Deliveryeasy Kate Sheppard Cup holders Auckland United were forced to endure extra time before seeing off the stubborn challenge of Hibiscus Coast 4-1 at Keith Hay Park on King's Birthday Monday, an outcome which "The Coasters" should be well proud of, despite the final score. United were their usual selves from the off, and once Alexis Cook opened the scoring in the eighth minute, it looked like being a routine afternoon at the office for the team which currently holds all the major honours available to New Zealand's women's football clubs. But an Aneka Mittendorff speculator from inside the centre circle in the 25th minute gave the visitors a way back into the contest, with United 'keeper Hannah Mitchell fumbling the descending ball then chasing after it in vain as it bounced into the corner of the net to gift "The Coasters" their first goal since March! And 1-1 it remained, despite United's best efforts to break the deadlock, with the pick of their efforts seeing Sasha Brett deny Ava Pritchard, the crossbar thwart Zoe Benson and Talisha Green thunder a twenty-yarder inches over with virtually the last kick of the ninety. Coast's resistance was broken three minutes into stoppage time, Green bundling the ball home from point-blank range after a Benson corner created mayhem in the goalmouth. And after Chloe Knott shot straight at Brett in the 113th minute, she set up Cook's second goal two minutes later, before Benson picked her spot courtesy Green's cross to the far post two minutes from time. The other all-Premier League tie saw the same scoreline recorded, but in regulation time, with West Coast Rangers taking command of their tie at Fencibles United early doors thanks to Emily Lyon, who supplemented her eighth minute strike with a closer two minutes from time, the latter one of three goals scored inside the last ten minutes. Ivy Calonne and United's Hayley Miller also scored during this late flurry of goalmouth action, with Minji Yun's goal six minutes before half-time putting the visitors well in charge on the scoreboard at Riverhills Park. 1-0 wins were the order of the day in three of the ties. Ellerslie squeaked past East Coast Bays at Bay City Park thanks to a goal from Anita Trudgen just after half-time. Fittingly, she was the match-winner, as it was her 150th appearance for "The Ponies". An unfortunate Abby Chad own goal on the hour - one of those ones where you're racing back towards your own goal in cover and can't get out of the way of a driven cross - decided a hard-fought all-Championship contest between Franklin United and Birkenhead United at the Drury Sports Complex. For the home side, Britney Cunningham-Lee is, as ever, a handful for opposing defences, and Sarah Carpenter remains sharp in attack. Solid contributions, too, from captain Nikita Leishout, Renin Yousif, Georgia Irvine, the evergreen Marlies James and Maureen Fitzpatrick, who was sound in defence. "Birko" were well served by Nicola O'Leary in defence, the Emilys - Gillion and "Double O" Oosterhof - in midfield and Jaime Govind in attack, but they just didn't quite have the necessary in their armoury to change the game - the spark just wasn't there. A BCL-type player would give them a real boost. A well-struck 25 yard free-kick on the stroke of halftime by Emily Downs earned Lakes a 1-0 win over Northern Women's Championship strugglers Onehunga-Mangere United, whose fearless goalkeeper, Daina Brazier, played on after enduring a head knock late in the first half. She lost her rag in the middle of a fiery spell in the game, however, and was fortunate not to be booked twice in quick succession for retaliation - due to having the ball kicked out of her hands - then dissent. Halee Smith was outstanding for the victors, with Anneka Voss also impressive. Jade Naus and Dayna Dalhousie never gave up for "The Scarlets", who should have equalised with 30 seconds to go through Akhita George. Eastern Suburbs eased to a 5-0 win over Cambridge at Madills Farm on Monday, with Lexie Sheed and Vicky Neuefeind both netting two goals, while Putri Ardana came off the bench and executed a fine free-kick just after the hour mark.

