The result was all the more unbelievable since the ASB Premiership leader was at full strength, and coach Luiz Uehara's side looked under-strength due to injuries and players being unavailable.
But cometh the hour, cometh the man, and several United players made strong claims for regular team places with spirited tackling that upset Waitakere's flow. When in possession, the Dunedin side counterattacked with pace and purpose.
Henrique Alves Viana showed the value of hitting shots on target when after only three minutes, he flighted a right wing shot into the top left corner of keeper Danny Robinson's net. Peter Rae then pounced on a slack pass by Irish player-coach Brian Shelley, and Logan Wright-Webb's second-half goal was surpassed only by his victory 360 aerial spin.
Coach Uehara's team selection is tricky this week as he aims for a third consecutive win against Hawkes Bay at 5pm today at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
Centre back Peter Overmire is injured and Viana, who has scored four goals this season, is still limping from a knock that caused him to leave the field last week. The Brazilian will require a late fitness test today.
Morgan Day's abrasive skills in midfield were a big factor last week, but he paid the price with a red card that sidelines him today.
Back into contention come Sam Mepham, Cam Attwood, and striker Dan Morris, but competition now makes it difficult to gain a first team starting spot, since Nick Hindson, Taylor McCormack, Henry Flood, Wright-Webb, Rae, and David Hayman have all staked strong claims.
Hawkes Bay has been boosted by the return of captain Bill Robertson and Harry Edge was also expected to return to first team football, as coach Chris Greatholder looks to extend his four-match unbeaten run.
Bay was fined this week and docked three competition points for fielding Edge as a late substitute last week before the paperwork had been finalised.
The situation certainly compresses a crowd near the foot of the ASB table, where Wanderers remains bottom, but with three points awarded from the game against Hawkes Bay despite losing is now on five points. Southern is on six, WaiBOP has seven and Hawkes Bay has 11 pointsHistorically, Bay has the edge with 14 wins in 23 games, while Southern sides have earned just five wins in that time.
Uehara is hoping to continue the good work of last week, but with some improvements.
''Our play last week showed great potential against a top side. Still too many passes going astray, but there was a cutting edge we want to preserve,'' he said.
''Our players will want to do well in front of a home crowd which could be worth an extra man. To play at 5pm on a Saturday is unusual but there will be many supporters keen to see how their team has progressed.
''Hawkes Bay are now five points ahead of us so progress will not be easy. However, a win might allow us to leapfrog WaiBOP, which is one point ahead of us, and we are up for the challenge.''
Southern United's Youth team faces a strong challenge against Canterbury in Christchurch tomorrow at 11am.
Last week, Canterbury lost 3-2 to Youngheart Manawatu while Southern lost 2-0 to Nelson-Marlborough.
Coaches Mike McGarry and Andrew Brook will aim to combine the team's passing ability with a more cutting edge to get goals. It was a 1-0 win over Canterbury last season that set up United for a place in last year's Youth Final.
ASB Premiership: Southern United v Hawkes Bay
Southern United (from): Tom Batty, David Hayman, Nicholas Hindson, Matt Joy, Henry Flood, Sam Mepham, Taylor McCormack, Peter Rae, Jefferson Potrich, Logan Wright-Webb, Henrique Alves Viana, Daniel Morris, Campbell Higgins, Jacob Schneider, Andrew Ridden, Campbell Attwood.
Hawkes Bay (from): Richard Gillespie, Aaron Jones, Ross Haviland, Bill Robertson, Tom Biss, David Mulligan, Sean Lovemore, Tomas Mosquera, Danny Wilson, Fergus Neil, Harley Rodeka, Sean Morris, Harry Edge, Nathaniel Hailemariam, Matt Gould.
Forsyth Barr Stadium, today, 5pm
