Highlands, NGI bow out ends on high

By PATRICIA KEAMO
THE National Soccer League semifinals scheduled for Wednesday will be an all Port Moresby and Lae affair after the Highlands and New Guinea Islands teams bowed out in Saturday’s quarterfinals.
Hekari United, Gulf Komara and Lae Natives along with reigning champions Lae City have secured their spot in the semifinals after winning their respective quarterfinal fixtures in Port Moresby, Goroka and Lae.
In Port Moresby’s double header playoff, Komara survived a 90-minute scare from visitors Kimbe Eagles to win with three late goals in extra time while Hekari upstaged Panguna Metals 6-0 at the PNG Football Stadium.
Komara’s clash with Kimbe was a nail-biting challenge as both sides fought for possession and took chances to score with equal missed opportunities that eventually saw the regulation time ending scoreless.
A few changes in David Aua’s lineup increased intensity saw Komara’s forward and PNG Kapuls representative Nigel Dabinyaba opened scoring for his side in the first half of extra time.
Dabinyaba’s goal was enough for Komara to capitalise on the second half of extra time with super substitute Jordan Kaven netting their second goal. With no answer from Kimbe, Michael Foster’s strike found the back of the net to seal their 3-0 win.
Head coach David Aua said the break in competition limited Komara’s game time which affected the team in finding their footing in the first half of the match.
“It was good for them to have a break but we didn’t have any games leading up to the quarterfinal which obviously showed in the game,” Aua told The National.
Kimbe’s team manager Maxwell Mahuvu said he was proud of his team’s effort.
“We will go back, regroup and come back stronger next season so expect the unexpected.”
Port Moresby’s other quarterfinal saw Southern conference winners dominating the game with two goals in the first half from brothers Ati and Kolu Kepo putting Hekari at a 2-0 lead into the break.
Coming off the break, Panguna Metals tried to contain Hekari and made attempts of their own to score.
However, Hekari with the upper hand added four more unanswered goals through Obert Simon, Nathan James, Joseph Joe and Ila Ani to defeat the Bougainville side 6-0.
Head coach David Muta said it was a well-deserved win for his men who worked hard to get the results.
“The first half was a bit scrappy because of the break as this was our first game so they struggled a bit in the first half,” Muta told this paper. “But in the second half, they managed to pull it back together and the game went to plan,” said the former Papua New Guinea skipper.
Panguna team manager Alfred Piriri said the match showed the level of development of the game in the city and in rural areas and was happy with his side’s effort. A draw will be scheduled today to set the fixtures for the semifinals.
Results – Saturday, Jan 14; Gulf Komara 3 Kimbe Eagles 0, Hekari United 6 Panguna Metals 0, Lae City 4 Kuri 2, Lae Natives 3 Ape Aporo 1.