The two games in the Bay of Plenty followed the formbook, although Tauranga Moana had to come from behind to overcome Onehunga Sports 5-1 after Olivia Matsas gave "The Green Machine" a third minute lead at Links Avenue. The absence of their defensive rock, Sivitha Boyce, was always going to be a problem for the visitors, however, and with goalkeeper Sammi Burton unavailable last season's Championship champions were always going to prevail, and did so courtesy a brace of goals apiece to Briana Osborne and Grace Duncan, their efforts supplemented by a Jasmine Griffiths strike on the half-hour. At Rex Morpeth Park, Whakatane Town finally got to play a game in this season's competition, having reached this stage on the back of two wins by default. There was no such luck for them this time, however, with the 2023 winners and 2024 runners-up, Western Springs, coming to town and returning home with a 17-0 massacre to their name. "The Hoops" were four goals up inside the first seven minutes of Katie Duncan's first game in charge, with Dara Mulrooney and Kitty Jacob both scoring four goals in the rout. Nanami Omasa bagged a hat-trick, while a Tayla Jones "oggie" was supplemented by strikes from Rina Hirano, substitutes Sienna Makwana, Katy Gothard and Cleo Carmichael, and midfield general Anna McPhie, who was withdrawn from the fray in the first half due to injury. In Friday's rescheduled Lotto Northern Premier Women's League encounter, Auckland United proved too strong for Eastern Suburbs, dominating proceedings to prevail in far more convincing fashion than the 2-0 scoreline suggests, and despite Sammi Tawharu's selfless efforts in attack for the visitors. Zoe Benson's long-range free-kick opened the scoring against her old club after eighteen minutes, and only fine saves from Nikki Whyte - she denied Chloe Knott and Saskia Vosper before the interval - kept "The Lilywhites" in contention. Tui Dugan rattled the crossbar soon after coming on in the second spell before Alaina Granger made the points safe for United, who were denied a third goal late on when Whyte tipped an Alexis Cook drive over the bar. It's back to league action this week, with the top two in action on Friday night in the Lotto Northern Premier Women's League. Rangers entertain "The Ponies" at Fred Taylor Park, while Auckland will have Saskia Vosper back on deck as they and "The Coasters" do it all again, this time on the NHS Tigerturf. Sunday's fare sees Katie Duncan take her new club to her old one, as "The Lilywhites" and "The Hoops" get it on at Madills Farm, while Tauranga are on the road again, Fencibles' Riverhills Park home their destination. In the Lotto Northern Women's Championship on Sunday, leaders Melville United welcome Northern Rovers to Gower Park, while "The Green Machine" head to John Kerkhof Park, where Cambridge lie in wait. Franklin and Birkenhead are also on the road, respectively to Central United's Kiwitea Street home and OMU's Mangere Domain lair. Cup details: Auckland United 4 (A. Cook (8, 115), T. Green (93), Z. Benson (118)), Hibiscus Coast 1 (A. Mittendorff (25)) aet  HT 1-1  FT 1-1 East Coast Bays 0, Ellerslie 1 (A. Trudgen (48))  HT 0-0 Eastern Suburbs 5 (V. Neuefeind (18, 74), L. Sheed (25, 34), P. Ardana (63)), Cambridge 0  HT 3-0 Fencibles United 1 (H. Miller (83)), West Coast Rangers 4 (E. Lyon (8, 88), M. Yun (39), I. Calonne (82))  HT 0-2 Franklin United 1 ("oggie" (60)), Birkenhead United 0  HT 0-0 Onehunga-Mangere United 0, Lakes 1 (E. Downs (45))  HT 0-1 Tauranga Moana 5 (B. Osborne (15, 28), J. Griffiths (31), G. Duncan (51, 64)), Onehunga Sports 1 (O. Matsas (3))  HT 3-1 Whakatane Town 0, Western Springs 17 (D. Mulrooney (1, 28, 29, 58), K. Jacob (5, 7, 42, 85), A. McPhie (6), "oggie" (12), S. Makwana (34), N. Omasa (40, 48, 54), R. Hirano (44), K. Gothard (63), C. Carmichael (67))  HT 0-11 League details: Auckland United 2 (Z. Benson (18), A. Granger (81)), Eastern Suburbs 0  HT 1-0