Wellington Phoenix reserves goalkeeper Oliver Sail charged up the field to celebrate Max Mata's winning goal against Team Wellington on Sunday.

Wellington Phoenix reserve team coach Andy Hedge has praised his side's resilience after beating defending national league champions Team Wellington.

The youngsters lost senior professional Ryan Lowry to injury early in the game, but repelled a series of attacks to go into halftime down just 1-0 at David Farrington Park on Sunday.

With a strong southerly at their backs in the second half, they produced some outstanding football, which was rewarded by 16-year-old Max Mata's brace to earn them a deserved 2-1 win.

MARTY MELVILLE/PHOTOSPORT Referee Mathew Conger has to separate Team Wellington and Wellington Phoenix reserves players early in their match on Sunday.

Hedge said the win was as much about what they did off the ball as on it.

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"At times we struggled in possession, but out of possession I thought they were outstanding from the first minute to the last.

PHOTOSPORT Wellington Phoenix reserve team player Logan Rogerson (right) dribbles with the ball as Team Wellington's Bill Robertson sets off in pursuit.

"They battled really hard and weren't prepared to be bullied and in the end I think they almost bullied Team Wellington, which is tough to do for a bunch of 15, 16, and 17 year olds.

"The thing that won it for us was just their character and hard work. That perserverance of doing the right things in the right areas and battling for the win, there is no better example of doing that than today."

The Phoenix were surprisingly combative against their older foes, matching it in the challenges and niggling away to cause many Team Wellington players great frustration.

MARTY MELVILLE/PHOTOSPORT Team Wellington's Ben Harris scored his side's goal, but they ultimately lost to the Wellington Phoenix reserves.

The result could have been different if Team Wellington's Cameron Howieson and Joel Stevens had buried their chances in the opening 10 minutes. Both fired open shots from the edge of the box wide of Oliver Sail's goal.

Ben Harris opened the scoring in the 20th minute as he rose to meet an Andy Bevin cross at the back post. Team Wellington had a similar chance on the stroke of halftime, but Sail denied Stevens' header with an amazing left-hand save.

Team Wellington dropped away in the second half as the Phoenix surged back at them and created a host of clear-cut chances.

Logan Rogerson should have equalised in the 55th minute, but somehow managed to stick his shot at an open goal at the back post wide of the target.

A trio of Team Wellington defensive errors 15 minutes from time allowed Mata to spare his Rogerson's blushes.

First, Bill Robertson missed a clearance, which goalkeeper Scott Basalaj raced out to clear, but was unable to clean up. The ball fell to Justin Gulley, but his clearance only found Mata on the edge of the box, who placed a cool finish into an empty net.

The Phoenix continued to press and were rewarded in injury time when Rogerson beat his man down the line and crossed for Mata to bundle in from close range.

It condemned Team Wellington to their second successive defeat to start their Stirling Sports Premiership title defence.

As it was against Auckland City in a 4-0 loss in week one, individual errors cost them.

Their coach, Jose Figueira, was left to wonder what could have been in the first half.

"I was really pleased with the first half display. We looked dangerous going forward and probably could have been out of sight. We created enough chances to really be in the lead and take control of the game.

"In the second half, a lack of focus and getting frustrated with things was what probably cost us and not sticking to what we need to be doing, but there is a long way to go and these errors are hopefully easily corrected."

AT A GLANCE

Wellington Phoenix reserves 2 (Max Mata 75', 90') Team Wellington 1 (Ben Harris 20'). HT: 0-1.