North Harbour dominate women's divisions, Australia Youth win under 18 men

As the sun set on the 14th Pan Pacific Youth Water Polo Festival, North Harbour's female athletes can hold their heads high after each age group (under 14, 16, 18, and 20) claimed #PanPacs2016 gold. 

The North Harbour under 18 women won the final 7-5 over Marist at West Wave tonight, and the Australia Youth Barbarians took out the under 18 men's final 7-6 over Marist Red.

Under 18 Women’s Final

North Harbour Maroon versus Marist Red

The score was drawn on two occasions in the under 18 women’s final: both times in the second quarter. North Harbour’s Emily Nicholson was the first to score with a counter attack goal assisted by Nadia Pavlovich, who then scored her own counter goal with a lob into the right hand side of the cage. Tate Renata bounced the ball into the back of the net for Marist from a 5-on-4 for 2-1. Goalkeeper Antonia Young blocked a North Harbour man-up play from right in front of the cage, but on North Harbour’s next attack, Liana Dance spun her player and gained plenty of space to score at 0:39 for 3-1 up heading into the quarter break.

Gabby MacDonald shot right off the hand in a 5-on-4 to bring Marist within one, and North Harbour squandered the chance to regain their two-goal buffer when their penalty shot hit the post. Kelsey Snelgar earned an exclusion and got a quick one-two to draw Marist level 3-3. Libby Gault seized the lead for Marist when she scored from a 5-on-4 earned by Caitlin Parker-Allen, but North Harbour made it 4-4 heading into the half when Bernadette Doyle scored another North Harbour goal from counter attack.

It was all North Harbour’s quarter in the third when they scored two goals (Liana Dance, Emily Sanderson) and goalkeeper Alisha Winstanley kept her slate clean for the quarter.

North Harbour put one hand on the trophy in the final quarter when they scored for three goals up at 1:55 through Nadia Pavlovich. Libby Gault scored the final goal for the match, and the score was 7-5 at full time.

Marist’s Kelsey Snelgar was named the Most Valuable Player for the under 18 women’s division, after making an impact in each of the team’s games throughout the competition.

Watch the under 18 women’s final on YouTube here.

Quarter goals NHB:MAR
Scorers: 3:1, 1:3, 2:0, 1:1

North Harbour Maroon: Emily Sanderson, Bernadette Doyle, Nadia Pavlovich 2, Emily Nicholson, Liana Dance 2

Marist Red: Tate Renata, Libby Gault, Kelsey Snelgar, Gabby MacDonald, Ellie Tomoana

Under 18 Men’s Final

Australia Youth Barbarians versus Marist Red

A mostly Kiwi crowd didn’t stop the Australian supporters from being heard, with three of their teams in the stands cheering them on. It worked for them in the first half, where they took the lead 3-1 in the first quarter (AUS: Paynter, Smith, Rolend, MAR: Paterson).

The second quarter was 2:2, but not before Australia managed to extend their lead to three (Smith). Marist came within a goal (Ben Fleming), but Australia made the deficit two when Paynter scored with 0:09 on the clock for 5-3 at the half.

The next two goals belonged to Marist, coming from 5-on-4 plays through left-handers Nick Hermans and Calum de Jager. All of the goals in the quarter were from man-ups, including Australia’s only for the quarter from Paynter for his third.

Jake Blundell scored for Marist in front of the cage to draw level at 1:49, and had the officials reach for their penalty shoot-out forms. Australia had the ball with a minute to play, and scored at 0:38 through L Benetti. Marist couldn’t capitalise on two time outs, and Australia Youth Barbarians took the gold 7-6.

Watch the under 18 men’s final on YouTube here.

Quarter goals AUS:MAR 3:1, 2:2, 1:2, 1:1
Scorers:

Australia Youth Barbarians: W Paynter 3, C Smith 2, J Rolend, L Beneti

Marist Red: Jake Blundell, Calum de Jager, Nick Hermans, George Witana, Ben Fleming, Nick Paterson

Under 18 Women’s Bronze

Australia Green versus WaiBOP

It was the first half that sunk WaiBOP in the under 18 women’s bronze. Goals came thick and fast from Australia – they won the first half 9-3. WaiBOP gained some momentum for a credible second half, the score came as close as 10-7, but they couldn’t redeem what had already happened. Australia took the win 15-10.

