Another week is in the books for the Wellington Phoenix academy.
Ten Phoenix academy players won the OFC U-19 Women’s Championship after a 3-0 win over New Caledonia in the final.
Daisy Brazendale lifted the trophy as captain, while Mackenzie Greene was named player of the match for the decider.
Reaching the final also confirmed a spot at next year’s U-20 World Cup in Poland for the side.
In the men’s U-20 World Cup, a 3-0 defeat to Japan and other results conspiring against them meant that the junior All Whites could not qualify for the knockout stage.
However, they left Chile having put in multiple strong performances, and with all three of their goals during the tournament having been scored by Phoenix players in Nathan Walker, Luke Brooke-Smith, and Xuan Loke.
It was also a successful weekend for the women’s reserves, who secured their first points in the league with a 2-0 win over CF Petone.
Kya Solomon opened the scoring with a superb individual effort, before Sienna Candy set up Isabella Temple for the second.
A depleted men’s reserves side went down 2-1 to Auckland FC despite a strong performance overall.
After conceding early, Dylan Gardiner equalised with a pinpoint finish from a corner, but a late Auckland goal meant the team left empty-handed.
This weekend, the men’s reserves host top-of-the-table Christchurch United, while the women’s reserves and U-18 women travel to face Canterbury Pride.
The U-18 men’s side will also be on the road, facing Auckland FC’s equivalent team for the first time across two matches.
Cover photo credit: New Zealand Football
