbett (Western Suburbs)
Sean Bright (Western Suburbs)
Ben Old (Wellington United)
Hayden Aish (Western Springs)

Forwards
Henry Hamilton (Wellington United)
Joseph Lee (Wellington United)
Oskar van Hattum (Wellington United)
Bradley Wilson (Western Springs) 
 
Head coach: Jose Figueira
Assistant coach: Sam Wilkinson
Goalkeeping coach: Chris Marsh
Manager: Seamus Marten
Sports scientist: Weijie Lim
Physio: Justin Lopes
 
New Zealand schedule for OFC U-16 Championship

Vanuatu vs New Zealand
Sunday 9 September, 10am (11am NZT) 
Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara

Solomon Islands vs New Zealand
Wednesday 12 September, 3pm (4pm NZT)
Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara

New Zealand vs Papua New Guinea
Saturday 15 September, 10am (11am NZT) 
Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara

Semi-Finals
Wednesday 19 September
Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara

Final
Saturday 22 September
Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara

In May the Hutt International Boys’ School First XI football season was thrown into potential disarray. Nathan Watt, a Year 13 student and accomplished sportsman, tragically died. First XI co-captain Jack Wylie recalls the immediate aftermath of Watt’s passing.
​
“Nathan passed on Tuesday and we had a catch up game against Wairarapa College on Thursday. We had a meeting to discuss if we were in the right headspace to play the game and none of us were,” he says.
 
“Our coach Brendan McIntyre persuaded us to dedicate the season to Nathan which became a powerful motivator.”
 
HIBS won the Wairarapa game 9-4, an affair which Wylie labelled “insane.” Those 90 minutes were only a temporary comfort.

“Nathan was my best friend. I spoke at his funeral about how supportive he was. He was at the first two games of the season against Scots and Rongotai. I decided to wear his number 14 jersey for the rest of the year as a tribute. That probably explains why I’ve had my best season to date,” Wylie reveals.

Last Wednesday, Wylie led HIBS to a convincing 2-0 victory over St Patrick’s College, Silverstream in the Premier Youth final. It was HIBS third Wellington title in four seasons. HIBS had lost to Silverstream twice previously.

“I don’t think we changed much specifically. We just wanted it more. We tried to play a lot of one touch football knowing Silverstream like to press defensively.” Wylie responded when quizzed about tactics for the decider.

HIBS goals were scored by William Brownlie and Cole Kennedy - the former has been on a rollercoaster ride.
 
“Cole is our leading goal scorer, but earlier in the season he was struggling for confidence and missed a few games. He came back for the Wellington College game before the final and scored an absolute banger. His goal in the final showed all his speed and skill. It was an outstanding performance from all the boys.” Wylie acclaimed.

​In 2017, HIBS lost the Premier Youth final to St Pats Town. Wylie scored HIBS only goal in a rare appearance.
 
“I made the First XI in Year 11, but got dropped last year because of a shortage of form and confidence. I only played the final because another player got suspended for a red card,” Wylie admits.

“I was surprised to be appointed captain this year, but I’d like to thank Brendan McIntyre and Nick McFayden for their support. Macca is a great motivator as a coach and Nick has been my co-captain all season and actually wore the armband for the final on Wednesday night. He’s one of the best lads I’ve ever played with.”

Next week HIBS will head to Nationals where they are grouped alongside Cashmere College, St Paul’s Collegiate and Mount Albert Grammar School. Wylie is explicit about HIBS goal.

“Our best finish at Nationals is 12th. Our goal this year is to achieve a single digit finish, and who knows what might happen if we made the knockout rounds.” 

In the space of three days, the New Zealand U19 men’s footballers have won the OFC U-19 Championship in Tahiti and booked their berth to next year’s FIFA U20 World Cup in Poland.

The FIFA U20 World Cup qualifying spot was achieved first in their 2-1 semi-final win over New Caledonia.

The semi-final win was achieved in thrilling fashion, falling behind in the first half before launching a stirring comeback in the second to win their fourth consecutive match of the tournament.

On Sunday, New Zealand earned a hard fought 1-0 victory over the tournament hosts Tahiti in the final at Stade Pater in Pirae tonight.

Watch video highlights of the final below.

 The defining moment came shortly after half-time when Matthew Conroy used his speed to take the ball to the by-line on a counter-attack and cut back well for Trevor Zwetsloot to hit a powerful shot past Tahitian keeper Moana Pito. The 18-year-old from Germany’s Werder Bremen delivered the decisive strike in the final.
 