Watch the under 18 women’s bronze medal match on YouTube here.

Quarter goals AUS:WBP
Scorers: 5:2, 4:1, 2:4, 4:3

Australia Green: J Oberman, A Freeman, K Hughes 2, A Hodgson 5, A La Foe 2, R Lagdon, K Dalziel 2, S Munchenbery

WaiBOP: Julia Kayes 3, Grace Elisara, Emmerson Houghton 3, Katie Lush 3

Under 18 Men’s Bronze

Tauranga versus Australia 2000

Tauranga found their rhythm after a 2-2 first quarter and blew the Australia 2000 boys out of the water. They piled 9 goals into the back of the net in the middle half of the game; only conceding two. They rested on their lead in the final quarter for 3-3 and a 15-7 final score. Cayne Dew, Justin Pickering, and Richard Sneddon were stand-outs, scoring six, four, and four goals each.

Watch the under 18 men’s bronze medal match on YouTube here.

Quarter goals TGA:AUS 2:2, 5:1, 4:1, 3:3
Scorers:

Tauranga: Cayne Dew 6, Casey Skipper, Justin Pickering 4, Richard Sneddon 4

Australia 2000: W Downes, D Kerr, H Molnar, M Oberman

The curtain has fallen on the 2016 Pan Pacific Youth Water Polo Festival. We would like to thank all 150 teams, 1500 plus athletes, and all of the teams from all four nations for what has been an absolute spectacle of water polo over the past 11 days. 8 champions were crowned, going to both New Zealand and Australian-based teams. Friendships have been formed and strengthened and they will likely never be forgotten. To all of those under 20 athletes who joined us this year for their fourth Pan Pacs: congratulations on all of your achievements and we are sure you have many fond memories to cherish.

To the referees, tournament officials, venue staff, ticket desk workers, spectators and parents – thank you for all that you have done that shaped the success of the 14th Pan Pacific Youth Water Polo Festival.

Remember that you can watch all of the medal matches which were livestreamed on Spalk on our YouTube channel here. To Spalk, and to all those who joined in to commentate – thank you!

For close to 900 photos from throughout the Festival please see here.

For full results from week one please see here. And week two, here.

Thank you for joining us in this celebration of our sport and we would love to see you again in Auckland in 2018. Haere ra, farwell, safe travels home.

For those who haven't quite had their water polo fix for this month, the NZL vs. AUS Born 2000 Test Series kicks off on Thursday night with the first of three tests at 6:30pm (girls) and 8:15pm (boys)! See here for more info. 

North Harbour and Sydney Uni take honours in under 14s

North Harbour had to go to sudden-death penalties to win their fourth Pan Pacs 2016 title – toppling Sydney Northern Beaches 9-8 in the under 14 girls’. In the boys’, Canberra 1 had the lead at half-time, but Sydney Uni Pirates turned it around to win 8-6. Tauranga A claimed the girls’ bronze over NSW Platypuses, and Marist Red collected their fourth podium-finish this year: beating North Harbour 9-4.

Under 14 Girls’ Final

North Harbour Maroon versus Sydney Northern Beaches Breakers

Sydney Northern Beaches Breakers girls had the start on Auckland’s North Harbour, scoring the first goal through L Gillis. Dana Clark evened it up by the end of the quarter with an extra-man goal for 1-1.

Dana Clark was on form and helped North Harbour gained momentum in the second quarter when she scored two goals within two minutes for 3-1 up heading into the halftime break.

The Breakers scored two goals to North Harbour’s one in the third quarter, to come within distance of making a move for the gold medal. They came out determined after the break and levelled through #12 S Hearn. Sydney couldn’t make the most of two 5-on-4 opportunities, and the score stuck at 4-4 at fulltime.

After North Harbour goalkeeper made a save in the penalty shoot-out, they had a chance to take the win but the North Harbour shooter didn’t convert down the other end. Sydney missed another, North Harbour scored – and they had claimed their 4th 2016 Pan Pacific Youth Water Polo Festival title.

Watch the under 14 girls’ final here.

