Both under-15 teams bound for semifinals

Both the Wanganui Under-15 boys and girls teams are through to today's semifinals of their respective national championship tournaments, but it was by very different means yesterday.

The Andrew Spence-coached boys team continued their perpetual motion in Wellington with a 7-0 hammering of Mid Canterbury in the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, the Jan Dixon-coached girls got home in the third period of sudden death extra time with Manawatu, getting the winning goal when both teams were reduced to five players via the drop off in Christchurch.

Spence said the Cantabrians struggled to get anything going on attack, or rather Wanganui didn't let them.

"I think [our] passing contributed to a lot of it, in the build-up to get the goals."

Tyler Nichol-Hilton got a hat-trick before halftime with Wanganui leading 4-0.

The other goals came from Kian Belk, Patrick Madder and the Cohen brothers - Jordan and Ethan.

For the girls, the play was impossibly tight when tied with Manawatu 1-1 at the end of regulation time.

Entering sudden death, both teams dropped off their goalies and then other players periodically.

"In the second five minutes, they got a penalty corner and we've got no goalie on - but we saved it," said Dixon.

After starting with nine each and eventually reduced to five, Wanganui got the game winner through Kate Tylee.

Rebecca Baker, Imogen Burrows, Claudia Ryan and Kate Belsham also played well.

Today, the boys team meet Auckland in their semi, while the girls play North Harbour B.