The finalists in both the NZ Football Foundation Kate Sheppard Cup and ISPS Handa Chatham Cup have now been found after the semi-finals took place this weekend in each competition.

Coastal Spirit booked their berth in the Kate Sheppard Cup final on Saturday with a nail-biting 1-0 win over Wellington United in the capital, skipper Chloe Jones finally breaking the deadlock in extra time.

The Cantabrians were forced to defend their slender lead with just ten players for the remainder of the contest after Melanie Cameron picked up a second caution.

Spirit, who last lifted the cup in 2013, will take on Eastern Suburbs after the Aucklanders held off a determined challenge from Hamilton Wanderers this afternoon in the Waikato.

Extra time was again needed to separate the sides after a dramatic end to regular time, substitute Annie Byrne appearing to have finally won it for the visitors with a last-minute goal but Wanderers swiftly breaking to the other end to equalise through Grace Wisnewski.

In the added period, Byrne again found the net and this time it proved to be the match-winner as Suburbs secured a second Kate Sheppard Cup final appearance in three years.
 

Eastern Suburbs celebrate finding the net against Hamilton Wanderers (Photosport)

They will be joined on cup finals day on 8 September by Melville United and Napier City Rovers, who earned their passage to the Chatham Cup final by edging out Bay Olympic and Onehunga Sports respectively.

Melville, whose only previous appearance in the final was in 2003, scored a goal in each half to finally end the memorable run of second-tier Olympic yesterday, Logan Wisnewski opening the scoring before substitute Harry Christensen-Rose completed the job late on.

On Sunday, Napier City Rovers earned the right to meet Melville by overcoming 2017 winners Onehunga Sports in Napier.

In another game that required extra time, neither side managed to score until Liam Schofield finally put the hosts in front.

Rovers appeared to have confirmed their place in a final they last graced in 2015 when Karan Mandair added a second soon after but they faced a late scare when Sports pulled one back through Robert Tipelu.

But the visitors had to try to claw their way back without captain Jo Dawkins, who was dismissed for a second bookable offence with his side two goals down, and they couldn’t quite pull it off as Napier earned the chance to claim their fifth Chatham Cup title.

The match details for the NZ Football Foundation Kate Sheppard Cup and ISPS Handa Chatham Cup finals will be released shortly.

NZ Football Foundation Kate Sheppard Cup Semi-Finals

Saturday 24 August

Wellington United 0
Coastal Spirit 1 (Chloe Jones 100’)
AET, HT: 0-0, FT: 0-0

Sunday 25 August

Hamilton Wanderers 1 (Grace Wisnewski 90’)
Eastern Suburbs 2 (Annie Byrne 90’, 99’)
AET, HT: 0-0, FT: 1-1

ISPS Handa Chatham Cup Semi-Finals

Saturday 24 August

Bay Olympic 0
Melville United 2 (Logan Wisnewski 22’, Harry Christensen-Rose 80’)
HT: 0-1

Sunday 25 August

Napier City Rovers 2 (Liam Schofield 91’, Karan Mandair 96’)
Onehunga Sports 1 (Robert Tipelu 114’)
AET, HT: 0-0, FT: 0-0

Article added: Sunday 25 August 2019