WNSL semi-finals set

By PATRICIA KEAMO
HEKARI United will face National Capital District (NCD) at 1pm tomorrow for a spot in next Saturday’s Women’s National Soccer League grand final at Papua New Guinea Football Stadium.
In the other semifinal, rookies Mommers will meet Northern Conference champions Bara with the hope of reaching their first grand final.
NCD coach Wira Wama said it was emotional for his side to have made it this far and they were confident of reaching the grand final.
“It’s just my second year of coaching and coming this far is a big deal,” he told The National yesterday.
“God is so gracious to me by teaching me a lot.
“I’ve been learning a lot of things in coaching.
“After coming back from the quarterfinals in Bougainville, I’ve been working on the team shape.
“Going into the semifinal, I have the same aim as other coaches and that is to reach the grand final.
“I told my players that the finals are anybody’s game. The team that fight to the final whistle deserve to win.
“Going up against Hekari isn’t going to be easy, but we have to work harder and stay disciplined for the entire match.”
Hekari will count on striker Calista Maneo, Mavis Singara, skipper Rumona Morris, defender Georgina Bakani, and sisters Sharon and Shalom Waida.
“NCD are a good team,” Hekari coach Erickson Komeng told this paper. “They are improving in each game. Playing against us is always hard, knowing that they always give us a tough game.
“I’m just hoping that we don’t have injuries before the match.”
Meanwhile, the PNG Football Association has approved crowds for the matches with the gate fees set at K2 and K5 for outer stand and grandstand respectively while children under 12 are free.
Fixtures: Sat, June 11 – Hekari United v NCD (1pm), Mommers v Bara (3pm).