Twelve Wellington Phoenix players have helped New Zealand to a dominating OFC U-19 Men’s Championship triumph in Samoa.
First-team striker Luke Supyk scored a brace as the New Zealand side beat New Caledonia in the final on Thursday.
Phoenix reserves player Lachlan Candy had earlier opened the scoring to set the team on their way to a 4-0 victory.
Goalkeeper Alby Kelly-Heald was joined by midfielder Fergus Gillion in starting all five matches.
Kelly-Heald in particular had an outstanding tournament, not conceding a single goal and winning the golden glove as best goalkeeper.
The team swept through Group B, opening their account by beating New Caledonia 3-0. Ryan Watson tapped in the second.
Samoa were then comfortably beaten 5-0, with Gillion and Lewis Partridge both adding to the scoreline.
Finally, Papua New Guinea were dispatched 10-0 to round off a perfect group stage.
Gabriel-Sloane Rodrigues and Daniel Makowem both netted twice in this game, while Watson and Nathan Walker each contributed a single goal.
The semi-final against Fiji was a tight affair, but Watson added another goal to his personal tally early into the second half.
Kelly-Heald then saved a penalty to ensure that New Zealand emerged with a 1-0 victory and qualified for the final.
Winning this game also meant that New Zealand qualified for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup to be held in Chile.
Xuan Loke and Seth Karunaratne were the other Phoenix players to see minutes during the tournament, while Eamonn McCarron was an unused substitute goalkeeper.
As well as the overall title, New Zealand also won the fair play award for the team with the best disciplinary record.
Wellington Phoenix players in the U20 squad:
Lachlan Candy
Fergus Gillion
Seth Karunaratne
Alby Kelly-Heald (GK)
Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues
Xuan Loke
Daniel Makowem
Eamonn McCarron
Lewis Partridge
Luke Supyk
Nathan Walker
Ryan Watson