Quarter goals NHB:SNB 1:1, 2:0, 1:2, 0:1. PENS: 5:4

Scorers:

North Harbour Maroon: D Clark 3, L Doak. PENS: R Dean, D Clark, L Doak, R Spark 2

Sydney Northern Beaches: L Gillis, D Lowry 2, S Hearn. PENS: D Lowry, A Gladstone, L Gillis, S Hearn

Under 14 Boys’ Final

Sydney University Pirates versus Canberra 1

It was extremely tight in the all-Aussie affair that was Sydney Uni Pirates versus Canberra. The score was drawn at 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, and 5-5 until Sydney Uni made small movements towards taking the championship – it started with Z Green’s goal after a Pirates time-out in the last play of the third quarter.

Sydney quickly made the gap two when they scored 30 seconds into the final quarter. Canberra fought back to make it one at 3:12, but the crucial goal came from K Young at 0:45 seconds to go for an 8-6 final score.

Watch the under 14 boys’ final here.

Quarter goals SUL:CBR 2:2, 1:2, 3:1, 2:1

Scorers:

Sydney Uni Pirates: K Young, N Stribac 4, Z Green, J Crameri, D McJannett

Canberra 1: M Bognolo, A Tarrant 2, M Wilson 2, A Heddle

Under 14 Girls’ Bronze

New South Wales Platypuses versus Tauranga A

Watch the under 14 girls’ bronze medal match here.

Quarter goals NSW:TGA 0:0, 1:1, 0:2, 1:0

Scorers:

New South Wales Platypuses: R Johnstone 2

Tauranga A: Lucy Mano 2, Maddie Culpan

Under 14 Boys’ Bronze

North Harbour Maroon versus Marist Red

Watch the under 14 boys’ bronze medal match here.

Quarter goals: NHB:MAR 0:2, 1:1, 1:4, 2:2

Scorers:

North Harbour Maroon: S Pooching, Y Saito, B Cooper, F Howarth-Dawson

Marist Red: R Kenno, K McDowell, F McOmish, J Klink 2, W Bason 3

Meanwhile, the under 18 men’s and women’s semi-finals were taking place at Diocesan and St. Cuthbert’s.

In the men’s, Australia Youth Barbarians got the better of Tauranga – winning 8-7. The Tauranga team did well to come back in the final moments after being down 8-5. Marist Red had to fend off a valiant Australia 2000 side, and eventually took the win 12-8.

Over at St. Cuthbert’s, North Harbour A managed to overcome Australia Green 10-6, and similarly, Marist Red prevailed over the Waikato/Bay of Plenty region combination WaiBOP 9-6.

Under 18 medal matches will all be livestreamed on Spalk – tune in from 1:10pm here. There is still time to sign up to commentate the finals – find the link here!

Check out photos from throughout the festival here.

For results and tomorrow’s full line up see here.

Harbour up for 4th gold, big day of semi-finals looms

North Harbour and Sydney Northern Beaches will contest the 14th Pan Pacific Youth Water Polo Festival under 14 girls’ final after winning their semi-finals at AUT Millennium tonight. This will mean that North Harbour have appeared in all-five gold medal matches decided thus far – whilst their under 14 boys and under 18 women will give their best over the remainder of the Festival to do the same.

North Harbour were too much for the New South Wales Platypuses, winning 9-3. In the second semi-final, it was drawn 1-1 in the first quarter but the Breakers from Sydney ran away with it 8-3 by the final whistle. North Harbour and Sydney Northern Beaches came up against one another in pool play, where North Harbour had the edge 5-4.

In the under 14 boys, North Harbour Maroon and Sydney Uni Pirates will play in the first semi-final at 9:55am at West Wave tomorrow morning, followed by Canberra 1 versus Marist Red. The closest quarter-finals went the way of Marist Red over Sea Wolf (10-8) and Sydney Uni Pirates over Hibiscus Coast (8-5).

Medal matches begin from 4:35pm, when Tauranga take on the NSW Playpuses for girls’ bronze.

All medal matches will be livestreamed on Spalk – find the link here.

Meanwhile, in the under 18 divisions, North Harbour A and Australia Green will clash in the first women’s semi-final at St. Cuthbert’s a5 6:45pm – followed by Marist Red and WaiBOP at 7:45pm.

In the under 18 men’s, Australia have the chance to make it an all-Aussie final after the Youth Barbarians and 2000s both placed at top of their pools in the championship round. They’ll take on Tauranga A and Marist Red at 5:40pm and 6:40pm at Diocesan.

