Holders Auckland United, former winners Eastern Suburbs, and Cashmere Technical and Wellington Phoenix, two teams who have each appeared in just one previous semi-final, have advanced to the penultimate stage of the Delivereasy Kate Sheppard Cup after quarter-final action on the first weekend in July. United made hard work of overcoming West Coast Rangers 2-1 at Keith Hay Park, where the home team dominated for lengthy periods without making the most of their plethora of possession, before finding themselves holding on towards the end as the visitors forced their way back into the contest. Andrew Clay's side started with a hiss and a roar, but it was United who were first to threaten, Alexis Cook hitting the side-netting and Yume Harashima going close with a fiercely struck drive following a deft Zoe Benson back-heeled pass, both attempts coming inside the first ten minutes. Benson was the architect of the goal which broke the deadlock, working a one-two with Danielle Canham from a nineteenth minute corner before whipping in a cross-shot which found its way into the top far corner of the net via Saskia Vosper's glancing header. Two minutes later, Sophie Campbell denied Benson - United's leading markswoman this season - with a solid save, the goalkeeper looking on with relief as the home team fired a string of shots either side of the uprights throughout the remainder of the half. Nine minutes into the second spell, and soon after Chloe Knott had gone desperately close to scoring, United doubled their advantage thanks to that rarest of beasts, a Marissa Porteous mistake. Rene Wasi picked her pocket just outside the penalty area and played in Benson, who slipped the ball through Campbell's legs to make it 2-0. Emily Lyon went close to halving the deficit nineteen minutes from time as she fired just the third shot in anger Rangers had produced in the match. And after Benson had rattled the crossbar, the visitors' lion-hearted youngster pounced on a Hannah Mitchell error after she failed to hold onto a Shannon Henson piledriver - 2-1 with eleven minutes to play. Alas for Rangers, United were the team who went closest to scoring in the time remaining, with Benson and Pia Vlok drawing saves from Campbell late on as the cup holders continued their pursuit of a third Kate Sheppard Cup triumph in four seasons, and a seventh time overall. Cross-town rivals Eastern Suburbs are eager to add to their solitary triumph in 2019, and recorded the biggest win of the round when thrashing Championship side Franklin United 8-0 at the Drury Sports Complex. "The Lilywhites" were able to call on the services of Sofia Garcia for the first time in seven weeks, and the prolific striker - she has sixty goals to her name since arriving on the scene in 2022 - wasted little time in adding to her tally, breaking the deadlock via clever off-the-ball running in the sixteenth minute. Once they had a sniff, there was no stopping Suburbs, despite Keely Taylor's best efforts in goal. Vicky Neuefeind made the most of Jess Innes' incisive pass to double the lead just shy of the half-hour, and after Michelle Oostdam had gone desperately close to scoring an "Olimpico" for Franklin, Shion Hwang pounced after Garcia had flicked on a Kenya Brooke throw-in. Britney Cunningham-Lee went desperately close to reducing the arrears ten minutes before the interval, but with the last kick of the half, Yukino Nishizono

made it 4-0 from the penalty spot after Garcia had been upended. Within three minutes of the resumption of play, Suburbs had struck twice more, Garcia steering home Neuefeind's cross just 32 seconds into the half, before Hwang headed home a corner from the German two minutes later. "The Lilywhites" peppered Franklin's goal with shots thereafter, with Taylor producing fine saves to deny Millie Boyle and Stacey Martin, while the offside flag thwarted Neuefeind. For all their pressure, Suburbs only netted twice more, through Putri Ardana and captain Brooke, who capped off a typical swashbuckling run with a thumping twenty-five yarder, the last kick of the game confirming a comfortable 8-0 win for the visitors. This tie was remarkable on another front - it truly wa a family affair! Sisters Breeana and Ella Findlay were in direct combat throughout the contest until Suburbs withdrew their age-grade international from the fray halfway through the second spell, by which time there were two cousins - Isabella Atkinson (Suburbs) and Michelle Oostdam (United) on the park, along with their aunty, former Football Fern Marlies James. The first tie of the round saw Wellington Phoenix record a comfortable 4-1 win over Waterside Karori in a match transferred to Wakefield Park. It also served as the Kelly Cup Final, with the trophy, for many years held as an end-of-season knockout, and in recent years a pre-season tournament, now presented to the club from the capital which progresses furthest in the Kate Sheppard Cup. The destiny of the trophy was settled by the half-hour mark, with Isla Cleall-Harding's tenth minute penalty supplemented by a Poppy O'Brien strike which put Callum Holmes' charges on easy street. At least until Taylor Cooper pulled a goal back on the stroke of half-time for "The Magpies", who sorely missed the services of suspended captain Renee Bacon for this encounter. Wellington kept their opponents at arm's length throughout the second spell, but it was the introduction of substitutes Amber De Wit and Lily Brazendale who made the difference on the scoreboard, two goals in five minutes twenty minutes from time settling the contest. The 2024 semi-finalists have been joined by the team which last reached this stage of the Cup in 2016. Cashmere Technical had a battle royal on their hands when Otago University paid a visit to English Park, but Fred Simpson's charges prevailed 2-1 to end the students' hopes of a maiden appearance in the final four. Goals in each half from Katie Harris and substitute Petra Buyck secured victory for the locals, with the students drawing level in between times when Georgia Nixon equalised on the hour. Cashmere's win means that, when the semi-finals take place in mid-August, they'll be able to call on the services of former Wellington Phoenix A-League stars Rebecca Lake and Annalie Longo, as well as Lara Wall, all of whom have transferred back to their former club. Details: Auckland United 2 (S. Vosper (19), Z. Benson (54)), West Coast Rangers 1 (E. Lyon (79))  HT 1-0 Cashmere Technical 2 (K. Harris (15), P. Buyck (71)), Otago University 1 (G. Nixon (61))  HT 1-0 Franklin United 0, Eastern Suburbs 8 (S. Garcia (16, 46), V. Neuefeind (28), S. Hwang (34, 48), Y. Nishizono (45 pen), P. Ardana (76), K. Brooke (90))  HT 0-4 Waterside Karori 1 (T. Cooper (45)), Wellington Phoenix 4 (I. Cleall-Harding (10 pen), P. O'Brien (31), A. De Wit (68), L. Brazendale (73))  HT 1-2