WHAT A FINAL!

Wellington Olympic u19s may have shown up as the team to beat in the final at Park Island for the Lotto u19s National Championship, but Auckland's Fencibles were having none of it.

It was another stunning day put on by Hawke's Bay, and the armies of Olympic and Fencible fans were readying themselves for a great game.  The tension in the stands was evident as they waited for the blow of the first whistle.  The teams had gone through two days of gruelling games to get to the semis.  The semis left both teams exhausted.  All the players were going to have to show some real grit to get through this game.

After a hard first 35 minutes, the teams were relieved for their halftime break.  Fencibles were the first to the scoreboard in the first 4 minutes of second half, leaving Olympic fighting hard for the equaliser.  With tiredness showing from both sides, Olympic finally found their opportunity in the dying minutes of the game to bring the Park alive.  The Cup was up for grabs once more.

With a 1-1 draw at the end of normal play and no goals scored during extra time, the match went to a nail-biting penalty shoot-out that can only be described as nerve wracking and exasperating for everyone there with Fencibles looking sure to win the Championship.  Missed chances and great saves from both sides had everyone on edge as Olympic came from behind and levelled the scores.  Tensions already at the maximum, Fencibles only needed one goal to secure their win....

All credit to Fencibles who gave their all and were an exceptional team.  This was a hard fought battle and Fencibles pushed our lads to the very end.

Our sincere thanks to Napier City Rovers for hosting another great tournament!

Watch the game here:  

Article added: Monday 27 February 2023