The Fiji U15 Girls side finished in fifth place at the OFC U15 Girls Development Tournament held at Churchill Park in Lautoka.

Coached by Louisa Simmons, the young Fiji side showed determination and fighting spirit throughout the competition against some of the region’s strongest teams.

Fiji started their campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 win over the Cook Islands and a 3-0 loss to New Zealand. Fiji then went down 1-0 to New Caledonia in another closely contested match.

One of Fiji’s best performances came against the Solomon Islands in the fifth-place playoff encounter. Trailing 2-0 during the match, the local side staged a strong comeback to level the scores 2-2 at full-time.

The match was then decided through penalty kicks, where Fiji held their nerve to secure a 4-3 victory and claim fifth place in the tournament.

Despite the mixed results, the tournament provided valuable international exposure for the young squad as they continue their development in women’s football.