By FLOYD TERRY JNR
Solomon Star, Honiara
South Island United delivered a dominant performance to defeat Papua New Guinea’s Hekari United 4–1 in the opening match of Round 4 of the OFC Pro League at the National Stadium in Honiara on Saturday.
Played under heavy rain, both sides showed determination early as they battled for the crucial three points.
Hekari United made a bright start and broke the deadlock in the opening minutes of the first half when Rex capitalized on an opportunity and found the back of the net to give the PNG side an early 1–0 lead.
South Island United responded quickly, with Rovu Boyers scoring the equalizer minutes later to bring the South Island side back into the contest.
The goal lifted South Island’s momentum as they began to control possession and create more attacking opportunities.
The match took a dramatic turn late in the first half when Hekari United were reduced to nine men after two players were shown red cards. With the numerical advantage, South Island United increased the pressure and managed to take the lead just before the halftime break by an own goal from Hekari FC making it 2-1 at the break.
In the second half, South Island United continued to dominate proceedings, using their extra numbers to stretch Hekari’s defense.
Their persistence paid off when Rovu Boyers added another goal in the 64th minutes making it 3-1 over PNG Hekari.
Again in the 78th minutes Rovu Boyers completes his hatrick giving South Island 4-1 lead over PNG Hekari.
Rovu Boyers performance against PNG Hekari is phenomenal, scoring a hatrick and walking away with the player of the match.
The win gives South Island United a strong start in Round 4 of the OFC Pro League, while Hekari United will look to regroup after a difficult match that saw them finish with only nine players on the field.
South Island’s victory over PNG Hekari give them valuable 3 points to settle with 13 points on the fourth spot of the standing table.
South Island head coach Rob Sherman told local media after the match said he is proud of the team for well execution of hus game plan
South Island head coach Rob Sherman is happy with his team’s performance throughout tye match. Speaking to local media after the match, he praised the team’s effort in executing his game plan, despite trailing 1-0 early on.
“I am proud of how the boys dug deep and came out on top,” he’d said. The win over PNG Hekari bags them crucial 3 points, keeping them steady in 4th place with 13 points”, Sherman said.
On the other hand, PNG Hekari coach Jerry Allan said despite their early lead in the first half, tye two red cards definitely changes the game dynamics.
“It is disappointing, when you gave it your all and sometimes these things just happen. I can say that discipline is key, and the team taking it as a learning curve and we regrouping for the next match against Bula FC on Thursday.
