New Caledonia women faced Solomon Islands women in a friendly international on September 26th, 2026, losing 0-1 after M. Arukau's late strike. The match took place in Nouméa, with the visitors securing all three points despite a patient approach from the hosts. By then, New Caledonia had already built up a pattern of narrow defeats in their recent run of fixtures.
The decisive moment arrived in the 81st minute when Arukau found space to slot home. It was a quiet breakthrough in a match where neither side created many clear chances. The goal came after a period of stalemate, and it was enough to separate the two Pacific nations.
New Caledonia's recent form offers context for the result. They had lost 0-5 to Vanuatu just three days earlier, and before that suffered a 2-4 defeat against Indonesia. Their only win in that span came 2-1 against Vanuatu in early March, though that result now feels distant. The visitors, meanwhile, came off a 1-0 victory over Fiji and a 1-1 draw with Vanuatu, showing more consistency of late.
The result leaves Solomon Islands with momentum heading into future fixtures. They have not won since their February clash with American Samoa, and this victory changes that narrative. For New Caledonia, the defeat extends a run of losses that has seen them concede heavily in several recent outings.