Reigning National Women's League champions Canterbury United Pride became the first team to lower Eastern Suburbs' colours in the competition this season on the penultimate weekend in November, prevailing 2-1 at a rain-soaked William Green Domain to move into fourth spot on the table. Deven Jackson was denied the opening goal by the offside flag in the third minute, but scored a perfectly valid goal six minutes before half-time to equalise Charlotte Roche's opener for the visitors, for whom captain Rebecca Lake was in imperious form in defence. Canterbury went ahead again following their first attack in the second spell, Chloe Bellamy bundling the ball home from close range to set up the half and force "The Lilywhites" to chase the game once more. The challenge proved to be beyond them this time round, Suburbs' display best summed up by Juliette Lucas' sky-rocket from six yards when she only had Una Foyle to beat, a goalkeeper who produced a fine fingertip save to deny Nicole Mettam's twenty-five yard chip halfway through the second spell. United's deserved victory, while spoiling Suburbs' hopes of going through the NWL season unbeaten, is unlikely to impact upon the league leaders' Grand Final hopes. Indeed, so superior is their goal difference to their rivals that it's effectively worth an extra point to Stephen Hoyle's team at this stage of the campaign, meaning the focus is increasingly on the team whom "The Lilywhites" will be facing in next month's showpiece fixture in the competition. Western Springs maintained their five-point advantage over Northern Rovers in the race for the other Grand Final berth by coming from two goals down to edge Auckland United 3-2 in a Friday night thriller at Seddon Fields - the best game this writer has seen in this season's competition. United coach Mauro Donoso sprung a tactical surprise on Springs during the first half which severely hampered "The Hoops", who still found a way to put the ball in the net, only for Sammi Tawharu to be flagged offside. The visitors went straight down the other end and opened the scoring through Bree Johnson, and only a superb save by Angelique Tuisamoa prevented Ruby Nathan's chip from doubling Auckland's lead before half-time. They did double it just after the hour mark, Maya Vince scampering onto a sublime first-time pass from Nathan to squeeze the ball home and leave patrons contemplating a shock result. But "The Hoops" came storming back with two goals in as many minutes.

Sofia Garcia's 72nd minute shot from a Jess Innes corner ricocheted into the roof of the net off a defender for an own goal - the ball couldn't possibly have crossed the line without intervention from someone other than Garcia, to whom the goal was wrongly credited by match officials. Emma Pijnenburg levelled the scores in superb style two minutes later, to which United skipper Jess Philpot responded with a crossbar-rattling free-kick nine minutes from time. Five minutes later, however, Garcia got on the scoresheet in freakish fashion, her long-range effort going through the legs of United goalkeeper Rivalina Fuimaono, who was left wanting the ground to open up and swallow her, her blunder denying United what would have been a well-deserved point. Rovers responded to that result by comfortably accounting for Central Football 4-0 at McFetridge Park, where Leanna Ryan, Kelli Brown and Mackenzie Longmuir scored in a nine-minute spell around the half-hour mark to effectively decide the contest. Shannon Henson extended Rovers' advantage on the hour mark in an uninspiring fixture, which was notable for the outstanding efforts of Central's midfield trio - Georgie Furnell, Tessa Hyland and Maddi Hughes worked like Trojans for the cause, their efforts doing much to restrict Rovers to just four goals. Capital Football sprung a minor surprise by holding Southern United to a 1-1 draw at Logan Park, where Pepi Olliver-Bell's fifth goal of the season, struck after 25 minutes, had the visitors on course for what would have been a shock win until former Wellingtonian Emily Morison spared the southerners' blushes by equalising twelve minutes from time. Next weekend's action sees "The Lilywhites" and Rovers locking horns at a yet-to-be-confirmed venue on Sunday, a day on which Central welcomes Southern to Massey University in Palmerston North. Saturday's fare sees Canterbury taking on Auckland at English Park, while Capital host "The Hoops" at Petone Memorial Park. Details: Eastern Suburbs 1 (D. Jackson (39)), Canterbury United Pride 2 (C. Roche (20), C. Bellamy (47))  HT 1-1 Northern Rovers 4 (L. Ryan (25), K. Brown (27), M. Longmuir (34), S. Henson (60)), Central Football 0  HT 3-0 Southern United 1 (E. Morison (78)), Capital Football 1 (P. Olliver-Bell (25))  HT 0-1 Western Springs 3 ("oggie" (74), E. Pijnenburg (76), S. Garcia (86)), Auckland United 2 (B. Johnson (30), M. Vince (63))  HT 0-1