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| Roni Lipi 2018 W-League Champion Photo TJF Photo |
W-League champion, Kelly Cup winner, Semi Finalist in the Kate Sheppard Cup, Wellington United Diamonds Player of the year, finalist for W-League player of the year, an international call up and being made captain of the Samoa National Women's Team, 2018 was a pretty stellar year for Wellington United goalkeeper Ronisi Lipi.
The fact that this all came in her first season back playing after a three year hiatus is all the more amazing and shows the determination and character of Lipi.
It was when she was about 8, living in her birth country of America Samoa, her neighbour came around and asked if Roni wanted to come and help make up the numbers in their football team. They not only needed the numbers but also a goalie and so with no gloves and no real idea of what to do except being allowed to use her hands Roni became a goalkeeper.
A move soon after to Samoa and the village of Lufilufi saw her flirt with rugby, but her mother encouraged her her to stick with football. A further move to New Zealand, saw her in the unique position of becoming eligible for four International countries in American Samoa, USA, Samoa & New Zealand. At the time she didn't even consider any of this and just enjoyed playing initially for Miramar Rangers and the Wellington reps.
In 2010, while attending Wellington East Girls College, she joined Waterside Karori. Coach Mike Green described her as challenging at times, but an outstanding keeper and had no qualms about starting the then 14 year old in the Central League side. It was a pretty impressive side that included future Football Ferns, CJ Bott, Emma Rolston, Reene Leota and age group internationals Julia Baldwin and Briar Palmer, add to that Roni in goal and it was probably no real surprise that Waterside Karori won their first Central League title in 2011 going through the season unbeaten scoring 91 and conceding only 10 goals.
The same year Roni was selected for New Zealand U17s. Roni played five games for the U17s against Australia, Argentina (twice), Cook Islands & Papua New Guinea and has the enviable record of never having conceded a goal whilst playing for NZ. She also won the Oceania U17 women's title, which qualified the team for the World Cup in Azerbaijan. She never got on the field in Azerbaijan but describes it as an awesome experience. In 2014 it was the U20s and she was again selected for the World Cup in Canada, but this time an injury prevented her from getting on the field.
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| Roni lining up with the NZ U17 team before game v Australia in 2011 Photo Ultimate NZ Soccer |
At the end of 2014, Roni had just finished school and decided to explore the world ending up in Hawaii where she reconnected with some of her family. The major issue she found with Hawaii is that it was a place that loved American Football as much as New Zealand loves Rugby, meaning finding a football team to play for, never mind a women's football team was extremely difficult. When she found one it was a three hour round trip from where she was staying so for the next three years Roni didn't play football.
When she returned to Wellington last year, she was in demand with three clubs wanting her to play for them. It was Wellington United that she opted for which she puts down to coach Guillermo Schiltenwolf saying he was the most enthusiastic, presented the best option and has built a fantastic family culture at Wellington United which she felt right at home in. Guillermo says "Roni is a positive player with a fantastic work ethic. She brings out the best in the players around her. She is a leader on and off the field and the epitome of our team values"
He also describes her as "fiercely determined" a factor Roni puts down to her mother who she takes most of her motivation and drive from.
While three years out of the game dropped her off the New Zealand International radar, a cousin working for the Samoan Football Association was aware of her putting the gloves on again and tipped of a coaching colleague. With the Samoan FA investing seriously in women's football and looking at Samoan players based all over the world (The team currently includes players playing in USA, Australia, New Zealand & Samoa). Roni saw it as the chance to give something back to her mothers country and took the field for Samoa. An injury kept her out of the first game in the Oceania Nations Cup, but her disappointment at this was more than made up for when coach Nicola Demaine announced that she was the teams captain!
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| Samoa WNT including Roni Lipi (Number 1 of course) Photo Samoa FA |
Roni was well surprised, especially as she is only 23, she puts it down to the fact that despite meeting many of the players for the first time in a training camp in Fiji, they just clicked and a mutual respect was easily built. Her first game as captain was an incredible 5-5 draw with traditional Oceania powerhouse, Tahiti.
Samoa's focus in 2019 is the South Pacific Games, which are being hosted in Samoa. Samoa have been invited to train in China for four months, a camp that will be mainly attended by Samoan based players. Roni isn't attending, instead taking her place between the sticks for Wellington United, for whom she became their 30th international player and the fourth goalkeeper from the club to win international honours.
Her club captain at Wellington United, Sandy Cumpstone, sums up Roni the best when she says "She is by far one of the most committed keepers we have ever had donning the United badge, She is also a real leader both on and off the pitch, she exudes confidence and backs it up through control and clinical passing out from the back and is never afraid to put her body on the line to make a save (even if it's with her face!)"
2018 was a stellar year for Ronisa Lipi, here's hoping 2019 will be even better
Ronisa (Roni) Lipi
Appearances
Samoa 3
New Zealand U17 5
Capital Football 4
Waterside Karori 59
Wellington United 17
Miramar Rangers 1
Honours
Oceania U17 Champions 2012
W-League 2018
Central League 2011
Kelly Cup 2011
2018
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| Roni with Kelly Cup 2018 Photo TJF Photo |
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