Another thrilling round of the Kate Sheppard Cup and Chatham Cup has concluded, with all qualifiers for the next phase now decided.

Kate Sheppard Cup

In the Northern Region, Western Springs and Auckland United have clinched spots in the Kate Sheppard Cup semi-finals. Springs faced an initial setback against Franklin United on the road but rallied to secure a 3-1 victory. Meanwhile, Auckland United displayed dominance at home, winning against West Coast Rangers with a resounding 5-1 triumph.

The other two teams that qualified for the semi-finals are Wellington Phoenix Reserves and Dunedin City Royals.

In the Central League, Waterside Karori hosted Wellington Phoenix Reserves for the quarter-final. The Nix seemed poised for a comfortable 3-0 victory with goals from Ella McCan and Manaia Elliott (2), but the locals staged a late comeback, narrowing the score to 3-2, ending the match with suspense until the final whistle. The final team to advance, Dunedin City Royals from the Southern League, managed to do so thanks to Shontelle Smith's 88th-minute goal, which secured a 1-0 triumph over Cashmere Technical.

Chatham Cup

Turning to the Chatham Cup, the weekend resulted in a few historic moments. Coastal Spirit kicked things off with a thrilling 5-3 extra-time victory over Ferrymead Bays last Friday. However, the standout matches came from teams currently not in their region's highest division (recalling that the format for both Cup’s is to allow teams from other divisions to participate together).

Cambridge FC, making their first-ever fourth-round appearance, hosted Auckland City FC with fervent home support. Despite the final result - the Navy Blues won 4-1 - the Reds did manage to hold them 1-1 for a period, showcasing resilience despite the level disparity.

Saturday afternoon delivered somewhat of a surprise as Hibiscus Coast AFC, led by Nathan Cranney, took an early lead thanks to Emmanuel Darkwa and held on to eliminate Melville United, last year's finalists. This result secured them a spot in the quarter-finals for the first time ever in Chatham Cup history.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Wellington Olympic showcased their championship ambitions with an 8-0 win against Stop Out SC. Manurewa AFC edged past Onehunga Mangere United 3-2 in extra time and Birkenhead United won 6-5 on penalties against Western Springs after a thrilling 3-3 draw at full time.

The fourth round of the Chatham Cup wrapped up on Sunday afternoon with the last two matches. Napier City Rovers initially struggled against Miramar Rangers at home but were lifted by Oscar Faulds' second-half brace to secure passage to the next round. However, Otago University AFC stole the spotlight with their 3-2 victory over Dunedin City Royals, powered by goals from Finley Husheer, Ashton Hudson, and Ben Campbell.

At the end of the weekend, the eight teams advancing to the Chatham Cup quarter-finals are Coastal Spirit, Auckland City FC, Hibiscus Coast AFC, Manurewa AFC, Wellington Olympic, Birkenhead United, Napier City Rovers, and Otago University AFC.

Stay tuned this Tuesday at 1:00 PM for the draws of the Chatham Cup quarter-finals and the Kate Sheppard Cup semi-finals on our YouTube channel.

Article added: Sunday 07 July 2024