The Solomon Islands women’s national team coach, Daniel Barrett, says fatigue and injuries were major factors in today’s heavy semifinal defeat to Papua New Guinea at the MSG Prime Minister’s Cup 2025.
Speaking after the 5–0 loss, Barrett acknowledged the challenge his squad faced with a congested match schedule and limited recovery time.
“We had only one day rest going into the Fiji game, then two days into today’s game,” Barrett said. “We ran out of energy — and you can’t do that against a quality side like PNG. Credit to PNG today; they were very good, and we just couldn’t match them.”
The Solomon Islands also suffered setbacks through injuries, including a worrying blow to midfielder Madelyn Arukau.
“I’ll check on Madelyn’s welfare and see what condition she’s in,” Barrett said.
“There are girls who have played big minutes this whole tournament and given 100% for their country. But today we just couldn’t go the distance with the short squad we’ve got.”
Despite the loss, Barrett is turning his attention to Saturday’s third-place playoff, where the Solomons will face Vanuatu.
“I’m looking forward to learning more from my team,” he said.
“I’ve only been in this job for about four weeks, and this Melanesian tournament before World Cup qualifiers has given me so much intel. In games like today, you learn more about your team than on any other occasion.”
With limited time before their final match of the competition, Barrett says the focus will once again be on recovery, welfare, and regaining energy for one last push.
The Solomon Islands will now aim to finish the tournament on a positive note as they fight for a podium spot this Saturday.