Auckland United retained their Lotto Northern Premier Women's League title in style at Keith Hay Park on August 27, sweeping aside second-placed West Coast Rangers 4-1 to secure the silverware and remain on course to hold all four major honours in the women's game simultaneously. The reigning National Women's League champions added the OFC Women's Champions League title to their honours list at the start of the year, and now that the regional league title is back in the trophy cabinet, winning the Kate Sheppard Cup in just over a week's time will see United match Auckland City's feat in the men's game in 2022. They took charge of this contest on the quarter hour, Rene Wasi heading home an Alexis Cook cross after Rangers committed footballing hari-kari - why teams persist in employing a short goal-kick routine which, more often than not, sees them lose possession in their defensive third, simply defies logic. Play to your strengths - not doing so cost Rangers three goals in this game. After conceding, Rangers were timid, rarely threatening United, who struck twice more in the shadows of the half-time whistle to leave themselves 45 minutes away from the title. Chelsea Elliott beat Emily Couchman all ends up at her near post with a free-kick, before Rangers' 'keeper's attempt to keep out Greer MacIntosh's header from a Chloe Knott corner succeeded only in turning the ball into her own net via the post. The visitors were a bit more like it in the second spell, Lorna Selby hitting the crossbar from close range ten minutes after play had resumed. But any hopes they held of mounting a fightback were dashed when Charlotte Roche picked out the far corner of the net halfway through a half in which United could have scored more - the woodwork saved Rangers on at least two occasions. They eventually got a consolation goal through Selby eleven minutes from time, but Marissa Porteous aside, Rangers were very much second-best to the champions, who themselves hit the woodwork twice in the second spell before they could break out the champagne come the final whistle. Twenty-fours later, the top two were joined in the National Women's League by Western Springs, who came up trumps with a stoppage time winner in a Riverhills Park thriller, "The Hoops" edging Fencibles United 3-2, with all the scoring coming in the second spell. The first half was far from devoid of chances, with Millie Loxton and Kate Berry squandering one-on-one chances for "Fencies" by shooting straight at Amberley Hollis, while Arisa Takeda hit the bar after Megan Lee had been superbly denied by Caelan Tremain, the former Football Fern having earlier produced a contender for miss of the season when slicing woefully wide with just the 'keeper to beat. The second half was a mere ninety seconds old when the deadlock was broken, Kitty Jacob scrambling the ball home after splendid work down the left by Rina Hirano, who would leave the field soon after due to injury. Not before Jacob had doubled "The Hoops"' lead, however, a looping twenty yard volley which deceived Tremain and arced under the bar - 2-0 Springs with 52 minutes on the clock, and National Women's League qualification seemingly all but secure. Fencibles had their own ideas on that score,

however, and fought their way back into the contest twelve minutes later, substitute Lily Dowsett affording them hope. Captain Rosie Missen then gave them something even more tangible to cling to, heading home an equaliser seven minutes from time to set up a grandstand finish. Both teams went all out for victory, and it was the visitors who clinched it, early in the ten minutes of stoppage time which were played. Tremain pulled off a fine save to keep out Alosi Bloomfield's drive, but in the ensuing scramble, Lee squeezed the ball home to clinch a dramatic win for "The Hoops", and, with it, National Women's League qualification. While that match was taking place, the neutral venue of McLennan Park was playing host to the clash between Hamilton Wanderers and Hibiscus Coast, a match which "The Blue Army" had to win to retain any chance of extending Waikato's involvement in the Lotto Northern Premier Women's League into a fourth decade, the province having been part of the competition since Claudelands Rovers and Waikato Unicol first graced it in 1995. All was going to plan from Hamilton's perspective when Anna Fullerton opened the scoring for them on the half-hour, but within six minutes, "The Coasters" were on level terms through Jessica Smith. Parity was maintained until fifteen minutes from time, when two goals in three minutes from Stacey Martin and Suzy Jung swung the game Hibiscus' way, the league's northernmost team holding on for a 3-1 win which condemned Hamilton to relegation, meaning Ellerslie survive - 'twas their unexpected win over "The Coasters" last Sunday which has ultimately saved them. So to Father's Day, the final day of the league campaign, which sees a dress rehearsal for the Kate Sheppard Cup Final taking place as Springs and Auckland square off at Seddon Fields, six days before they do so again at North Harbour Stadium, this time with the most prized honour in New Zealand women's club football at stake. Rangers and Eastern Suburbs clash at Fred Taylor Park, a match which looms large in "The Lilywhites"' top four aspirations, hopes which are still harboured by Fencibles, who'll be seeking a win on the road, Hibiscus Coast's Stanmore Bay Reserve their destination, while hoping that fortune favours them out west. And there's the match which now has nothing riding on it, when at the start of the week the clash between Ellerslie and Hamilton at Michaels Avenue was shaping up as a winner-take-all affair, with Premier League survival the reward for the victor. Events on Wednesday evening have put the skids on that scenario, but it will still be something of a novelty to see a Premier Women's League fixture at Michaels Avenue commencing at (long last at) the league regulation kick-off time of 1pm, with all four matches in the final round of action starting simultaneously. Details: Auckland United 4 (R. Wasi (15), C. Elliott (43), "oggie" (45), C. Roche (67)), West Coast Rangers 1 (L. Selby (79))  HT 3-0 Fencibles United 2 (L. Dowsett (64), R. Missen (83)), Western Springs 3 (K. Jacob (47, 52), M. Lee (90))  HT 0-0 Hamilton Wanderers 1 (A. Fullerton (31)), Hibiscus Coast 3 (J. Smith (37), S. Martin (75), S. Jung (78))  HT 1-1