Wānaka showed true character when they entertained South Island League champions and National League participants Cashmere Tech at the Recreation Centre. Many a visiting team has found this a difficult venue, and Cashmere were no different. A dream start by Wānaka saw them 2–0 up after 27 minutes when Stephen Sprowson scored following skipper Jake Thompson’s 10th-minute opener.

Realising Cashmere would come out attacking after the break, Wānaka adapted their approach and played a more counter-attacking style to absorb Cash Tech's pressure. However, they conceded only two minutes into the second half when Yuya Taguchi pulled one back. It looked like Wānaka would hold on for a valuable three points, but a last-minute equaliser from Danny Kane appeared to have spoiled the day for coach Ben Sippola. However, his side showed their mettle to win it deep into injury time when Thompson cut the ball back to substitute Eddie Belingher, whose first-time finish in the 96th minute secured Wānaka's second win of their debut season. After the match, Sippola reflected on what it means for Wānaka to be able to compete with a team like Cash Tech and said the win would have to go down as the biggest victory in club history.

The Dunedin City Royals claimed their second consecutive clean-sheet victory with a comfortable 2–0 win on the road against Nomads in Christchurch. The Royals started strongly, bringing intensity, physicality, and a well-organised structure, having done a lot of training during the week on team shape and structure off the ball.

Early pressure from the Royals saw them regularly testing Nomads keeper Regan Frame. Nomads had one opportunity in the 18th minute, winning possession in midfield and breaking from halfway, but Royals keeper Alex Boomer pulled off a great save to keep it level. Other than that, Nomads struggled to find a way through. The Royals' midfield duo of Hugh Jack and Max Davidson won the ball regularly and linked play well, allowing probing runs by Brady Jacobs, En Wantanabe, Connor Neil, and the hard-running Jack Julian. This led to multiple attacks that kept the Nomads' defence pinned back. Frame was kept busy, making three important saves. However, it was only a matter of time before the Royals broke the deadlock, and in the 27th minute, Neil was bundled over by Frame for a well-deserved penalty, which Neil calmly slotted to the keeper’s left for a 1–0 halftime lead.

Nomads started the second half the livelier of the two sides and had a good 15-minute spell, going close but finding Boomer in top form. The Royals countered effectively, and Brady Jacobs was given space on the left flank to drive a pass to Neil on the edge of the box, whose excellent shot found the bottom corner, giving Frame no chance and securing all three points with 20 minutes remaining. The Royals’ late substitute Rhys Christie had a mazy run that deserved a goal, twisting and turning past five Nomads defenders inside the box, with his shot missing by a whisker.

In other South Island League matches, Christchurch United trounced Ferrymead Bays 5–0 in Friday night’s match, with second-half goals from ex-Dunedin players Joel Stevens and Eddie Wilkinson.

Nelson Suburbs went top of the league on goal difference from Christchurch United, walloping the University of Canterbury 7–1, with another ex-Dunedin player, Seb Hickman, scoring a brace. Coastal Spirit finished the weekend in third spot on six points with a 4–0 home win over Selwyn. After three rounds, the top of the table is very tight, with only one point separating first-placed Nelson and the Royals in sixth.

In the Men’s Southern League, Northern made it two wins from two with a comfortable 6–0 victory over Roslyn-Wakari. A goal in the first minute by Toby Orchinston and another by Rory Hibbert after just 14 minutes set the stage for Roslyn old boy and Ellis Park favourite Nick Treadwell to score a hat trick in a devastating nine-minute spell, giving Northern a 5–0 halftime lead. Orchinston scored again midway through the second half to make it 6–0, ensuring not only six points from two games for the title favourites but also that they retained both the Blair Davidson Shield and the Stumpy Brownlie Memorial.

University also claimed their second consecutive win with a 4–0 victory over Old Boys. An early goal by Ashton Hodson may have opened the floodgates, but Old Boys dug deep and were resilient, holding the students out for another 50 minutes. George Willett’s goal in the 61st minute eased the tension before American import Jackson Wolf and Luke Tolo-Kent added late goals, giving the students six points after two rounds.

Dunedin City Royals became the third team to claim back-to-back victories with a 4–1 win in Timaru over Northern Hearts. Jack Caldwell gave the visitors the lead midway through the first half; however, Kevin McLaughlin equalised nine minutes before the break. An early second-half goal by Cato Williams was followed by Ryan Fleming’s 71st-minute strike and Sam Hawkes' late effort.

Mosgiel travelled to Invercargill to take on Queens Park and had a comfortable 3–0 halftime lead thanks to Reece Burtenshaw’s brace and a headed goal by Javier Langley. Queens Park pulled one back in the 52nd minute when Anton Fitzgerald cleverly flicked the ball over Dan Robinson’s head. Burtenshaw restored the buffer and claimed his hat trick a minute later. Fitzgerald scored from the penalty spot to give the home side hope with 18 minutes left, and when Zac Owen-Gear reduced the deficit further in injury time, Mosgiel were forced to hold out for the final four minutes to claim a valuable three points.

In the Women’s South Island League, the Dunedin City Royals and Otago University maintained their 100% unbeaten records after three rounds, with both matches played at Logan Park Turf on Sunday.

The Royals entertained local rivals Roslyn-Wakari and led 2–1 at halftime thanks to Hannah Mackay-Wright’s opener in the 20th minute and Amy Hislop restoring the lead three minutes after Zara Prattley had equalised for Roslyn. The floodgates opened in the second half, with five goals in a devastating 22-minute spell for the Royals. Rose Morton scored in the 56th minute, Hislop completed her hat trick, and Kylie Jones bagged a brace. Roslyn’s Morgan MacCormick pulled one back in the 83rd minute before the Royals' Keira Pettefar scored in injury time to make the final score 8–2.

University beat NW United 3–1, going ahead early when NW’s Hollie Carlisle-Reeve put through her own net in the 8th minute. Rebecca Gillet levelled after 16 minutes. Two goals either side of halftime—first from Leila Hausia-Haugen and then from Georgia Nixon early in the second half—ensured the students stayed level on nine points with the Royals.

Article added: Monday 14 April 2025, Neville Watson