Earthquakes defender Kip Colvey has had a banner year so far in 2016. He was drafted by the Quakes in the third round of the SuperDraft, earned an MLS contract with strong play during preseason, made his first senior team appearance for New Zealand and now has a chance to lift his first piece of hardware.
On Wednesday, Colvey and the NZ All Whites defeated New Caledonia 1-0 to advance to the Oceania Football Confederation Nations Cup. Colvey played a full 90 in the shutout victory and has quickly proved to be a vital part of the Kiwis defense, starting and playing 90 minutes in three of the four matches to date.
So far this tournament, New Zealand has been untouchable, claiming victories over Fiji (3-1), Vanuatu (5-0) and Solomon Islands (1-0), before taking down New Caledonia in the semis. The Colvey-led defense has surrendered just one goal in four matches.
New Zealand puts their undefeated record on the line in the Final against tournament hosts Papua New Guinea (2-2-0), which kicks off at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby on Saturday, June 11 at 4 p.m. local time (Friday, June 10 at 11 p.m. PT).
