Urban win Ijivitari soccer final

 By JACK AMI
POPONDETTA Urban (1) were pushed hard by a fiesty Tufi outfit before they won the Ijivitari District Games soccer final 2- 1 at the Independence Oval on Saturday.
In the semi-finals Pop Urban beat Safia 3-1 and Tufi thumped Pop Urban (3) 4-1 to qualify for the final.
Pop Urban (1) were stretched to their limits by the Tufians, who were represented by youths from the rural village of Wiaku.
The more experienced Urban side from the Popondetta Soccer Association finally took the lead in the 30th minute and held that 1-0 advantage until half-time.
But when play resumed in the second stanza, Tufi equalised and the game became more interesting as both sides tried desparately to get ahead. Urban were denied on several occassions by some great scarmbling defence by Tufi but they eventually got one through much to the dissappoinment of the crowd.
Tufi pressed hard to save their final and put the game into extra time but ran out of time and could not penetrate the committed Urban defence.
In the women’s final, Pop Urban beat Urban Rural 1-0 in a penalty shootout after scoreless affair in regulation time.
Ijivitari sports coordinator Ronnie Robinson and tournament director Gill Iagoro said that training squads would be named for the Oro Provincial Games against Sohe District.