First win for Eagles
By Taromane Martin
Malaita Eagles kicked off their title defense with a 2-0 win over a determined Central Shield in their opening match today at the Lawson Tama Stadium.
A goal each in both halves of the games secured the Terry Oiaka Malaita Eagles coached side their first win in the competition.
“It’s an important win. We know that to prepare well we had to get the win and a clean sheet today.
“For the majority of our players this is their first time to play at the Lawson Tama Stadium so there was a bit of pressure on the boys. It will take time, and I hope they will gain better confidence in the second match.
“It’s important to have experience in the team and the inclusion of TSL players is good for the team.
“I’m satisfied with the combination, but I expected them to do a bit better and hope we’ll improve as the competition continues,” Coach Oiaka said.
A Malaita Eagles player successfully beats two Central Shields players during their 2-0 win
For Central Shields FC Head Coach Stanley Waita, the loss was disappointing but is confident they will bounce back in their remaining matches.
“We did not have enough time to work together but I’m happy with the performance of the boys today.
“I thought we controlled the game and kept the majority of possession well, unfortunately two mistakes early in both halves cost us the game today.
“Our finishing needs to improve a bit and we’ll work on it because we had a few chances to score. Structure wise I’m happy with how we executed the game plan.
“Well go back to the drawing board but definitely we’ll bounce back in our next games,” Coach Waita said.
Day 2 of competition on Tuesday will feature Honiara Warriors taking on Lauru Kuvojo at 12pm while Western Tomoko will take on Isabel Frigates at 3pm.
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