Rarotonga Football R4 brings exciting matches and surprises

The fourth round of the 2024 Rarotonga football season has come to a close with fierce competition at all levels, featuring a series of dominant performances and nail-biting finishes.

In the home game, Tupapa Maraerenga’s Premier Men team continued their strong performance and won 5-0 against Avatiu.

The defending champions took control of the match early on, with Grover Harmon opening the scoring. Avi Enoka added another goal, and Marcus Gibbons scored just before half-time, giving Tupapa a comfortable 3-0 lead going into the break.

Avatiu goalkeeper Luke Vidovi played a major role in preventing the scoreline from getting out of hand, making several crucial saves despite heavy attacking pressure from Tupapa.

In the second half, Awatiu showed more fight, with midfielders Tione Nande and Joseph Crocombe passing the ball to left winger Andrew Tiner. Tiner used his amazing speed to find space on the flank and caught Tupapa’s right back off guard several times. His movement led to some promising attacks for Awatiu, but they were unable to take advantage of the chances in front of the goal.

However, Tupapa kept their composure and added two more goals – one from Henry McKenzie and the other from Tahitoa Webber, who scored his first goal of the season.

At the Nikao Stadium, the Super Men’s match between Nikao Sokattak and Puaikura ended with a high score of 4-3 in favor of Puaikura.

It was a spirited match, with Puakula’s attacking unit, led by Dwayne Tiputoa, scoring all four goals, while forwards Tepa Tuaputa and Akiona Tairi also posed a great threat to the Nikau defence.

Nikao fought hard and put pressure on the opponent by scoring goals, but Puaikura’s ability to seize the key moments played a decisive role. This victory helped Puaikura overcome previous setbacks and keep up with the pace of the top teams, while Nikao will reflect on the missed opportunities in the game. They showed great determination.

The Matavella-Ngatangia Men’s Super League side recorded their third win of the season with a hard-fought 3-2 win over Titikaveka on Friday.

Both teams showed resilience and worked hard to control the tempo of the game. Matawila created several chances but Titikaveka’s young goalkeeper Tunui Tunui made crucial saves to keep his team in the game.

Nevertheless, Matavilla’s experience played a role and they seized the chances at the critical moment. On the other hand, Titikavika had many scoring chances but failed to seize them.

In the senior women’s category, defending champions Awatiu recorded a crucial win over Tupapa Maralunga 1-0.

The game was extremely intense, with Awatiu’s defense tight and Tupapa’s offense unstoppable. Georgia Hicks scored the winning goal in the second half with 15 minutes left.

Despite constant pressure from Tupapa in the closing minutes, Awatiu’s goalkeeper held his ground and made several saves. The win gives Awatiu a much-needed confidence boost as they bounce back from their recent challenges, while Tupapa will be looking to improve their finishing after missing a couple of chances to equalise.

The Puaikura senior girls sent a strong signal to the competition with a 7-1 win over Nikausokatake, with Puaikura’s Victoria Fatiaki scoring five goals and Pekalau Matayo and Te Upoko Tuariki scoring one goal each.

Nikau’s Mavis Makara scored a consolation goal for the team.

Puaikura set the tone early on, applying relentless pressure and dominating the match from the outset. Their combined play and precise finishing overwhelmed the Nikao defence, who struggled to keep up with Puaikura’s quick transitions and sharp movements in the final third.

The senior women’s match last Thursday was between Matavella Ngatangia and Titikaweka, which ended in a hard-fought 1-1 draw.

Both teams showed plenty of resilience, with Titikaveka’s well-organised backline keeping Matavilla’s forwards at bay for much of the match. Matavilla, however, found a way through late in the second half with a fine goal, but Titikaveka quickly fought back and equalised.

result

U6 Mixed Group – Tupapa Maraerenga 2 Avatiu 1, Titikaveka 3 Puaikura 1.

Matavera-Ngatangiia vs Titikaveka – Senior Boys 3-2, Senior Girls 1-1, U18 Boys 1-2, U15 Boys 0-0, U15 Girls 0-4, U12 Mixed 2-3, U10 Mixed 3-2, U8 Mixed 2-4.

Tupapa Maraerenga vs Avatiu – Super Men 5-0, Senior Women 0-1, U18 Men 0-2, U15 Men 0-11, U15 Women 2-0, U12 Mixed 0-2, U10 Mixed 8-0, U8 Mixed 1-4. Nikao Sokattak vs Puaikura – Super Men 3-4, Senior Women 1-7, U18 Men 6-0, U15 Men 1-1, U15 Women 1-0, U12 Mixed 14-0, U10 Mixed 2-5, U8 Mixed 0-11.