Papua New Guinea recorded their second 4-0 victory at the competition in the day’s opening match against Vanuatu, while New Zealand conceded their first goal on the way to a hard-fought 3-1 win over Tonga.

It took Papua New Guinea just five minutes to signal their intentions when on-form striker Meagan Gunemba slotted into the bottom right corner. Seven minutes later she had her second after an the advancing Vanuatu goalkeeper Melody Tate left the goalmouth wide open for Gunemba to top home. Her hat-trick came four minutes later after capitalising on some defensive miscommunication.

The tournament’s first yellow card was handed out to Papua New Guinea’s Talitha Irakau after she ended a blinding run through the centre by Monica Melteviel.

Match Day 1 standout Georgina Kaikas entered play 33 minutes into the game and made an immediate impact as Papua New Guinea continued to press the Vanuatu defence. She was rewarded for her hard work six minutes after coming on as she blasted a shot under the diving Tate.

Vanuatu made two changes at half-time bringing Jane Alatoa and Nadine Kileteir on for Emilia Taravaki and Eva Boe respectively, and it made a difference as their back-line slowed the opposition attack. Growing in confidence Vanuatu pressed higher and started breaking into their opponent’s 18-yard box, but keeper Lace Kunei was rarely under threat. As Vanuatu started to tire late in the second-half Papua New Guinea upped their shots on goal but were unable to penetrate as Tate made a number of goal-denying saves.
Vanuatu coach Tom McDonald says his side once again upped their performance in the second half to keep the goals to a minimum.
“The second half was a remarkable improvement, we seem to be learning all the time which I think is the whole point of this trip out here,” he says.
“We were able to win the ball and play out in the second half which was good.”
Papua New Guinea coach Rachel Wadunah, while content with a win, believes her players will need to up their game if they are to be competitive in their final match against New Zealand.
“I was happy in the first half, but in the second I think the girls could have been playing more defensively as Vanuatu came out stronger,” she says.

The day’s second match proved a thriller from start to finish as New Zealand’s offense launched straight into the game. After several missed opportunities it was Daisy Cleverley who opened the scoring seven minutes in. It was a stunning goal for the young midfielder, also a member of the national U-17 side, who started the play in the middle before playing a tidy one-two through the centre, beating a defender and slotting home.

After keeping a tight ship for a little over 15 minutes, New Zealand were left in shock and dismay as a rouge pass back to the keeper, from the normally calm and collected Cleverley, missed Corrina Brown completely and rolled into the back of her net for an own goal. The Tongan bench went wild and a newfound sense of determination overcame the side.

Tonga’s defence stood strong throughout a relentless assault on their goal as New Zealand threw everything into pulling ahead. Tonga goalkeeper Tangimausia Ma’afu certainly putting herself in the running for the tournament’s Golden Glove with an outstanding performance that continuously denied the Kiwis.

The Junior Football Ferns finally broke through less than ten minutes from the break when Ma’afu dove to block the first shot but couldn’t deny Tayla O’Brien when she whacked in rebound. New Zealand continued to apply pressure but Tonga set up shop in front of their goal as they refused to concede further. The second caution of the tournament went to Tonga’s captain Vea Funaki following a foul on Emily Jensen. In the first minute of additional time the Kiwis managed to come out on top of a melee in the six-yard box as both teams threw everything behind the ball. But with Ma’afu on the floor Megan Robertson got a touch in the right direction to take the final score to 3-1.
New Zealand coach Aaron McFarland says a lot of credit has to go to Tonga who created a big barrier between his players and the goal.
“Their tactics were spot on and from our perspective it was a great learning opportunity to try and break down a deep block. Ten players behind the ball is a good test and thankfully we’ve come through on the scoreline,” he says.
“But there’ll be some things in there on reflection through the footage that we’ll hope to learn from.”
It was an historic moment for Tonga to hold New Zealand to just a 3-1 scoreline and coach Penateti Feke, who was on the receiving end of an 11-0 loss as a member of the Tongan side during the 2010 edition, was lost for words following the final whistle.
“Even though we lost the game today, that for us is a victory,” she says.
“We’re the first Tongan side to have just a 3-1 victory against us, so it is a victory for Tonga. I’m very happy with the performance, I’m just speechless.”

The OFC U-20 Women’s Championship continues on Saturday, 22 February at Mangere Centre Park in Auckland with Vanuatu taking on Tonga at 1pm followed by the tournament decider between Papua New Guinea and New Zealand.

The winner of the competition will qualify for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup to be held in Canada in August 2014.