Ngongotaha left Neil Hunt Park happy with their 4-2 win in the local WaiBop derby against Rotorua United.
However, they were unaware AFC Fury had beaten Tauranga Old Blues which meant they were outright leaders in the WaiBop Federation league, while Taupo had to hand over the Challenge Shield after losing 3-1 to Cambridge.
The biggest crowd of the season was on the sidelines to watch the Ngongotaha-Rotorua clash. On paper it should have been an easy win for the Villagers and when Mitchell Miller scored in the fourth minute it looked as though it could be a stroll in the park for the visitors.
But United were not about to lie down and after hitting the post with the keeper beaten, Gary Hamilton-Irvine scored from an angled shot to make it 1-1.
Stand-in keeper Steve Whittaker made a good reflex save to deny Ngongotaha but Josh O'Sullivan was on hand to stab the ball home after a goal mouth scramble. So Ngongotaha took a 2-1 lead to the break but United would have taken confidence from the way they competed.