In the men’s league the battle lines were drawn with both sides hoping to secure victory for their loyal fans.
Those fans witnessed one of the toughest matches of the season as both sides were well matched in attack and defence with the game going into the break locked at 0-0.
Following their return for the second half it was Kiwi who took the advantage with an early goal. However their lead was short-lived as Lupe ole Soaga equalised from the penalty spot.
Neither side could claim an advantage before the final whistle so with the two sides locked on a goal apiece they were forced to go to extra time.
The close battle continued before Lupe ole Soaga finally scored the goal they’d been chasing in the second half of extra time to secure the 2013 National League title.
Lupe ole Soaga coach Tapuitea Lavea said he continued to encourage his side and was pleased to see their hard work pay off with the title.
“Our priority for our players was to try and gain fitness and strength in order for us to win the cup and also for players to advance at a national level where they will also get the opportunity to play for Samoa in the future,” Lavea said.
“During the game we tried to encourage our players to be solid at defence by putting pressure agains the Kiwi team and also when attacking as well so we can score goals. As we have seen most of the times we did get chances to score but we couldn’t do that. However we have achieved what we have been working for which is to win the cup.”
His counterpart Tuileififi Martin Tamasese, also Kiwi club president, says despite his side’s loss, he was happy with the team’s performance.
“Lupe ole Soaga is a very strong team. My players played to the best of their ability and I guess we missed our chance of winning the cup for this season,” Tamasese said.
“It’s good that we played with a strong team in terms of motivating my players to learn from simple mistakes.”
It was a reversal of fortunes for the two clubs in the women’s league as defending champions Kiwi proved too strong for league debutants Lupe ole Soaga.
Both sides began the match looking to take the silverware home with them at the final whistle. However it was Kiwi creating better opportunities to score in the first half.
Their experience soon proved key as they remained focused on the task at hand, and despite some valiant defending from Lupe ole Soaga they couldn’t contain the Kiwi attack eventually going down 2-0.
Samoa’s 2013/14 season will kick off in September.
For more on Samoan football go to www.footballsamoa.ws