Soromon powers United to 5-1 victory

Striker Seule Soromon scored a hat-trick as Wairarapa United buried Tawa 5-1 in their Central League football match played at Hullena Park, Masterton, on Saturday.
It was a convincing performance by a Wairarapa United side looking to bounce from back-to-back losses at the hands of top teams Olympic and Miramar Rangers and left them in a clear third place on the points table.
They now have 18 points but would need a miracle of sorts to have any chance of overhauling Olympic, who have 31, and Miramar Rangers on 27.
The Wairarapa United game plan against Tawa was all about taking the game to their opposition and they did so in a mostly impressive fashion, especially considering the wet, windy conditions, which were not exactly conducive to free-flowing football.
Four of the Wairarapa United goals came during a first half in which they strung several penetrating attacks together and gave the nippy Soromon ample opportunity to demonstrate his speed and elusiveness.
Tawa were down to 10 men late in that spell when they had a player ordered off, a situation which also befell the home team in the second half when George Barbarouses was shown a red card after an altercation with an opposition player. Barbarouses had earlier scored one of the two remaining Wairarapa United goals, with Waisake Subatu heading home the other.
As a spectacle the second half was not as lively as the first, with Wairarapa United already being assured of the victory and dropping their intensity a degree. Overall, however, coach Phil Keinzley was pleased with their effort, noting that scoring five goals against any Central League side always had to be seen as a plus.
''There were times when we did slacken off a bit and lose our way but generally we did what we wanted to do,'' Keinzley said.
Soromon was, of course, the star act for Wairarapa United and his fellow striker Andrew Abba also impressed with his playmaking skills. Carl Shailer spearheaded a doughty defensive unit and goalkeeper Richard Gillespie pulled off a couple of fine saves and was always calm under pressure.
In other Central League matches played on Saturday, Olympic scored a surprisingly comfortable 3-0 win over Miramar Rangers, Western Suburbs upset Palmerston North Marist 2-0, Lower Hutt City beat Taranaki 1-0, and Petone demolished Napier City Rovers 5-1.
The points table is: Olympic 31, Miramar Rangers 27, Wairarapa United 18, Lower Hutt City 17, Western Suburbs 16, Palmerston North Marist 15, Napier City Rovers 15, Petone 13, Tawa 10 and Taranaki 6.