Yellows, Sisters top festival

By LARRY ANDREW
THE West Yellows of the Lae Football Association and LSA Sisters from the Lahi Soccer Association were crowned champions of the inaugural Morobe Soccer Festival on Monday.
Both teams had to fight their way into the finals after beating teams in their pool matches, quarterfinals and semifinals.
For the women’s division, Sisters beat Mataura 4-3 in a penalty shootout.
Mataura, who comprised members of the Team Morobe squad, were denied by some committed Sisters defence, including admirable work by their goalkeeper Pauline Nusai, who put her body on the line to save several shots at goal.
The match ended in a 3-3 draw after regulation time.
This was the second time the two sides had met in a final, with Sisters coming out on top to claim the Wawens Cup at the beginning of the year.  Sisters had an impressive track record, also bagging the  Mamose leg of the Besta Cup. For the men’s division, Zilu Scientific-sponsored West Yellows took on a competitive First Time Boys (FTB) in a close affair before eventually running out winners 1-0.
The Yellows and LSA Sisters walked away with K3000 each, while the runners-up got K2000.
Team Eriku Wawens (women’s) and City United (men’s) received K1000 each for finishing third.
Bugandi (men’s) and Gorgias FC from Gabensis village in the women’s division received K500 each for their fourth-place finishes.
The player-of-the-match award for the Morobe Soccer Festival went to Gertrude Waninara (LSA Sisters) in the women’s and Rodney Talau (West Yellows) in the men’s division.  Both received K150 each from sponsors Right Business Management.