A couple of shock results in the Lotto Northern Premier Women's League on 11 August produced further twists in the race for the top four placings, and also saw Auckland United's seemingly serene progress to back-to-back titles suffer a wobble as they enter the home straight. The title-holders were well out of sorts at Riverhills Park, where Fencibles United earned a deserved 1-1 draw despite conceding an own goal just five minutes into the contest, then dodging a bullet eight minutes later when Talisha Green sent a penalty sailing over the bar, the spot-kick awarded after Helena O'Connor was adjudged to have handled the ball as Charlotte Roche's shot rebounded off the bar. Quite how referee Yunjie Diao awarded the opening goal to Roche defies logic. She was nowhere near the ball when Olivia Brown's attempt to clear Chloe Knott's corner to the near post sent it sailing into the roof of the net. Tellingly, all the Auckland players headed towards the corner-taker to celebrate the goal - another reminder to referees to use the players' body language to help in your decision-making in women's matches, in which honesty is never an issue. Early in the second spell, Chelsea Elliott hit the angle of bar and post with a well-flighted free-kick for the visitors, but "Fencies" kept battling away, and were rewarded when Kate Berry's cross was handled by Alaina Granger, presenting Taylah Byers with the chance to level the scores from twelve yards nineteen minutes from time, a feat she accomplished with aplomb. The final whistle prompted a loud cheer from the deck at Riverhills, in part due to the result those present had witnessed, but also because it was a precious point gained for Fencibles in their quest for the top four, one more than was gained by Eastern Suburbs, who were ahead of "Fencies" on goal difference going into this eighteenth round of action. "The Lilywhites", not for the first time this season, lost the plot in a big way against a team languishing below them on the table, Madills Farm their graveyard this week as Hibiscus Coast put Suburbs to the sword by an emphatic 3-0 scoreline, a result which contrasts starkly with the 5-1 hiding administered by the hosts when these clubs met at the same venue earlier this season. Two goals in a seven-minute spell around the hour mark sparked Suburbs' capitulation, Danica Urlich-Beech - the league's leading markswoman's fourteenth goal of the season - and Suzy Jung leading "The Coasters" to a victory which was confirmed by substitute Sian Field in the shadows of the final whistle.

Western Springs also took advantage of Suburbs latest slump, scoring a 2-0 win over Ellerslie at Michaels Avenue. "The Hoops" enjoyed the better of the first half exchanges, hitting the crossbar while drawing numerous saves from Petra Wedlake. They were eventually rewarded when Liz Savage broke the deadlock on the hour, prompting a response from "The Ponies" which saw Abby Wright, Julia Robinson and Lyric Davison all go close - Amberley Hollis was a busy lass during this spell! But those hopes of restoring parity were dashed twelve minutes from time when Laney Strachan had the misfortune to re-direct a shot beyond Wedlake and earn "The Hoops" their match-winning margin, which could have been greater had the post not come to Ellerslie's rescue in the dying minutes. Ellerslie's only saving grace is that Hamilton Wanderers are five points below them, a situation maintained by West Coast Rangers when they visited Porritt Stadium and emerged with a 5-0 win to their name, reducing the gap between themselves and Auckland to four points with three rounds remaining. It took half-an-hour for the visitors to break down "The Blue Army"'s resistance, but once Kailey Short found the net, there was no stopping the visitors, Anelise Karakostas netting either side of the interval, with Marissa Porteous and Emily Lyon providing a quickfire double in between her strikes. Next Saturday sees the semi-finals of the Kate Sheppard Cup taking place, with Western Springs making the trek south to Tahuna Park where they'll be looking to end the season-long unbeaten run of Dunedin City Royals. Auckland United, meanwhile, head to Fraser Park to take on the most controversial entry in the competition's thirty-year history, A-League club Wellington Phoenix. Both ties kick off at 1pm. Two league matches take place on Sunday, with "The Lilywhites" and "The Ponies" doing battle at Madills Farm on a day "The Blue Army" are in must-win territory when hosting "The Coasters" at Porritt Stadium. Any other result, and Hamilton's tenure in the Lotto Northern Premier Women's League will almost certainly be coming to an end. Details: Eastern Suburbs 0, Hibiscus Coast 3 (D. Urlich-Beech (57), S. Jung (64), S. Field (89))  HT 0-0 Ellerslie 0, Western Springs 2 (L. Savage (59), "oggie" (78))  HT 0-0 Fencibles United 1 (T. Byers (71 pen)), Auckland United 1 ("oggie" (5))  HT 0-1 Hamilton Wanderers 0, West Coast Rangers 5 (K. Short (32), A. Karakostas (43, 66), M. Porteous (51), E. Lyon (53))  HT 0-2