Henderson Eels Women’s FC advanced to semifinals despite loss to BA FC
By Crofton Utukana
Despite losing their final Group A match of the OFC Women’s Champions League to Ba Women’s FC of Fiji by two goals to nil today, Henderson Eels FC have advanced to the semifinals of the competition.
The Eels ended their Group A campaign with three points from two matches.
In their final group match this morning in Tahiti, the Eels dominated the first half and created several scoring opportunities but were unable to convert their chances.
Ba regrouped after halftime and shifted to a more attacking strategy compared to their defensive first-half approach.
The change paid off, as Ba scored two quick goals to punish the Eels for their missed chances.
Eels defender Lisa Solo apologized to their fans for the loss and vowed to come back stronger in the semifinals.
“To fans back home, sorry for the loss today, but we are hoping to do our best in the semifinal,” Solo told OFC Media.
She also admitted that the match against Ba was tough and stressed the need to strengthen their defense ahead of the semifinal match.
The Eels have been without head coach Godfrey Meneihioha, who was unable to travel with the team to Tahiti due to visa complications. Despite his absence, he has remained in close contact with the team.
Assistant coach Priscilla Tariga credited Maneihioha for his ongoing support and told OFC Media that the team will regroup and focus on their semifinal preparation.
The Henderson Eels qualified for the semifinals with three points and a goal difference of 3. The 3 points came from their 5-nil win against Tupapa Maraerenga from the Cook Islands on Monday.
Ba is in second place in the group with three points and a goal difference of 2, while Tupapa Maraerenga is at the bottom of the table without any point.
Group A will conclude their pool match this weekend when Ba faces Tupapa Maraerenga. To qualify and eliminate the Fijian side, Tupapa must beat Ba by at least four goals.
However, a win for Ba would place them at the top of Pool A.
Meanwhile Group B matches will continue tomorrow.
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