For all the results and tomorrow’s draw please see here.

For plenty of photos from throughout #PanPacs2016 please see here.

Harbour take third title, Canberra champs in under 16s

North Harbour have had a dream start to the 14th Pan Pacific Youth Water Polo Festival after their under 16 girls claimed gold at the finals on Wednesday night. This is North Harbour’s third title at the 2016 Pan Pacs with the under 20s claiming double gold on Tuesday, and the club was inches away from its fourth when the under 16 boys went down in penalties against Canberra Academy. NSW Blues claimed bronze over Tauranga in the under 16 girls, and in one of two penalty matches of the evening, NSW CHS came up the 3rd place winners over Queensland.

U16 Girls’ Final

Finals nerves were apparent at the beginning of the under 16 girls’ final, as neither Marist Red nor North Harbour Maroon found the back of the net in the first quarter. In fact, the only goal of the half came from North Harbour left-hander Bernadette Doyle 11 minutes into the match – although credit must be given to both Marist and North Harbour goalkeepers for keeping their cages dry for such a long period.

Marist had the chance to equal at 3:41 when they were awarded a penalty, but they squandered the opportunity and let Doyle score her second down the other end for 2-0. Both teams didn’t step up to the mark to make the most of a 5-on-4 play, but Marist finally found their way past North Harbour goalie Bridget Layburn after nearly three quarters of the game when Caitlin Parker Allen scored. North Harbour earned an exclusion and it was Doyle who made her tally three for 3-1.

North Harbour had the chance to stretch the lead to three, but they missed their penalty and Marist made the most of their possession and scored through Issy Avis foe 3-2 with a quarter to play.

North Harbour’s Claudia Morgan was out on three, allowing Ellie Tomoana to draw level for the first time in the game at 4:32 in the last quarter. North Harbour’s Sarah Stewart had the ball and got up on her legs from range to fling one right into the back of the net for 4-3 at 2:39. After an exclusion and a time-out for each side, North Harbour had done it by the final whistle and backed up their 2014 win in both under 16s and under 14s. And just like 2014, Bernadette Doyle was named Most Valuable Player, deservingly, after scoring three of her team’s four goals.

Watch the Pan Pacs 2016 under 16 girls' final on YouTube here.

Quarter goals NHB:MAR 0:0, 1:0, 2:2, 1:1

Scorers:

North Harbour: Sarah Stewart, Bernadette Doyle 3

Marist: Ellie Tomoana, Caitlin Mary Parker Allen, Issy Avis

U16 Boys’ Final

In another low-scoring final, Canberra Academy had the start and would score half of their goals in the first quarter through Guy Paulin and Matt Hosmer. It was North Harbour’s quarter in the second, and they followed in Canberra’s footsteps to draw level 2-2 at halftime via Sam Groom and Corban Wedlock-Aston.

North Harbour stole the lead 2-3 from their first possession of the quarter thanks to Liam Wedlock-Aston, and they looked keen to keep the momentum going. However, neither team could find goal for the third quarter and North Harbour entered the final quarter in the lead 2-3.

It took Canberra 48 seconds to equalise through Guy Paulin for his second of the match, and we had a final on our hands. North Harbour nudged back ahead a minute later from a set-play which saw one of the Wedlock-Aston twins create space and find the back of the net.

Both goalkeepers had a huge role in the small score lines, which included a massive save from North Harbour’s D Harris at 1:38 to keep his team in the lead. But J Holdway had a steady head and levelled 4-4 at 1:08, and the score stuck – forcing the match to be decided by penalty shoot-out.

It came down to North Harbour’s final shot as each team had scored every penalty, and goalkeeper C Moroney made a block to his bottom right to take Canberra to their second-ever Pan Pacific Youth Water Polo Festival title. Matt Hosmer was named Most Valuable player after he scored two goals in the final.

Watch the Pan Pacs 2016 under 16 boys' final on YouTube here.

Quarter goals CBR:NHB 2:0, 0:2, 0:1, 2:1

Penalties: 5:4

Scorers:

Canberra 1: G Paulin 2, J Holdway, M Hosmer. Penalties: G Pavlin, J Holdway, N Taylor, J Frazer, M Hosmer

North Harbour Maroon: L Wedlock-Aston, S Groom, C Wedlock-Aston 2. Penalties: L Wedlock-Aston, C Wedlock-Aston, J Catlin, R Brown

U16 Girls’ Bronze

Tauranga had the lead from the get-go in the under 16 girls’ bronze medal match when Kayla Dew (2), Ashley Culpan, and Ella Pollock found the net in the first quarter. But NSW were up for a challenge and kept in touch with 3 through Georgia Dyson, Georgia Gray, and Nicola Schubert for 3-4 to Tauranga.

