Nikao prevailed in their match against Matavera at CIFA Complex on Saturday, ending their match at 10 points to 1.
Nikao Sokattak took control of the game from the start, it was clear that they were there to claim victory. Within the first few minutes of the game Nikao Sokattak’s goal scoring machine Julius David counted in their opening goal with a bicycle kick that shook the grandstand and had fans on their toes cheering. Not a second was wasted after the first goal, as soon as Nikao took hold of the ball Marc Leito placed through the ball from the right corner straight pass the keeper.
It took a while before Nikao scored again, as Matavera was determined to stop anymore balls and put a mark on their board, Matavera’s forward Daryl Areaii gained many chances to score but Nikao’s back soldiers Maeva Mateariki and Alfred Ngire weren’t going to let that happen. When getting touches on the ball, Nikaos unstoppable duo made sure to reach the back of the net, slipping his way through David Puaikura and Jean Tua, Mateariki took the ball to the goal but when denied the chance to score he snuck a pass to David marking their board 3-0. It was consistent attacking on the Nikao side, scoring another 2 goals before Matavera grew tired of seeing nil on their score board. Matavera’s winger Makali Ritawa saw an opportunity to gain meters pass Nikaos back line and did not hesitate to set up a goal right infront of the keeper, that flew off of the boots of Mareta Matamaki and to the back of the net, ending their first half at 5-1.
Hooting the start of the second half, both sides came back on field with a flair, challenging each other and stopping any penetration. But Nikao quickly put out the fire when scoring 5 more goals ending the game at 10-1.
On Friday, Tupapa Maraerenga took down Puaikura 4-2, Tupapa were very dominating on field making sure to drive themselves to victory but Puaikura’s men made it hard for them to gain a massive take on but it wasn’t enough to stop Tupapa.
The Senior Womens match between Tupapa Maraerenga and Avatiu ended in a 5-0 score, with Tupapa Maraerenga taking control of the game. Kuramaeva Tare opened up their match with 2 goals in a row with in the first 20 minutes of the first half, then Elizabeth Harmon another mark on the board when given a penalty inside the box, finish the first half with 3-0. Young Adriana Hauser was determined to score goals in the second half, but Avatiu’s Susan Williams and Kataraina Piri fought hard and well to prevent more goals, but Hauser skated two balls through to the back of the net leaving their final score at 5 nil.
Puaikura and Matavera battled on Thursday for a spot in the finals, but Puaikura came out victorious in the last few minutes of the game, when their winger Simone Nicholas headed a ball from a corner kick right to the back of the net in the last 5 minutes of the game ending it at 1-0.
