Fourteen-year-old Karailani Matenga, a year nine student, is a goalkeeper for the Titikaveka Football Club’s Open Women’s team. Last weekend she was instrumental in holding powerful rival women’s club Tupapa to one goal as her team secured a surprise draw.
While playing away on Tupapa’s turf, Matenga showed that the age of her opponents did not intimidate her as she stopped a host of strong attacks. She held Tupapa to only one first half goal as the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
Tupapa boasts national Cook Islands U-20 representative players Regina Mustonen, Elizabeth Harmon and Marissa Iroa. They also fielded National Women’s squad member Melanie Rakei. Matenga’s team had only one national player in U-20’s squad member Danille Trego.
CIFA National Development Officer Jimmy Katoa says Matenga’s impressive skills haven’t gone unnoticed.
“She maybe young in age but her skills as a goalkeeper are really outstanding. We have been keeping an eye over her performance and she has not let us down at all. She looks very promising,” Katoa said.
Matenga hails from a strong sporting pedigree. Her parents have been highly successful national sports people in their own right both in the Cook Islands but also in New Zealand.
Her mother Margharet Matenga is a former Silver Fern netball player, while her father Teariki played rugby for the Cook Islands. Karailani’s older sister Lucianga is also a national netball player along with their father’s sister Selina Napa.
Meanwhile, also showing outstanding form in the current national league is Tereora College student Taime Tuakeu for the Tupapa U-16 Boys. Last weekend Tuakeu scored no less than four goals against Titikaveka in their 6-2 home ground victory.
In the second half Tuakeu scored three more goals while club-mate Terii Framhein netted their final goal on 60 minutes.
Both Tuakeu and Framhein were part of the Cook Islands Football Association’s U-16 Boys Academy Programme last year.
Courtesy of CIFA