A fierce Melanesian battle throughout the game as Vanuatu and Solomon Islands met in round of the OFC Women’s Nations Cup in Suva. This is round 2 of the competition as the teams raised the intensity for the competition.
It was an evenly hard battle and both sides were very eager to score.
Solomon Islands scored the first goal in the 17th minute. Ileen Pegi was fast and swift as she dribbled through to score that goal.
Vanuatu retaliated and fired hard shots of their own, hoping for an equalizer. But the score remained 1 – 0 at halftime.
Solomon Islands goalkeeper Zainab Donga played exceptionally well. She marshalled and directed her teammates and was vocal the whole game.
There were a couple of good strikes at goal from the Vanuatu attackers but Donga was leaping high and diving low to prevent them from scoring.
Jane Alatoa and Rita Solomon are a lethal combination. They combined well every time Vanuatu pursued a goal. They just needed to find the right finishing because each time they were so close to scoring.
Solomon Islands kept on the pressure and a quick turnover in the 57th minute allowed Madeline Arukau to score their second goal of the game.
Vanuatu was awarded a penalty kick in the 67th minute but Henriette Sangul was unsuccessful with her attempt. Scores remain 2 – 0.
Eventually Vanuatu scored in the 81st minute by Leimata Simon. A well deserved goal for all their relentless efforts in attack. That was Simon’s fourth goal of the tournament in just two games. Simon is a prolific goal scorer.
There was a 7 minute extra time added to the game but Solomon Island held strongly to really earn that victory.
Zainab Donga shared her thoughts after the game. “The game was actually good because my first game against Fiji built my courage. This is the first time for me to play for our national team and first time for me to travel outside of Vanuatu. It really felt good. I’m proud of myself. I’m proud of my club back in Honiara. I’m proud of my national team. Thank you to our management and coach and my goalkeeper coach. They are the ones who taught me all the lessons to do good.”
A small number of supporters at the games. They were mostly students from the nearby university. It is always good to see people turning up to support regional women’s football. The organisers hope to see more crowds come in to support the teams.