Football: Rotorua women go top

Rotorua United player Annaliese Heuvel. Women's club football. 17 July 2016 Rotorua Daily Post Photograph by Ben Fraser.

Rotorua United's women's team beat and leapfrogged Northern United at the weekend to head the WaiBOP Women's Premier League division 1.

Making their second trip to Hamilton in successive weekends, the Rotorua side backed up their win over Melville and avenged a 5-2 defeat to Northern earlier in the season, coming away with a 3-2 victory yesterday.

"It was a good performance against a good side - but we're a good side, we've proved that and we're now top of the league," said coach Ron Cane.

"There was a lot riding on that game for many different reasons for the girls, having been beaten 5-2, and it was very much a mental thing. (Rotorua) came out of the blocks terrifically and scored early, then they equalised on a break away and the game was pretty tight for 20 minutes."

But by half time, two goals from skipper Kim Maguire had added to Annaliese Heuvel's opening goal and stretched the lead to a comfortable 3-1.

"Then I said to the girls, the first 10 minutes of the second half will be crucial."

It proved to be the case, with the hosts awarded a penalty for hand ball.

Cane said his side produced a "tremendous defensive effort" for the final 20 minutes of the game.

"They really started to come at us," he said. "We got the occasional break away and again we could have scored, but it wasn't to be, so in the end everybody just rallied round.
Everybody defended like there was no tomorrow."

The side's 59 goal for, 15 against record shows how the success of the season so far has been built on solid defence.

Next weekend's opponents, Otumoetai, defaulted at the weekend to Melville Utd.