Tauranga City keep up early promotion pressure in NRFL Championship
Meanwhile, there was a big win for the City women's team and Otumoetai's men's team got a win on the board.
Tauranga City picked up where they left off last week with another convincing win in the NRFL Championship. On this occasion, North Shore United were the victims, City winning 4-0 with Colby Brennan’s brace sandwiched by goals for Nathan Rostron and Tristan Kawana.
The result means City are third in the league, looking to keep pace with early promotion contenders East Coast Bays and Hibiscus Coast, the latter of which dropped points at Fencibles United over the weekend.
Otumoetai have been knocked off of joint-top in the NRFL Women’s Championship after a loss to Franklin United in Drury.
Courtney Stead’s early goal gave the travelling side the lead but Franklin were in fine form, eventually racing to a 4-1 triumph.
The result, coupled with others elsewhere in the league, push Otumoetai back down to fourth with Tauranga City hot on their heels in fifth after a convincing win this weekend. City’s women dispatched with Te Atatu 5-1, Abi-Witney Collins scoring four and Sacha Hop scoring her first for the team.
There was a Western Bay derby in the NRFL Southern Conference this weekend with Otumoetai picking up their first win of the season over local rivals Papamoa. Chaz Picton hit a double in a 3-1 win for the away side.
Elsewhere, Ngongotaha Lakes got back to winning ways, Luke Barker’s hat-trick helping them to a 4-2 win at Te Awamutu.
An inter-city derby headlined the WaiBOP W-League this week with Tauranga City Reserves beating Otumoetai 3-1, Mia Chiari, Ella Golding and Lane Ririnui on the scoresheet.
Elsewhere, both Lakes and Tauranga Blue Rovers lost in Waikato, going down 2-1 and 2-0 to Melville and Waikato Unicol respectively.
Meanwhile, in WaiBOP League One, Tauranga City got back on the winner’s board. A goal direct from a corner proved the difference in a 2-1 victory over Tokoroa, a result that sees City leapfrog their North Waikato opponents into third.
Meanwhile, across Baywide football, Tauranga City Relics went top of Bay 1 with a win over nearest rivals Otumoetai, Papamoa United remain 100 per cent in Bay 2 and Te Puke racked up the scoreboard in a 14-0 Women’s Bay 1 victory.
Full Baywide results will be posted when WaiBOP provide results …