Football: Te Puke United salvage a draw after conceding early

Cameron Riley (left) scored Te Puke's only goal in the draw with West Hamilton. Photo / NZ Herald

Football

League one

Te Puke United faced off against West Hamilton United at home, the game ending in a 1-1 draw.

It was a slow start for Te Puke as West Hamilton took control, creating a few early chances that paid off in the eighth minute when a corner was headed home. Te Puke stepped it up a notch, playing the ball out well from the back. A free kick was won 25m out and up stepped captain Cameron Riley who slotted it into the bottom corner to bring it to 1-1 at half time.

The second half started with a solid back-and-forth game, both teams creating chances while also struggling to find the net.

West Hamilton had the best chance that brought out a fingertip save from Te Puke keeper Ethan Ramsay.

The player of the day was Russell Dickson.

Te Puke United play away to Northern United at 3pm on Saturday.

Te Puke United Reserves

The reserves faced off against Plains Rangers with the game ending 0-0.

A good first half saw Te Puke pick it up a level, playing the ball with more purpose and creating more chances up front. Te Puke looked to have gone one up, but the goal was chalked off for a foul in the lead-up, the resulting free kick just missing the target.

The second half was much the same as the first, with both teams having a few shots followed by a few good saves. Te Puke fought hard but were unable to secure a goal. The player of the day was Cory Murray.

The reserves play away to Taupō on Saturday. Kickoff is 2pm.

Te Puke Women

Te Puke Women faced last year’s champions, Whakatāne, at home and came away with a 1-0 win.

The teams had an even share of possession, with solid Te Puke defending keeping any promising attack out of harm’s way.

As Te Puke kept the pressure on, they managed to find gaps in the defence with Chynna Davie getting the breakthrough 20 minutes in. For the rest of the half, it was goal-to-goal action, but defences were on top.

A solid display by captain Sammi Parish helped deny Whakatāne multiple times with Swan and Haley sharing goalie duties due to injury. The frontline kept pressing and looking for a second while easing the pressure on the backline and with both teams unlucky to not find the target, the game ended 1-0.

The player of the day was Sammi Parish.

On Sunday, Te Puke Women play Waiariki away at 11am.

Wāhine Toa

Wāhine Toa faced off against Ōtūmoetai, the game ending in a 5-1 loss.

A good start from Wāhine Toa showed the team’s week-to-week improvement. With the whole squad putting in a shift, the Ōtūmoetai attack struggled to get any clear-cut chances while some good passages of play led to a few good crosses and shots. As the half went on, Ōtūmoetai found a breakthrough from a corner, making it 1-0 which was the score at halftime.

Things were a little different in the second half as tired legs hit and Ōtūmoetai took advantage with an early goal. Wāhine Toa kept going strongly but Ōtūmoetai took their chances. Wāhine Toa did manage to pull one back as Karlie Skudder fed Nathalie Ramos, who slotted it home.

The player of the day was Ally Kerrigan.

Wāhine Toa play at home against the Pāpāmoa Icons on Sunday. Kickoff is 12.30pm.