Lupe o le Soaga Soccer Club who are representing Samoa at the OFC Club Championship currently underway in Auckland New Zealand ended their quest in the first qualifying rounds on a high note.
This was noted in the win in their first match against the Tongan Champions namely the Veitongo Football Team on Sunday 26th January and a draw against Tupapa Maraerenga FC on Tuesday 28th January.
Lupe first match against Veitongo FC saw a competitive first half however Lupe o le Soaga walked away in the end as the better team with a score of 2 to nil against their Tongan counterparts.
Suivai Ataga and Mathew Chant scored the 2 goals for the Samoan side whilst their goal keeper Zane Green was able to keep Veitongo scoreless with some very good saves.
Second match of the tournament saw the Samoan side having a better contest of the game. With the many attempts of getting a goal on the board, Tupapa were able to repel their side of the field.
In the end, a draw was all Lupe needed to advance from the Qualifying Stage.
Coach Faaeanuu Paul Ualesi was pleased with his team’s performance having secured a spot for the second stage group.
“Walking away knowing we qualified has been satisfying however we will now work on areas to improve as we will be up against the best teams in Oceania region and we need to give it our best. We have learned our lessons from the qualifying stage and we aim to get the same or better results from the group stage.”
The qualifying tournament is a crucial process for the three teams participating as they strive to secure a spot whereby only 2 places are available for the winners and second place to progress to the next stage. Various aspects crucial to football skills were witnessed from the two games in the form of saves by Lupe o le Soaga’s goal keeper as well as the fighting spirit and skill level of the Samoan players throughout the duration of the tournament.
Lupe o le Soaga will return to Samoa on the 1st February to prepare for the group stage of the OFC Championship 2020.
