Two premier league teams narrowly avoided early exits, while the tie between Green Island and Caversham was a thriller, Green Island emerging from a cliffhanger with a 4-3 win.
Max Johnston scored on nine minutes for Green Island before Caversham’s Ben Kiore hit back in the 11th and 14th minute to give Caversham a 2-1 halftime lead. Sean Carter equalised early in the second half, before Johnston gave Green Island the lead when he went around a Sean Van Dyk dive on 58 minutes. However, Caversham’s Michael Hogan sent the game into extra time with a last-minute equaliser.
Tempers frayed in extra time as the intensity increased and a flurry of yellow cards were flashed in a six-minute spell. Johnston broke the deadlock and Caversham hearts with a deft header four minutes in.
Northern started well against Invercargill’s Queens Park, but missed four one-on-one opportunities and there was no score at the break.
Queens Park went ahead on 51 minutes through Bradley Leslie, before Northern’s Ryan Hawken equalised in the 78th minute. Queens Park thought it had won the match with an 87th-minute goal from Matthew Burgess.
However, in a moment of brilliance and leadership from Northern captain Phil Dawson right from the restart, he moved from centre back to strike the equaliser. In extra time, Hawken scored twice more in the 91st and 96th minutes. Callum Gargiulo scored in the 116th minute to reduce the deficit to one, but Omar Rafyee scored in the dying moments to give the Dunedin team a 5-3 victory.
Mosgiel also went to Invercargill and enjoyed a 5-3 win over Thistle FC.
Mosgiel continued its routine of getting off to a slow start and Thistle led 1-0 after two minutes when Luis Pavia scored.
The Plainmen responded quickly with Regan Coldicott shooting from 30 yards.Mosgiel’s keeper Sean McDonald was left one on one with Kynan Bolton in the 17th minute and he was soon plucking the ball out of the net. Coldicott rescued Mosgiel, driving a free kick into the roof of the net on 24 minutes, before Riley Anderson pounced on another keeper error to make it 3-2 before halftime. McDonald was sent off in the 42nd minute and Liam Dungey took over between the sticks.
Coldicott struck his third on 67 minutes and substitute Andreas Hirczy scored only a minute after coming on in the 74th minute. A late own goal conceded by Mosgiel youngster Rory Findlay closed the gap to two, but the result remained the same.
In Timaru ,a dominant second half enabled Roslyn Wakari to beat West End 6-1.
It scored four times in a 15-minute spell just after the break, having headed in at 2-1 up.
In other southern results, Queenstown beat University 7-1, Dunedin Tech toppled Gore 6-1 and Thistle AFC downed Old Boys 3-1.
- Neville Watson