It was an even quarter in the second when each team scored one goal, and then NSW stepped up to score two more than Tauranga take the lead in the third quarter. Marijke Hattingh drew 8-8 level for Tauranga at 4:39, but NSW Blues caught fire for the rest of the match and scored three unanswered goals to take bronze.

Watch the Pan Pacs 2016 under 16 girls' bronze medal match on YouTube here - part recorded due to technical difficulties.

Quarter goals NSW:TGA 3:4, 1:1, 4:2, 3:1

Scorers:

NSW Blues: Georgia Dyson 3, Georgia Gray, Gemma Harding 2, Georgia Polkington, Natasha M, Nicola Schubert, Madison Reynolds 2

Tauranga A: Kayla Dew 2, Grace Elisara 2, Ashley Culpan, Ella Pollock, Shinae Carrington, Marijke Hattingh

U16 Boys’ Bronze

In a State of Origin battle for bronze, NSW CHS were leading by four midway through the third quarter, but Queensland dug deep to claw back into the game, eventually taking the lead 10-9 with 43 seconds to go, but NSW scored to force the game into penalties. New South Wales scored four to Queensland’s two to take 3rd in the under 16 boys'.

Watch the Pan Pacs 2016 under 16 boys' bronze medal match on YouTube here.

Quarter goals NSW:QLD 3:2, 3:2, 2:3, 2:3

Penalties: 4:2

Scorers:

New South Wales CHS: C Chapman, M Byrnes, M Humby 3, M Robinson 2, B Moller, H Naven 2. Penalties: M Hodge, C Chapman, M Humby, B Moller.

Queensland: Ford, Andrews 3, Fry, Quinn 3, Townsend 2. Penalties: Mackie, Townsend.

For full results from Pan Pacs Week One (U16 & U20) please see here.

For photos from tonight and throughout the festival please see here.

That's a wrap for week one! There's a whole lot more action coming on Friday when the under 14 and under 18 competitions commence! Tomorrow is the official Festival rest day, before another huge water polo week at the Pan Pacific Youth Water Polo Festival.

Thanks must go to all players, parents, coaches, managers, officials, referees, our sponsors, and everybody else behind the scenes who have helped to make the first week of the 14th Pan Pacific Youth Water Polo Festival as succssful as it was. A special thanks goes to Spalk, who assisted to bring us the commentated live streams of the under 16 and under 20 finals. We are so looking forward to see what week two will bring! Enjoy the rest day and we will see you on Friday.

Check out the draw for Week Two (U14 & U18) here.

Double gold for North Harbour in under 20s

North Harbour under 20 men backed up their women’s team’s win in the 14th Pan Pacific Youth Water Polo Festival for the club to take double titles. The win was also back-to-back for the North Harbour men, who took out the 13th Pan Pacs in 2014. North Harbour can add this to their collection of double golds, including last year's Under 19 New Zealand National Championships.

U20 Men’s Final

North Harbour had the edge after winning the Auckland League earlier in the year and prevailing over Sea Wolf 16-12 in the Pan Pacs cross-overs, but it was anyone’s game when it came to the final after four days of competition in the under 20 men’s.

North Harbour were first on the scoresheet after earning an exclusion that was scored from the wing by Jono Houzet. Sea Wolf quickly responded through Sam Fleming to level at 1-1, and then Sea Wolf pushed ahead 1-2 again through Fleming who came out firing with a strong shooting arm.

Sea Wolf kept the momentum into the second quarter and found their third of the match through Brandon Gillespie, before North Harbour called a time out to extinguish any hint of momentum and make the most of their extra-man opportunity. The move worked, allowing Jarvis Jensen to find the back of the net for 2-3. Sea Wolf restored the two-goal buffer with a shot from Serbian Jasmin Kolasinac, but North Harbour chipped away at their lead to eventually snatch it by the end of the third quarter at 7-6 up.

