Sammi Tawharu will be having an Easter weekend she won't forget this year, after scoring her first hat-trick in seven years to inspire Eastern Suburbs to a 5-0 win over bottom-placed Tauranga Moana in their Lotto Northern Premier Women's League clash on Good Friday. You have to go back to August 2018 to find the last time the former age-grade international bagged the match ball, for Forrest Hill-Milford United against Three Kings United, both clubs which now operate under different identities. Tawharu's treble was supplemented by goals from Jess Innes and substitute Millie Boyle at Crum Park, but "The Lilywhites" didn't have it all their own way against last season's Lotto Northern Women's Championship winners, with fitness proving a factor as Tauranga conceded four goals in the last fifteen minutes to remain without a point to their name after five rounds. Suburbs' win keeps them hard on the heels of co-leaders Auckland United and West Coast Rangers, whose much-anticipated clash at Fred Taylor Park has been deferred until April 30, after Mother Nature decided to make an appearance in order to remind Aucklanders what rain and wind are like, elements which have been rare birds in the north so far in 2025. Two points behind Suburbs lie Western Springs, who earned a 3-0 win at Hibiscus Coast thanks to first half goals from Nanami Omasa, halfway through the half, and Kate Duncan, whose strike five minutes before the interval significantly altered the half-time team talks. "The Coasters" didn't lie down and die in the second spell - far from it, with former Springs' starlet Maia Lythe making her debut for the home team. But Liz Savage's late penalty sealed the deal for "The Hoops" at Stanmore Bay Reserve to strengthen their grip on one of the all-important top four placings. Those spots are highly coveted by Fencibles United and Ellerslie, whose East Auckland derby at Riverhills Park was decided by first half goals from Taylah Byers and Alisa Tuatagaloa for "Fencies". Their 2-0 win leaves them a point behind Springs at the conclusion of a round which saw a number of players absent on NZ Secondary Schoolgirls duty as the Ryan Shiffman-coached side competes in the U-18 Women's competition at the prestigious Dallas Cup tournament, where the squad has reached the semi-finals without conceding a goal. Fencibles will be in action again on Tuesday evening as they take on Auckland at Riverhills Park, with the visitors set to play three games in eight days prior to departing for the OFC Women's Champions League tournament in Tahiti. The second of those matches takes place at Keith Hay Park on Saturday evening, with "The Hoops" hoping to avoid a seventh successive 1-0 loss to United, a sequence of results which commenced during the 2023 National Women's League. Two matches take place on Anzac Day, with "The Ponies" and "The Lilywhites" renewing their rivalry at Michaels Avenue, while West Coast welcomes Fencibles to Fred Taylor Park for an evening encounter. There's a key match on Sunday at Fergusson Park, with Tauranga and "The Coasters" both looking for their first win of the campaign. Details: Eastern Suburbs 5 (S. Tawharu (11, 78, 87), J. Innes (75), M. Boyle (80)), Tauranga Moana 0  HT 1-0 Fencibles United 2 (T. Byers (28), A. Tuatagaloa (41)), Ellerslie 0  HT 2-0 Hibiscus Coast 0, Western Springs 3 (N. Omasa (22), K. Duncan (40), L. Savage (89 pen))  HT 0-2 West Coast Rangers v. Auckland United, postponed