Solomon Islands stun PNG while Fiji lose to Australia U-20 at Pacific Four Nations

The Solomon Islands picked up an historic victory over Papua New Guinea in the second round of matches at the Pacific Women’s Four Nations Tournament yesterday while hosts Australia’s U-20 side moved top of the group with a comfortable win over Fiji.

The Solomon Islands came third at July’s OFC Women’s Nations Cup, a tournament which Papua New Guinea won to earn a shot at FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 qualification.

However, Batram Suri’s side followed their impressive first round outing against Australia U-20 with a stylish win over the regional champions.

They came out firing against PNG with two goals from Jemina David in the opening 11 minutes before Ileen Pegi added a third strike in the 89th minute to seal the victory.

Meanwhile, the Young Matildas thrust themselves to the top of the table with a commanding 3-0 victory over Fiji with goals from Jonti Fisher, Sienna Saveska, and Josie Allan.

It was a tough first half with the senior women’s team of Fiji having a clear physical advantage over the U20 Australia team, but two quick goals in the opening of the second half blew the game wide open and ensured that Australia leap-frogged Fiji into first place on the table.

This result means that Australia can secure the trophy with a draw against Papua New Guinea on Sunday.

The Pacific Four Nations tournament has been made possible through a partnership with the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade’s ‘PacificAus Sports’ program.

Australia and the Pacific share a rich history and deep love of sport and, through PacificAus Sports, Australia works with Pacific partners to unlock this this potential further and create new opportunities for our athletes to train and compete together.

You can find out more about PacificAus Sports here: https://www.pacificaussports.gov.au

Pacific Women’s Four Nations 2022 match day two:

Solomon Islands 3 (Jemima DAVID 4’, 11’, Ileen PEGI 89’)

Papua New Guinea 0

Australia U-20 3 (Jonti FISHER 50’, Sienna SAVESKA 52’, Josie ALLAN 64’)

Fiji 0

Standings after Match Day #2 | Pacific Four Nations Tournament