June 8, 2025, began like any other Sunday morning. What's the weather going to be like? Is the game still on? And so forth. But there was no forecasting what was to happen in the Lotto Northern Women's Championship, as this was the day it rained goals - an incredible 26 in the four fixtures played, with the top four teams all winning at the conclusion of play! League leaders Melville United did so in come-from-behind fashion, after finding themselves two goals down to Northern Rovers at Gower Park, where Ellen Carter and Saskia Cate gave the visitors a shock advantage just after the half-hour mark. Stevie-Lee Tiller pulled one back straight away, but it was Laura Bennett's second half hat-trick which turned things round for Melville, for whom substitute Mia Humphrey also netted before Jess Coyle bagged a late consolation goal for Rovers to bring about the final 5-3 scoreline. Down the road at John Kerkhof Park, two first half goals from Amy Wells earned second-placed Onehunga Sports a 2-0 win at Cambridge, the only game in which the goal-fest nature of the round wasn't in evidence. Franklin United remains in third place after recording a come-from-behind 4-2 win over Central United at Kiwitea Street, where Nikita Lieshout put through her own net for the only goal of the first half. Britney Cunningham-Lee levelled matters soon after half-time, and when Alicia Kennedy netted the second "oggie" of the match with twenty minutes remaining, you fancied Franklin would go on to record a routine win. Not so, for within two minutes, Wallis Bland had Central back on level terms. It required a brace of Sarah Carpenter goals inside the last ten minutes to secure the points for the visitors, who remain two points clear of fourth-placed Birkenhead United. They played their part in a quite astonishing opening half-hour of action at Mangere Domain,

during which nine goals were scored! It seemed that every time an attack was launched, the outcome would be a goal. Onehunga-Mangere United scored the only goal of the second spell via Steph Jones to bring about the final 6-4 scoreline in Birkenhead's favour, but that first half was of the "blink and you'll miss it" variety! Grace Chitty, Jaime Govind and Charlotte England had the visitors three goals to the good inside the first eight minutes, only for OMU to come back into it two minutes later via an Abby Chad "oggie", her second in as many weeks. Inside the next twenty minutes, Chitty completed her hat-trick - including one from the penalty spot - either side of another England goal, while Jade Naus struck twice for "The Scarlets" at the most picturesque ground in the City of Sails on a day when it would have been hard to take your eyes off the on-field action. Franklin's involvement in the Delivereasy Kate Sheppard Cup next weekend - they visit Ellerslie - means three fixtures will take place in the tenth round of Championship action. It's Melville's turn to take in the views at Mangere Domain this Sunday, while Sports welcome Birkenhead to Waikaraka Park in the match of the round. Meanwhile, Northern and Central get it on at McFetridge Park in a mid-table tussle. Details: Cambridge 0, Onehunga Sports 2 (A. Wells (4, 45))  HT 0-2 Central United 2 ("oggie" (27), W. Bland (71)), Franklin United 4 (B. Cunningham-Lee (47), "oggie" (69), S. Carpenter (83, 90))  HT 1-0 Melville United 5 (S. Tiller (33), L. Bennett (65, 77, 78), M. Humphrey)), Northern Rovers 3 (E. Carter (18), S. Cate (32), J. Coyle (89))  HT 1-2 Onehunga-Mangere United 4 ("oggie" (10), J. Naus (20, 31), S. Jones (83)), Birkenhead United 6 (G. Chitty (4, 14 pen, 27), J. Govind (6), C. England (8, 24))  HT 3-6