Sea Wolf weren’t letting go of their shot at the club’s first-ever Pan Pacs gold, and drew level 7-7 at 5:01 with everything to play for. But North Harbour’s Anton Sunde was slick and turned his player to score for 8-7, followed by Jake Lockwood with his second of the match for two goals up with 3:47 left on the clock. Two minutes had passed before anyone found the scoreboard – and it was North Harbour’s Tamati Harris who made his team’s lead three with just 1:57 to hold off Sea Wolf. Jasmin Kolasinac knew his team had to score quickly, and he did just that – 10 seconds later it was 10-8 with 1:47 to play. After a time-out from each team, the 10-8 scoreline stuck and North Harbour were the champions.
Anton Sunde was named Most Valuable Player and accepted the trophy as captain of the North Harbour team. This group won the 2010, 2014, and 2016 Pan Pacific Youth Water Polo Festival as under 14s, under 18s, and now under 20s - well done North Harbour!

Quarter goals: 1:2, 3:3, 3:1, 3:3

Scorers:

North Harbour: Jarvis Jensen, Tamati Harris 3, Jake Lockwood 2, James McLean, Anton Sunde 2, Jono Houzet.

Sea Wolf: Jasmin Kolasinac 2, Sam Fleming 3, Justin Pickering, Sam Casey, Brandon Gillespie 2.

All of the Pan Pacs under 20 medal matches were live streamed on Spalk – relive the under 20 men’s final on our YouTube channel here.

U20 Men’s Bronze

Hutt had earlier beaten Marist in the Pan Pacs cross overs, but it went down to the wire where they won in the last second of the match. This evening’s bronze medal match was similar.

Marist Mavericks made a quick start to head up 3-0 after just 3 and a half minutes (Liam Paterson, Cooper Stewart, Chris Cormack) before Hutt came into the game via Matt Hansen for 3-1 for the first quarter.

It was Cameron Hayes’ quarter in the second; he scored three goals for his side to pull them level with Marist 5-5 to make up for a slow first quarter.

Hutt took the lead in the second half, scoring from two man-up plays through duo Hansen and Hayes to be up 5-7. But Marist came right back into it, levelling, but then Hutt took off again through Watson and Hayes for restoration of the two-goal buffer. Chris Cormack had the last say of the quarter, scoring at 0:08 for 8-9 to Hutt at the break.

It looked as if Hutt would take off again when they scored through the safe hands of Cameron Hayes for his unheard of sixth goal in the final, but Marist pieced two together in less than 50 seconds for 10-10 at 4:56. Marist made it five unanswered goals which sunk Hutt with a 13-10 score line at 0:49 seconds. That didn’t stop the Wellington side giving it one last nudge: Hamish Booker scored with 23 seconds to play and Hayes finished the match on a huge seven goals on the buzzer.

Quarter goals: 3:1, 2:4, 3:4, 5:3

Scorers:

Marist: Cayne Dew 3, Ryan Pike, Liam Paterson 3, Cooper Stewart, Connor Paterson 2, Chris Cormack 3.

Hutt: Lachie Watson, Cameron Hayes 7, Hamish Booker, Mathew Hansen 3.

All of the Pan Pacs under 20 medal matches were live streamed on Spalk – relive the under 20 men’s bronze on our YouTube channel here.

For photos from today and throughout the festival please see here.

For tomorrow’s under 16 draw, and results from throughout the festival please see here.

Pan Pacs 2016 U20 Women: North Harbour take gold, Marist silver, AUS Green claim bronze

North Harbour have claimed the 14th Pan Pacific Youth Water Polo Festival under 20 women’s division after defeating Auckland rivals Marist 10-6 in this afternoon’s final at West Wave Aquatic Centre, Henderson. Waitakere were defeated by Australia Green in the bronze medal match; the visitors beating the locals 10-8 in their own pool.

U20 Women’s Final – North Harbour vs. Marist

It was the fast start from North Harbour that had Marist on the back foot from the beginning of the final. The North Shore side came out flying with goals from Liana Dance (2), Emily Nicholson (2), and Grace Tobin. North Harbour had a five-goal lead after just six minutes of play, before Marist found the scoreboard through Annabel Harman at 0:41.

Marist awoke in the second spell, but not before Emily Sanderson joined the scoresheet for 6-1 up. Marist pieced together two good goals from Harman for her second, and the other from Libby Gault toward the end of the half for 6-3 at halftime.

