Solomons beat Cooks

The Cook Islands under 17 men’s soccer team was defeated by Solomon Islands in their final match at the Oceania Under 17 Men’s Championships in Auckland by four goals to one.

The Solomons scored first when Solo Kuki found the net with a strike from the edge of the box.

Cooks player Tamaiva Smith pounced just before half time to draw Cook Islands level and give them a fighting chance to add to their sole win at the tournament, a 6-2 triumph over Tonga.

The local squad had several goal scoring opportunities but failed to make them count and the Solomons punished the Cooks with three more goals to extend their lead by four goals to one.

Cook Islands coach Tuka Tisam thought his team worked hard but struggled to maintain their effort over the 90 minutes.

“We did very well in the first half and it was good to equalise just before half-time – that’s always a great time to score,” he says.

“We gave ourselves a chance to go on and get something from the match.”

In the last day of action today, Vanuatu will take on Solomon Islands in the 3rd and 4th place play-off before the grand final showdown between New Zealand and Tahiti at 4pm.

The Cook Islands team is due home on Thursday.