Green Island secured their third win of the season in the ODT Southern Premiership, beating Northern 4-3 at Sunnyvale on Saturday.
Northern, looking to close the gap at the top of the table, welcomed back Tyler Muir after missing the last games and he made up for lost time.
Muir scored twice in the opening seven minutes, lobbing Zane Green from outside the box then tapping home a squared ball inside the box from Rory Hibbert.
Tom Milton’s injury for the home side led to Aiden Waddell taking the field after a 10-week injury layoff, and Harrison McLean reduced the deficit for Green Island in the 41st minute.
Northern had an opportunity to restore their two-goal buffer but Green, in his last game, denied Muir his hat-trick by saving a penalty in first-half injury time.
Green Island were the better side in the second half but Northern managed to go 3-1 ahead in the 66th minute when Sam Dore put it through his own net.
The home side responded with three goals in the final 17 minutes.
Josh McMillan made it 3-2, Spencer Smith equalised in the 77th minute and substitute Josh Kotkamp, who bought pace and tenacity to pressurise Northern’s tiring backline, scored the winner with four minutes to go.
University drew 2-2 with Roslyn-Wakari.
Roslyn had the better of the first half but a defensive error allowed University’s Riley McLean to open the scoring in the 33rd minute.
The students were reduced to 10 men with 25 minutes left when keeper Henry Jeffrey was sent off for fouling Nathan Wilkie, and Roslyn equalised as Ben Reeves hit a stunning volley from outside the box.
Another Roslyn lapse in the 90th minute allowed Regan Quirke to put the students ahead.
But in injury time, as Roslyn launched a long ball, Ben Williams-Davies was body-checked in the box, and Wilkie dispatched the penalty to seal the draw.
Northern Hearts continued their recent unbeaten run with a 1-1 draw against the Dunedin City Royals.
Northern took the lead on the hour mark when Conor White drove in a cross that went over keeper Jonathan Tucker.
The Royals made sure of a share of the points in the 84th minute when Matthew Adye scored a brilliant overhead kick.
Queens Park took advantage of Northern and University dropping points to close the gap on them with a 3-2 win in Invercargill over Queenstown.
Queens Park led 3-0 at the break with goals to Cameron Johnson, David Mwangi and Rodrigo De Camargo.
Queenstown replied in the second half with goals to Nicholas Chambers and Rayn Walden.
Mosgiel’s 1-0 win in Wānaka helped them move eight points clear at the top of the table and regain the Blair Davidson Trophy.
Wānaka were much the better side in the opening 20 minutes but Ben Sippola was given his marching orders in the 41st minute for two yellow cards in three minutes, both for fouling Reece Burtenshaw.
Burtenshaw made the home side pay when he hit a powerful shot past keeper Josh Shackleton in the 47th minute.
— Neville Watson
