Miramar Rangers 2
East Coast Bays 1
Bay Olympic and Miramar Rangers should be at full strength for next month's Chatham Cup final despite playing a good chunk of the weekend's drama-filled semifinals a player short.
In Dunedin on Saturday, Bay Olympic got home 4-1 on penalties over Caversham after extra time failed to break a 3-3 deadlock while in yesterday's cliff-hanger at David Farrington Park, Miramar came from behind to beat East Coast Bays 2-1 in a game in which both teams finished with only 10 players.
In the September 5 final at North Harbour Stadium, Miramar will chase a fourth Cup triumph while Bay Olympic will venture into new territory after reaching their first final.
But for a time both must have thought they had blown any chance of making the big stage when they had players sent packing.
It was particularly galling for Miramar who had goalkeeper Phil Imray dispatched by Antony Riley in the 19th minute after he had brought a player down in snuffing out a Bays' attack.
With substitute goalkeeper Joe Morris between the posts, Dan Peat whacked home the resultant penalty for the early lead as the hosts contemplated playing 70 minutes one short and with their first-choice custodian in the showers.
Within 16 minutes and with Bays' goalkeeper John Fletcher committing himself in a similar fashion, Miramar were back on terms as Michael Eager booted home from the spot.
Ten minutes into the second half the home side shrugged off the lop-sided disadvantage to cash in on a rare foray into enemy territory when defender Campbell Parkin got up to head home for 2-1.
Defending as if their lives depended on it, Miramar denied Bays what appeared gilt-edged chances when they cleared a close-range Peat effort off the line on the hour and a few minutes later Morris palmed a shot on to his crossbar. The rebound was headed goalwards but was headed clear off the line by the gallant Miramar defence.
After weathering that Miramar had the satisfaction of finishing the game on an equal footing when Glen Forrest was shown a straight red for bringing down Miramar's Dominic Rowe.
Twenty-four hours earlier at The Caledonian, Bay Olympic captain Craig Wylie was sent off after 65 minutes for a dangerous tackle with the scores locked 1-1.
Yogi Tanabe scrambled the ball into the Caversham goal inside five minutes. Caversham's Tom Jackson equalised 16 minutes later.
There was no addition until Tanabe headed home a Nathan Strom long throw in the 69th minute. The visitors were counting the minutes down when Ant Hancock broke their hearts with his 88th-minute equaliser to send the game to extra time.
The home side struck quickly with Seamus Ryder on hand to provide the finish when Bay Olympic goalkeeper Danny Robinson spilled the ball.
But Bay Olympic dug deep and from a goalmouth scramble after another long throw, substitute Richard Beetson scored for 3-3.
No further scoring in the remaining 19 added minutes sent it to the dreaded shootout.
In a villain to hero effort, Robinson saved two Caversham penalties to send the Bay Olympic faithful into delirium and his team-mates into the final.