It was a pivotal period in the match as moments earlier Tahitian captain Roonui Tehau hit a goal-bound free-kick which was superbly tipped over the bar by New Zealand goalkeeper Cameron Brown.
  
New Zealand, under Head Coach Des Buckingham, continued their superb record in the OFC U-19 Championship. The defending champions claimed their seventh title and their fifth of the past six tournaments in a performance of character and resilience. 
 
Buckingham was delighted with the team’s performance throughout the tournament as they went through undefeated, scored 23 goals and only conceded two.
 
“It was a very tough game and you can see the work that Tahiti have put in over the past year,” said Buckingham.
 
“It really shows on the pitch and they are very hard to break down. We had four days in a camp before we came here so for the players to adapt the way that they have in a short space of time is really pleasing. For both New Zealand and Tahiti to go and represent Oceania at the World Cup next year is a great achievement for both.”
 
New Zealand captain Joe Bell, who again led by example with a commanding performance in the midfield, said it was a hugely satisfying to book their place in the FIFA U-20 World Cup and also win the championship.
 
“I am really happy with how the team performed,” said the 19-year-old who plays his football for the University of Virginia.  
 
“The boys put in a great shift in that game. It was very hard and there have been some very talented teams over here. I am very proud to be able to lead them through this. We came here to qualify but we also wanted to win the tournament.
 
“Our focus is now next year on the World Cup which is going to be very tough but we have a good coaching staff and we will be well prepared for whatever we are going to face.”

OFC U-19 Championship Final
New Zealand 1 (Trevor Zwetsloot 49’) Tahiti 0
HT: 0-0
 
New Zealand: 1. Cameron Brown (GK), 2. Jordan Spain, 3. Dino Botica, 4. Joe Bell ©, 5. Robert Tipelu, 6. Dane Schnell, 7. Matthew Conroy (19. Ollie Whyte 68’), 8. Trevor Zwetsloot, 9. Max Mata, 11. Willem Ebbinge, 15. Callan Elliot
Subs not used:  12. Zac Jones (GK), 10. Charles Spragg, 14. Jorge Akers, 16. Leon Ven Den  Hoven, 17. Boyd Curry, 18. Kingsley Sinclair
Head Coach Des Buckingham
Caution: Jordan Spain, Joe Bell
OFC U-19 Championship Semi-final
 
New Zealand 2 (Max Mata 55’, Willem Ebbinge 76’) 
New Caledonia 1 (own goal 41’) 
HT: 0-1
 
New Zealand: 1. Cameron Brown (GK), 2. Jordan Spain, 3. Dino Botica (19. Oliver Whyte 90’ + 5’), 4. Joe Bell (c), 5. Robert Tipelu, 6. Dane Schnell, 7. Matthew Conroy (10. Charles Spragg 62’), 8. Trevor Zwetsloot (11. Willem Ebbinge 40’), 9. Max Mata, 15. Callan Elliot, 16. Leon van den Hoven
Substitutes not used: 12. Zac Jones (GK), 14. Jorge Akers, 17. Boyd Curry, 18. Kingsley Sinclair
Cautions: Leon van den Hoven 27’, Trevor Zwetsloot 33’, Robert Tipelu 50’, Dino Botica 83’, Charles Spragg 83’, Cameron Brown 85’, Callan Elliot 90’ + 6’
Coach: Des Buckingham

They didn’t win a game in the Senior A1 competition last year but Auckland’s Glendowie College 1st XI Girls Football side are just one victory away from clinching the Auckland Provincial Championship (APC) Division Two title on Wednesday.
 
Playing in the Auckland Senior A1 Competition in 2017, the East Auckland based school were fortunate not to be relegated come the end of the season with just four draws to their name.
 
Despite this, it was evident the team had the ability to play the beautiful game with a seventh place finish during Winter Tournament Week providing some much needed respite.
 
Fast forward to 2018, and under a new coach in Steph Trowill, Glendowie is one win away from lifting a trophy, with the APC Division Two Final taking place next Wednesday against Marist College, who were unbeaten in the A1 this season.
 
Glendowie finished a respectable fifth in the A1 with five wins, two draws and three losses to their name, qualifying them for the APC Division Two.
 
“I am so proud of the girls’ efforts this season,” Trowill said.
 
“We haven’t had the easiest of runs to get to the final but the girls have believed in their abilities and fought to the final whistle in each of the games.
 
“We had to overcome an Auckland Premier side in the Quarter Final and then Western Springs in the Semi who had given us a good run for our money in the league so we knew it was going to be difficult.
 
“There is no hiding how difficult it was. We were down 2-0 at the break but after some slight tactical changes heading into the second half, being a braver team on attack and some quality keeping by young Carly (Green) we managed to pull off a victory.”
 
