The first three finals of the Ultimate Fiji Soccer Cup have and done and won with Fijian sides leading the way.
The finals, which were played at Churchill Park in Lautoka, kicked off with the boys junior decider which saw Nadi beat Lautoka 3-0.
The result didn’t tell the full tale with both sides relatively even over the hour-long match with finishing the main factor between the outfits.
The girls juniors where up next with IFG New South Wales seeing off South Australia 2-0, the same scoreline as when the sides meet in the opening match of the tournament.
The boys development final between Lautoka and Ba kicked off just before midday with Ba proving too good with a 2-1 win.
The triumph comes 12 months on from Ba losing to IFG NSW via a penalty shootout in the same division.
Ultimate Fiji Soccer Cup director Bruce Tilt said Friday’s finals made for interesting viewing.
“It was an exciting day, especially for the younger teams,” Tilt said.
“It was interesting to see two of the finals being all Fijian affairs which is very good for them.
“It was an outstanding performance by Nadi in the boys junior competition, although they didn’t totally dominate the game, they certainly knew how to find the back of the net.
“The boys development game was much tighter with Ba coming out one nil winners over a very determined Lautoka. Ba soaked up a lot of pressure in the second half to take out the trophy.
“The girls junior final was an all Aussie affair with IFG NSW overcoming a determined South Australia side with a solid 2-0 result.”
Tilt also enjoyed the positive atmosphere around the stadium.
“It was really good to see a vocal crowd supporting the players at Lautoka’s Churchill Park,” he said.
“They were appreciating the young talent on display.
“I hope to see these players progressing through to the older age groups in the years to come.”
The final games in the youth and senior divisions were also played on Friday with Fiji West pulling off three big results.
In the boys youth, Fiji West beat Engadine 5-0, in the boys senior West beat Fiji North 4-0 and in the girls senior they best IFG South Australia 6-1.
Fiji West will be taking on IFG NSW in all four of Saturday’s finals.
“It is interesting to see all four finals being contested by Fiji West and IFG NSW,” Tilt said.
“Fiji West have a really strong history of developing quality junior players and the Ultimate Fiji Soccer Cup has given them an ideal platform to showcase their talents.”
“National teams coaches will be on hand tomorrow to rule over the next generation of Fijian footballers.”
Action gets underway at Churchill Park at 8:50am.
Friday, December 6 results – https://ultimatefijicup.leaguerepublic.com/l/index.htm l
* first goal scorers = additional point
Boys Development (under-12s)
Final: Lautoka v Ba 0-1
Third-place play-off: IFG New South Wales v Nadi 0-1
Boys Junior (under-14s)
Final: Lautoka v Nadi 0-3
Third-place play-off: IFG NSW v Ba 2-1
Boys Youth
Engadine v Fiji West 0-5*
IFG NSW v Fiji North *6-0
IFG South Australia v Fiji South 0-1*
Boys Senior
IFG NSW v Manukau United *4-1
Fiji West v Fiji West 0-4*
Fiji South v Auckland All-Stars
Girls Junior (under-14s)
Final: IFG SA v IFG NSW 0-2
Third-place play-off: Ba v Nadi (abandoned)
Girls Youth (under-16s)
IFG NSW v Fiji South 0-4*
IFG SA v Fiji West 0-4*
Girls Senior
IFG NSW v Fiji South *2-1
IFG SA v Fiji West 1-6*
