North Force women's team have found their feet in the Northern Football Federation's Premier League with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against league leaders Waitakere United.
The side displayed the determination during Sunday's match at Tikipunga Sports Park that coach Dee Tunstall has been asking of them by coming from behind to
earn a point.
The visitors scored just five minutes into the game but North Force got over the early setback to stay in the game, and were rewarded with a goal on the 30m mark by Sophie Fladgate.
Both teams had chances to score the winner after the break but good defending dominated the strikers' efforts and the score remained unchanged, giving the Northland combined team a much-needed confidence boost.
"It shows we're coming right in this league, we're now creating more goal scoring opportunities so the team's confidence in their ability to play at this level is increasing and you could see that on the field [on Sunday]," Tunstall said.
The defence worked hard throughout the match and Estelle Harrison, at left back, and Dallas Olsen, at centre back, put in good performances.
North Force remain in fourth place in the six-team premier league but are now just a point behind Hibiscus Coast in third place. Hibiscus Coast lost 1-3 to Glenfield Rovers, who leapfrogged Waitakere into the competition lead.
North Force travel to play West Auckland this weekend, looking for three points against the bottom-placed club.
In the Northland Women's Premier league Kamo remain unbeaten with a 6-1 defeat of Bay Cosmos, while FC Whangarei moved into second place with a 6-0 win over Kerikeri Siteworx.
Kerikeri High School and Hora Hora's match was postponed with Kerikeri attempting to get through the preliminary round of the ASB Women's Knockout Cup.
Unfortunately for them, the match against Oratia went to extra time and in a penalty shootout in West Auckland, the home side's goalkeeper Luzette Herman was the heroine of the day. She saved three of Kerikeri's six spot kicks then stepped up to slot Oratia's winning sudden-death penalty.
