Tauranga City move into third as WaiBOP Championship concludes
Football action from the Bay of Plenty from the weekend of 20/21 August 2022.
Tauranga City AFC’s first-team jumped to third in the NRFL Men’s Division 1 after a third consecutive win this weekend. Goals from Adam Davidson, Braxton Fisher-Vanderveen and Liam Molloy secured a 3-1 triumph against Mount Albert Ponsonby at Links Ave which, coupled with East Coast Bays’ home loss to Manurewa, moves Tauranga into third place. Next up is a tough away day fixture v West Coast Rangers, with Tauranga hoping to play the role of party poopers against the home side, who are one positive result away from claiming the title.
Tauranga City’s women’s team lost for the second time in less than a fortnight against Hamilton Wanderers in the NRFL Women’s Premier League this weekend. Following a recent 4-0 midweek defeat in Waikato two own goals from City helped Wanderers to another success, the final score being 4-1.
With much of the WaiBOP Federation season over it was slim pickings for Bay of Plenty action this weekend.
In the WaiBOP Premiership Pāpāmoa ended their campaign with defeat against Te Awamutu in the Rose Capital. Goals from Conor Irvine and Joshua Vialoux proved fruitless for Pap, who eventually succumbed 3-2.
Ngongotaha’s fine form to end the season continued this week with a 5-3 victory at West Hamilton United. Luke Barker hit a hat-trick which helped the Villagers move into fifth position with one game remaining in their season.
In the WaiBOP Championship Tauranga City ended their season on a high note with five different scorers finding the back of the net in a 5-0 romp over Matamata Swifts. The win confirmed City’s fourth-place finish and ended a largely positive campaign that saw City finish just three points shy of champions Cambridge FC.
It was an all Otūmoetai affair in the W-League this week as already coronated champions Otūmoetai United beat Otūmoetai FC 4-2 to finish the season. The result takes United to the 40 point mark.
Lakes FC will conclude the 2022 W-League when they take on Waikato Unicol next weekend.