The Senior Men missed a huge opportunity to close the gap on runaway league leaders Waitematā with a 1–1 draw at Te Atatu on Saturday. Waiheke had already notched two impressive wins over Te Atatu this season but any hopes of another easy victory were dashed when the hosts opened the scoring in the 21st minute with a clinical breakaway against the run of play. Waiheke showed flair and finesse in possession but for the second match in a row, lacked a killer touch in front of goal. Te Atatu packed their defence hoping to protect their narrow lead and snatch an upset win but midfield maestro Lauti Latorre gave Waiheke a lifeline with a stunning equaliser in the 69th minute. It was one way traffic in the final twenty minutes as Waiheke poured forward in search of a winning goal but at the final whistle the men in red were again left disappointed and frustrated. With ten games left to play Waiheke still trail Waitematā by seven points and need to beat second placed Northland at home this Saturday to have any real chance of claiming the Northern Conference title. • Carl Grimmer
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© Waiheke Gulf News Ltd