The three-goal buffer remained throughout the quarter as it ended at 8-5 – North Harbour had earned their lead and it stuck until early in the fourth. North Harbour extended their lead to five before Marist scored their only goal of the quarter through Kelsey Snelgar.

Ignoring the first quarter, the rest of the game was evenly-scored – a quarter that Marist will undoubtedly learn from.

North Harbour stepped up under their circumstances, and both teams can be hugely proud of what they have achieved at Pan Pacs 2016.
Emily Nicholson was named Most Valuable Player, and will be a key player for North Harbour in the under 18 competition kicking off on Friday.

Quarter scores: 5:1, 1:2, 2:2, 2:1

Goal scorers:

North Harbour: Emily Sanderson, Sarah Doyle, Katie McKenty, Grace Tobin 2, Liana Dance 2, Emily Nicholson 3.

Marist: Malia Josephson, Libby Gault 2, Annabel Harman 2, Kelsey Snelgar.

Watch the under 20 women’s final, which was livestreamed to Spalk and our YouTube channel here.

U20 Women’s Bronze – Australia Green vs. Waitakere

Waitakere had beaten Australia Gold to qualify for the semi-finals, but they let the Green team slip away from them towards the end of the under 20 women’s bronze medal match.

The two teams went toe-to-toe as the lead swung from Australia in the second, to Waitakere in the third, and back to Australia by the end of the game. The Australians held Waitakere scoreless in the final quarter and scored three of their own to take the bronze.

S Miliken and A Lush were key for Australia in front of goal, scoring three goals each.

Quarter scores: 1:1, 3:2, 3:5, 3:0

Goal scorers:

Australia Green: A Freeman, A Andrews 3, A Byrnes, A Hodgson, H Ballestry, S Miliken 3.

Waitakere: Bonnie Crawshaw-McLean, Emmerson Houghton 2, Katie Lush 3, Sophie Jones, Brogan Houghton.

Watch the under 20 women’s bronze final, which was livestreamed to Spalk and our YouTube channel here.

Meanwhile in the under 20 men’s, North Harbour overcame Marist Mavericks 11-10 to qualify for tonight’s under 20 men’s final, and Sea Wolf did the same by beating Hutt 17-12.

The under 20 men’s bronze medal will be played at 6:45pm at West Wave tonight, followed by the under 20 men’s final at 8:00pm.

For more results from across the pools, as well as the draw, please see here.

For photos from today and throughout the tournament please see here.

Pan Pacs 2016: Under 20 women’s finalists found, men reach crunch time - Under 16 quarter-finalists revealed

There are a few places to be on day four of the 2016 Pan Pacific Youth Water Polo Festival as the tournaments reach the pointy end!

Under 20 Women

Marist and North Harbour have cleared the field in the under 20 women’s competition to qualify for the grand final after winning their semi-finals this evening at St. Cuthbert’s College. Waitakere will round out the third of four Kiwi teams in the top four, whilst Australia Green will be keen to nab a bronze ahead of the under 18 competition next week.

Marist (NZL) vs. Waitakere (NZL)

Waitakere fought their way into the semi-finals by beating Australia Gold early in the afternoon, but they couldn’t back it up in their semi against Marist. Marist took a quick run of goals through Malia Josephson, Mikayla Eruera, and Annabel Harman to go up 3-0 after the first quarter.

Kelsey Snelgar made the gap four for Marist from a 5-on-4, before Waitakere switched into gear and upped their defence to hold Marist for the next six minutes, and managed to score two of their own through Aimee Cogger and Brogan Houghton with an achievable 5-2 halftime score.

Waitakere’s Katie Lush gave away a penalty to let Marist’s Josephson score her second, but the West Auckland side bounced back in the next possession to earn two man-up plays, working the ball to let Emmerson Houghton make her mark for 6-3. Marist moved up the pool to score through Tate Renata and head up 7-3, but Katie Lush had the last say of the quarter and it was 7-4 with a quarter to play.

Marist stepped it up in the fourth to score two quick goals in just over a minute in the fourth (Mikayla Eruera, Gabbie Milicich), to steer Waitakere down the path of a five-goal deficit. Two more goals were scored (Marist’s Snelgar with a penalty, Waitakere’s Lush) but the buffer remained for a 10-5 final score.

