Wellington Phoenix Soccer Schools U15 players representing Onehunga Sports secured a place in the final of the Manchester United Premier Cup Pacific finals last weekend.
After a strong first day with two wins and one loss, the WPSS/Onehunga Sports team went down to Football NSW Institute 3-0 in a rematch of a first day loss.
Game one of the tournament saw the first of three group games played against Football Federation Victoria, which Onehunga Sports won 3-0 with Captain Max Mata scoring a brace and Charles Spragg getting on the score sheet. It was a quick fire twenty minutes that secured victory for the team in the first half.
Game two was against tournament favourite Football NSW Institute, who won the game 3-1 courtesy of a penalty in each half. Max Mata continued where he left off in game one and got on the score sheet with a goal in the 19th minute.
The third and final game of the first day was against Canberra-based side Belconnen United. The game was all but over within the first half with Onehunga Sports putting an unanswered five goals past Belconnen. The Spragg brothers then scored a goal each in the second half to make the final score 7-0.
The team now had a simple equation in game four: a win or draw with the Emerging Jets- NSW State to secure a Semi Finals spot. Goals to Hojae Lee and Charles Spragg in the first half and another to Lee in the second, gave the team a 3-0 win and passage through to the Semi Finals.
The Semi Final saw the two best club sides in the competition face off against each other. Kingsley Sinclair planted a header in the 30th minute to give Onehunga Sports a 1-0 win and set up a rematch against NSW Football Institute in the Final.
Onehunga Sports created multiple chances in the final but were not able to convert any of these early to combat those NSW Football Institute did. NSW were up 2-0 at halftime, before going on to score again in the second half and win the final 3-0.
WPSS director Leigh Kenyon was proud of everyone’s efforts, “The WPSS players representing Onehunga Sports can hold their heads high. There is absolutely nothing more that they could have done at this tournament. We are proud to have finished as the best club side in the Pacific and knock over two State teams on the way to the Grand Final”.
Onehunga Sports finished as the best club side in the Pacific and Max Mata took home the Golden Boot with a tournament high six goals.
Manchester United Premier Cup 2015 Pacific Finals
Group B: Onehunga Sports 3-0 Federation Victoria
Group B: Onehunga Sports 1-3 Football NSW Institute
Group B: Onehunga Sports 7-0 Belconnen UTD
Group B: Onehunga Sports 3-0 Emerging Jets (Northern NSW State)
MUPC Pacific Semi Final
Onehunga Sports 1-0 Marconi Stallions
MUPC Pacific Grand Final
Onehunga Sports 0-3 Football NSW Institute
Want to join the Wellington Phoenix Soccer School? Go to wpss.org.nz for more information.
