Te Puke women's football side earn semifinal place

Te Puke's Kelly Barker stride for stride with Taupo's Sarah Demchy. Photo / Stuart Whitaker

Unfortunately, Te Puke United's home ground Litt Park was broken into again for the third time this year as the vandals caused critical damage to No.1 and 2 fields.

The pitches were unplayable, forcing the club's women's side to use the No.3 pitch for their first-round Waikato Cup game against Taupō.

Taupō won this season's Waikato division 1 title, but Te Puke's preparation and a sterling effort from every player during the game had them triumph 2-1.

The black and whites started off playing some lovely football through the midfield with chances falling just short.

Te Puke's Chynna Davie (right) gets to the ball ahead of Taupo's Nicola Drake. Photo / Stuart Whitaker

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The Te Puke defence staying strong allowed them to play out from the back and start quick counterattacks, with the effort paying off on 15 minutes as Chynna Davie put Sammi Parrish through, who calmly placed it past the Taupō keeper.

A strong bounce-back had Taupō creating half-chances, but the hosts stayed strong,
keeping the slender lead until halftime.

Early in the second half, the lead was doubled when left back Sarah Earle fed Chynna Davie to slot into the right-hand corner giving, the keeper no chance.

The game settled for a bit with some back-and-forth play, but Taupo didn't give up putting heavy pressure on the backline when a well-placed corner was headed in, bringing the game to 2-1 halfway through the second half.

The away team fired up as they looked to find a second, but a confident Te Puke side matched them and brought the game to a close.

An unbalanced draw gives Te Puke a bye on the weekend before the semifinal on September 18, with their opponents yet to be determined.

While every player played well, the player of the day award went to Sammi Parrish for her constant talking and effort on and off the ball.

■ Te Puke Classics play at Litt Park on Sunday against Otumoetai Originals.