SOCCER - Beyond-expectations win secures promotion

A penalty by Kelsey Evans gave Whangarei Girls' High School a come-from-behind win in the Northern Secondary Schools Satellite Football tournament in Whangarei.
The gutsy 2-1 win in the final over Palmerston North's Freyberg High School personified the team's performance in the final stages of the tournament.
Girls' High had gone 0-1 behind in the final - just like they had in the quarterfinal and semifinal - before Tessa Sinclair put them back on level terms and Evans scored the winner before halftime.
The rest of the game was played pretty conservatively, coach Carolyn Taylor said, and the final whistle sent the girls into wild celebrations.
The coach said the team had far exceeded their expectations at the Northern Satellite tournament _ one of four tournaments that run beneath the national premier tournament - and the result means they gain promotion into the national premier grade next year.
Taylor was most impressed with the team's will to win at the tournament.
After relatively easy wins in pool play in the 20-team competition, with striker Sophie Roselt scoring seven goals in one match and Chelsea Webster claiming two hat-tricks in different games, the competition turned tough in the quarterfinals.
With 15 minutes to go in their quarterfinal match against Auckland's Baradine College, Girls High were trailing 0-2 until goals to Roselt and Webster levelled things up before the final whistle. The match went to penalties with goalkeeper Jess Henley-Render coming to the fore, pulling off a fantastic save to win the match.
Render also featured in the semifinal win over Cambridge High School after it too went to penalties with the match was tied at 2-2 at full time.
The result means there will once again be two Northland teams in the national secondary tournament next year. Kamo High School and Kerikeri High School attended the premier tournament in Nelson last week but Kerikeri were relegated after finishing 31st out of the 32 teams at the tournament.
Kamo on the other hand, finished a creditable 12th, narrowly missing out on the quarterfinals after having to qualify for the tournament this year.
After leading a star-studded Epsom Girls Grammar 2-1 side in their first match, they faded to a 2-4 loss but still made it through to the top-16 after a 1-1 draw with Westlake Girls and a 5-0 win over Nayland College.
They then lost in a penalty shootout to Hamilton Girls to miss out on a quarterfinals before beating Tauranga Girls 2-1 and finally suffering a 3-4 defeat by Whakatane's Trident High School.