Auckland United FC Clinch Back-to-Back Women’s National League Titles with 3-1 Victory in Grand Final

Auckland United FC Premier Women celebrate winning back-to-back National League Championship titles. (Photo by PhotoSportNZ).

Auckland United FC Premier Women have capped off a dream 2024 season by claiming the Women’s National League Championship title with a commanding 3-1 win over CF Waterside Karori.

The victory not only secures the title but completes an incredible clean sweep for United, who now hold the OFC Champions League, the Kate Sheppard Cup, the Lotto NRFL Women’s Premiership, and the Women’s National Championship League trophy.

This remarkable achievement was the perfect way to conclude a perfect season, with Auckland United finishing the year unbeaten across 41 matches, extending their unbeaten run to an astonishing 49 games, dating back to the 2023 season.

The win at North Harbour Stadium means Auckland United will once again defend their OFC Women’s Champions League title next year. Their unbeaten 2024 campaign further reinforces their dominance in New Zealand women’s football, under the expert guidance of head coach Ben Bate.

A Dream Start

United wasted no time in asserting their dominance in the grand final. Just 90 seconds into the match, age-group international Pia Vlok fired them into the lead. The 16-year-old striker picked her spot from distance, with Wellington goalkeeper Annie Foote getting a hand to it but unable to prevent the ball from finding the back of the net.

United doubled their advantage in the 11th minute through Charlotte Roche, who made the most of a defensive lapse. The striker, who had scored the winner in the Kate Sheppard Cup final in September, coolly slotted the ball into an empty net, giving United a 2-0 lead.

Chelsea Elliott tested Foote with a powerful free kick midway through the first half, but the goalkeeper was well-placed to make the save. Rene Wasi was unlucky not to make it 3-0 when her shot was tipped onto the post by Foote, before running agonisingly across the face of the goal.

After half an hour, CF Waterside Karori started to find their rhythm with some quick breaks, but Auckland United’s defence held firm, and the first half finished 2-0 in their favour.

United’s Clinical Response

The second half saw CF Waterside Karori come out with renewed energy and a determination to get back into the game. However, United’s class shone through as they scored a third goal in the 51st minute. Wasi delivered a dangerous ball into the box, and Foote’s attempted save fell to Roche, who finished clinically for her second goal of the match, making it 3-0.

A minute later, Waterside Karori pulled one back through Nikki Furukawa’s well-taken goal from a corner, which was delicately chipped over the United defence. However, Vlok nearly restored the three-goal advantage shortly after, hitting the post with a precise shot from the edge of the area in the 64th minute.

Danielle Canham also came close to adding a fourth when her looping shot grazed the top of the crossbar just minutes later.

The Waterside Karori goalkeeper, Foote, kept her team in the game with a series of crucial saves, most notably a triple stop in the 75th minute, first denying Wasi and then twice preventing substitute Kaley Ward from scoring.

Managing the Game

With the game winding down, United coach Ben Bate made a series of substitutions, resting key players like the match’s MVP, Pia Vlok, and Golden Boot winner Charlotte Roche, who finished the National League Championship campaign with 10 goals from 10 games.

Despite a late scare in stoppage time when Kendall Pollock’s header from a corner was cleared off the line by United goalkeeper Hannah Mitchell, the game finished 3-1, securing Auckland United’s fourth major trophy of the year.

What the Win Means for Auckland United FC

The victory not only caps a historic season but also earns Auckland United a place in the 2025 OFC Women’s Champions League in Tahiti, where they will look to defend their title from May 4-17. The win further strengthens United’s position as the top women’s football club in the region, as the competition for Oceania’s first representative in the planned FIFA Women’s Club World Cup intensifies.

The remarkable run is a testament to the quality, resilience, and consistency shown throughout the 2024 season, and is one for the history books. With so much talent and momentum, the future looks very bright for this club as we continue to dominate New Zealand and Oceania women’s football.

Team Line-ups

Auckland United FC
Hannah Mitchell, Talisha Green (captain), Greer MacIntosh, Chelsea Elliott (Jess Philpot, 89′), Pia Vlok (Penny Brill, 77′), Danielle Canham (Alaina Granger, 89′), Charlotte Roche (Kaley Ward, 61′), Rene Wasi, Alexis Cook (Paige Satchell, 61′), Saskia Vosper, Yume Harashima.
Subs not used: Kate McConnell, Poppy O’Brien.

CF Waterside Karori
Annie Foote, Tupelo Dugan, Daphne Ranta, Renee Bacon, Sarah Morton (captain), Kendall Pollock, Emma Starr, Mei Burden (Jessica Shilton, 53′), Tessa McPherson (Lizzie Ingham, 68′), Nikki Furukawa, Nicola Ross (Emma Kruszona, 90+1′).
Subs not used: Ariana Gray, Rhianna Houghton, Kate Marra, Molly Newton-Smith.

Officials
Referee: Beth Rattray
Assistant referees: Allys Clipsham, Heloise Welch
Fourth official: Sarah Jones.