OFC U 17 women's championship

After navigating their way through pool play New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia and Fiji will fight for a spot in the final of the tournament, where direct qualification to the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Jordan 2016 awaits for the eventual winner.

New Zealand and Fiji kick off the semis on 21 January at the CIFA Academy from 2pm local time.

Forward Keren Coulon and midfielder Delphine Kalmet were both members of the Vanuatu U-20 women’s side who missed out on achieving a bronze-medal finish at the 2015 OFC
U-20 Women’s Championship last October due to goal difference.

Both players are now key members of the U-17 team vying for a semi-final berth in Rarotonga, and are eager to taste success this time around.

After suffering a 7-1 defeat on Match Day 2, Vanuatu bounced back in convincing fashion with a strong showing in a 3-2 win over Fiji.

Post-match coach Joel Rarua commended the character his team displayed in the win.

“After we were defeated by a heavy score in the last game I tried to get my players recovered so we could do something different,” Rarua says.

The game started at a blistering pace and was only two minutes old when Belinda Giada chested down and sent the ball into the back of the net with a powerful shot under Vanuatu keeper Ruth Tate.