Goals:

Marist 10 (Tate Renata, Malia Josephson 2, Gabbie Milicich 2, Mikayla Eruera 2, Annabel Harman, Kelsey Snelgar 2)

Waitakere 5 (Aimee Cogger, Emmerson Houghton, Katie Lush 2, Brogan Houghton)

North Harbour (NZL) vs. Australia Gold (AUS)

It took over three minutes and five exclusions including a penalty opportunity for either North Harbour or Australia Green to score in the second under 20 women’s semi-final. It was North Harbour’s Katie McKenty who put her name on the scoresheet first at 3:48, and the next goal didn’t come for another three minutes as A Lefoe found the back of the net for the young Australians. There were only 35 seconds left in the quarter, but North Harbour strung together two goals: a penalty scored by Jess Marsden, and a 0:01 buzzer-beater from Emily Nicholson at halfway where the ball bounced off the left and right posts for a coast-to-coast. North Harbour had the edge with a 3-1 lead after the first seven minutes.

In a strong second quarter, they held Australia to one goal (Indie Halligan) and scored two of their own (Katie McKenty, Sarah Doyle) to push their lead out to three.

The North Shore side pushed it out to four with McKenty’s third, before Australia scored two goals in 50 seconds (A Freeman, A Andrews), forcing North Harbour to call a time-out to extinguish the Aussie momentum. It worked initially, North Harbour drew an exclusion and allowed McKenty’s fourth goal, but Australia fired up to come right back into the match and head into the fourth one-goal down at 7-6.

Emily Nicholson was pivotal for North Harbour and left Australia Green searching for answers as she scored a hugely impressive three goals in a row to effectively sink Australia with a four-goal lead and the momentum. Grace Tobin put the icing on the cake for North Harbour as they went five up with 3:42 and put a finals berth out of reach for the Australians. North Harbour goalkeeper Alisha Winstanley – fresh from a season in the NZWPNL with the North Harbour CBS women – was a huge presence in goal, saving a penalty which marked a shift in momentum in the match. The final few minutes were hectic, with an exclusion, a penalty, a goal, and a yellow and red card the way of North Harbour as the match wound up at 12-7 in favour of the Auckland club.

Goals:

North Harbour 12 (Sarah Doyle, Jessica Marsden 2, Katie McKenty 4, Grace Tobin, Emily Nicholson 4)

Australia Gold: 7 (Indi Halligan, A Freeman, A Andrews 2, A Hodgson, A Lefoe, S Miliken)

Under 20 Men

Hutt and North Harbour have emerged as the top two sides of the championship round in the under 20 men’s, but each side had to prove themselves to get there. Hutt snatched a one-goal victory in the final second over Marist Mavericks yesterday, and came up trumps against Australia 2000 by the same margin. North Harbour found their match in the North San Diego Stars by drawing 14-14, and had to fend off a valiant Sea Wolf 16-12.

Defending Pan Pacs champions North Harbour will take on Marist Mavericks in the first semi-final at 12:35 at the National Aquatic Centre, whilst Hutt will play Sea Wolf in the second. This means that seven of eight teams in the women’s and men’s top four are New Zealand-based out of an impressive international field.

In the plate round, NSW Blues are looking strong and haven’t dropped a match – their closest rivals were TauWai Taniwha this evening at 19-13.

Under 16 Girls

In the under 16 girls’, South Africa, NSW Waratahs, North Harbour Maroon, and Tauranga A have come out on top and will contest the quarter-finals against Marist Red, NSW Blues, Canberra 1, and Queensland, respectively. Two quarter-finals take place at Diocesan (10:30am, 11:40am), and two at St. Cuthbert’s (10:10am, 11:00am). The visiting sides have impressed and will make up five of eight top sides.

Under 16 Boys

In the under 16 boys’, defending champions Tauranga have dipped out, leaving NSW CHS, Queensland, Canberra, and North Harbour on top, with NSW Blues, Marist Red, North San Diego, and Waitakere Gold hot on their heels. The boys’ quarter-finals take place at Sacred Heart (9:40am, 10:30am) and West Wave (9:55am, 10:45am) on Tuesday morning.

Look at the results and draw here to find out everywhere you need to be tomorrow.

Check out all of our photos from throughout the Festival here.