Trowill paid tribute to Green and fellow juniors Lexie Sheed and Hannah Barclay.
 
“The young guns in our team have really stepped up and competed well at this level.
 
“Carly hasn’t been in goal for us every week as she also enjoys to play outfield, but when she is between the sticks she has been an unsung hero.
 
“Lexie and Hannah are both year nine’s and regularly find the back of the net for us.
 
“Lexie in particular has been instrumental for us up top with her pace and skill. It was unfortunate she was injured for a few games mid-season as I believe if she was fit and able we might have finished higher up the table.”
 
Year 13 student and Captain, Jasmine Gedye, signaled out a change in formation, the promising talent and coach Trowill as key reasons behind the sides success this season.
 
“Having a more definitive formation this season has helped our team a lot this season, as has a consistent flow of goals going in,” the 18-year old said.
 
“Steph coming in as coach has also made a huge difference in the organisation and commitment levels which has been a massive improvement and another reason we have done so well this year.”
 
With a number of promising youngsters plying their trade in the side, Gedye believes the future is bright.
 
“After losing nearly every game last year and welcoming many new players to the team this year, it is incredible we have made it this far together.
 
“With the team built full of young players this year, the talent coming through will only improve in the years to come.
 
“The team has already improved so much and I am so excited to see what the final will hold for us.”
 
Ahead of Wednesday’s Final, Trowill, who featured prominently in school girls football between 2009-13 for Botany College and represented the New Zealand Secondary Schools team, plans to keep everything the same in the lead-up to the big game.
 
“Nothing is going to change in our approach and lead-up to this game, apart from the fact that I promised the team pizza for lunch if they made the final.
 
“It’s hopefully going to be a special and memorable day for the girls. They will have the afternoon off classes to spend time as a team before departing to the grounds where we will go through our normal routine.
 
“It’s going to be a tough match, but I am confident in my team’s abilities to push the A1 champions all the way and hopefully cause a bit of an upset.”
 
The final kicks off at 3:30pm at Seddon Fields which will be followed by the Division One final between Baradene and Saint Kentigern Colleges.

“We lost about four or five key starters. We were sceptical about how things might pan out,” Alex Meaclem concedes when reflecting on the initial prospects for the Cashmere High School First XI Football season.
 
It appears that pessimism was misguided. Cashmere head into next Wednesday’s Mainland semi-finals as the second ranked qualifiers. They have won 11 out of 12 games and outscored their opposition 53 goals to 8 - while also holding the Connectics Shield for defeating top of the table, St Thomas of Canterbury College.
 
Cashmere showed glimpses of this promise in 2017, but were left to rue inconsistency.  
 
“We were a strong team without being consistent. We beat St Andrew’s College and Burnside who were both top four schools, but then we’d go and lose to schools below us like Shirley Boys’ and St Bede’s,” Meaclem explains.
 
“This year were more hungry to produce a performance were proud of every week. There’s no room for complacency,” Meaclem continued.
 
Cashmere have dropped one match this season, edged 1-2 by Burnside High School. Cashmere put 10 goals past Riccarton High School and accounted for defending champions St Andrew's College 2-0.
 
However there most significant result was defeating St Thomas of Canterbury College 2-1 to capture the Connectics Shield.
 
“It was a bit of a surprise, most of the school was expecting St Thomas to win,” Meaclem concedes.
 
St Thomas was fourth in New Zealand last year and unbeaten prior to meeting Cashmere.
 
Meaclem captures the dramatic first-half.
 
“We started well and Axel Trick scored from a free kick. We were up 2-0 at halftime when our Year 11 Jake Grob scored a screamer. We won the ball deep in our half and advanced down field before cutting it back to Jake who curved it past their keeper from five yards outside the penalty box.”
 
The second half was much tougher.
 
“We defended the majority of the game, but when we got our chances we were really clinical. Things got a bit nervy when they pulled one back with 15 minutes to go, but I’m really proud of the fight the guys showed.”
 
Meaclem plays centre back and brings a mature approach to captaincy.
 
“I think the key to being a good leader is to get the balance right. You want to lead by example, but not play selfishly. I like talk and lift the guys as much as I can, but you can’t overdo it,” Meaclem observes.
 
Cashmere is being coached by Craig Squire, Tom Wilkinson and Grant Eden, the latter serves in a managerial role while the former devise tactics.
 
The Mainland semi-finals are next Wednesday night.
 
Cashmere hosts Burnside High School while St Thomas of Canterbury College tackles St Andrew’s College.