GOROKA – Guria have emerged as the champions of Goroka soccer after toppling a strong Blue Kumuls side 6-5 on penalties in an exhilarating final.
It was lanky defender Lapule Yuasi who established Guria as the new champions by converting the final spot kick under a lot of pressure.
Blue Kumuls held the upper hand throughout the first half of the game by utilising Goroka representative players Philip Maino, captain Dominic Mark, strikers Joshua Agunam, Elliot
Yamuje to continuously bombard Guria territory.
The Kumuls’ coordination and execution in the midfield resulted in a goal six minutes into the first half following a beautiful corner kick by captain Mark which found Agunam who
placed it neatly into the net for a 1-0 half-time score.
Both sides had many chances to score but could not capitalize on the opportunities they created. Guria’s frontline of Andy Bongki, Robin Mathew and Vincent Pipi worked hard all day
but could find no reward for their work. It wasn’t until substitute Silas Molo entered the match that they equalized with a strong shot into the far corner from the impact player.
Standout perofmers for the Blue Kumuls’ were defenders Lesley Kuanjim and Reuben Daviaga. For Guria Yuassi, Gordon Toa and Arthur Alele were the pick of the players.
Meanwhile, the final of the premier women saw a more determined Telikom beat Guria 2-1 to claim the title.
In the reserve grade final, Blue Kumuls beat Guria 2-1 in the men’s division, while in the women’s final saw Cross Roads beat Guria 3-0.
In the lower divisions final saw Chauka beat Blue Kumuls 1-0 in the under-17 division, while Telikom beat Blue Kumuls 3-2 to claim the under-13 title.