With the men’s national league also in full swing, it is a busy time for Football Federation Samoa (FFS).
The successful organisation of both leagues signals the progress made by FFS under the leadership of Interim Chairman Colin Tuaa since entering a normalisation period in December 2008.
With the support of FIFA and OFC, Tuaa and his team of staff have worked tirelessly to develop the football infrastructure, improve administrative practices and rebuild the sport after what was a challenging time for the administration.
The re-launch of the women’s competition for 2009/10 has seen three returning clubs (Apia Youth, Cruz Azul, Kiwi SC) while new competitors include Adidas SC, Myna’s Goldstar Sogi FC, Moaula United FC and Strickland Brothers Lepea.
Kicking off recently at the refurbished J.S. Blatter complex, round one saw a major upset as traditional powerhouse Kiwi SC were held to a 1-1 draw by new kids on the block Goldstar Sogi. The underdogs struck first through young striker Ana Mati’a but Kiwi left back Faata O’Brian leveled the scores to save her side from a shock season opening loss.
Kiwi are widely regarded as the most dominant team in Samoan women’s football and have been consistently well represented in national squads over recent years.
In other matches, Adidas SC beat Moataa SC 3-1 while Cruz Azul thrashed Apia Youth 6–0 confirming their status as a leading contender for the championship title. Cruz Azul boast no less than seven Manusina (Samoa women’s rugby team) representatives and proved too athletic for a hapless Apia side. Rounding out the competition, Moaula United FC had a default loss to Strickland Brothers Lepea.
In men’s league action, Kiwi SC continued their hot winning streak, shutting down Moataa SC 2 – 0 to stay top of the table on goal difference ahead of Cruz Azul who also had a win against Strickland Brothers Lepea (3-1).
Apia Youth defeated Togafuafua 3-0, while Moaula United FC’s hopes of overhauling the leaders were put on hold as they drew 3-3 with Goldstar Sogi. Sogi striker Tominiko Tokuma was the hero for his team as he collected a hat-trick while Spencer Vagaia scored a double for Moaula United and Fred Gosche netted one.
Finally, Central United FC and Vaivase-tai battled out another closely fought match with Vaivase-tai fortunate to come away with maximum points after a 2-1 win.
Photo courtesy FFS Media