Samoa comfortably qualify for the OFC Women’s U-16 Championship

Samoa have dominated the OFC Women’s U-16 Championship – Qualification, dispatching neighbors American Samoa 11-0 to secure their place at the OFC Women’s U-16 Championship in Fiji in September.

And after scoring 20 goals in the two games and conceding none, they will have put the rest of the league on notice.

Samoa forward Holly Leapai picked up where her side left off Mondaywho scored in the first minute and set the tone for another dominant performance from coach Juan Chang Urrea’s team.

Less than a minute later they doubled the lead, this time through Cali Willis.

Leapai doubled her tally for the match in the fifth minute, fueled by Willis, who reprized her role from Monday’s match as lead assistant.

Leapai completed her hat-trick in the 10th minute, assisted by Lynn Aiono Sagiao, to coolly get past Nathalia Toilolo.

The deluge was then hampered until the 18th minute, when a Leah Atuaia free-kick was diverted into the back of her own net by an American Samoa player.

Captain Grace Taeoalli made it 6-0 in the 24th minute after a well-worked corner kick.

Substitute Tamani Skeers added a seventh goal just before half-time after being released by Aiono Sagiao, with the number four finding the time and space to pass the ball into the net.

The second half was a more reserved affair for Samoa, who took ten minutes to reopen the scoring, with Bree Toatelegese thinking she had scored with her first touch of the match after coming on as a substitute seconds earlier, only to to score the goal. was disallowed for offside.

Skeers doubled her tally in the 63rd minute, and Toatelegese added a double in the 72nd and 88th minutes.

The match ended with a penalty in the 91st minute, scored by Ayres Ava.

Samoa plays in group A OFC U-16 Women’s Championship, which will be held in Fiji from September 8 to 21 and will compete with Fiji, Tonga and the Cook Islands. Group B consists of New Zealand, New Caledonia, Tahiti and the Solomon Islands.

The winner of the OFC Women’s U-16 Championship will represent Oceania at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup™ in 2025.

American Samoa: 0

Samoa: 11 (Holly LEAPAI 1′, 5′, 10′; Cali WILLIS 2′; Grace TAEOALLI 24′; Tamani SKEERS 45′, 63′; Bree TOATELEGESE 72′, 88′; Ayres AVA 90+1; OG 18′)

HT: 0:6