Northern Football and the Auckland U-20s squad produced a riveting 3-3 draw in their ASB Women’s Youth League encounter at Fred Taylor Park on January 29, the visitors drawing level in the last minute after Northern had mounted a stirring comeback late in the second half. The match got off to a firecracker start with both teams scoring within a minute of each other before the seven minute mark had elapsed. Northern were first to strike, with Kate Seatter getting the better of Hannah Carlsen on the right before checking inside and crossing beyond the powerful Hannah Wilkinson. Megan Lee was lurking behind her team-mate, and neatly controlled the ball before unleashing an unerring twenty yard drive over the head of Ashleigh Cox and into the top far corner of the net to put the home team in front. Their joy was short-lived. Straight from the kick-off, Auckland produced a patient build-up featuring their impressive midfield trio of Carlsen, Rebecca Burrows and captain Nadia Pearl. The first-mentioned laid the ball back to Jessie Verdon, who lobbed the ball forward. Northern’s Rebecca O’Neill stepped in to cut out her pass, but lost control of the ball to Rosie White, some twenty-five yards from goal. The striker produced a sublime piece of skill to outfox both O’Neill and Bridgette Armstrong and leave herself with a clear run on goal. White surged into the penalty area before battering a beauty beyond Erin Nayler - another "Golazo" from the "Golazo Girl"! That strike allowed Auckland to settle, and they began to gain the upper hand. Five minutes after the goal, fortune denied them a second. Burrows’ corner was cleared to Steph Skilton, who thundered a thirty yarder through the gathered throngs. The ball crashed against the crossbar, down against the back of the diving figure of Nayler and back onto the post before ricocheting off the back of the by now prone goalkeeper and out of play for another corner. This resulted in an angled cross from Hannah Wall which Seatter misjudged - not the smartest thing to do when White is loitering with intent on your blindside! The striker moved in for the kill, but Nayler, who had seen the danger, produced a fine save at the feet of the scorer to curtail the threat. Northern responded through both Wilkinson and Caitlin Smallfield, with the former firing over from six yards before the latter shot wide of the target moments later, both attempts materialising before the quarter hour mark. From the resulting short goal-kick, Cox put herself under unnecessary pressure by misjudging the speed of the fast-approaching Wilkinson, whose pressure resulted in the ‘keeper’s attempted clearance ricocheting off the striker and across the face of goal. Claudia Crasborn was first to react to the situation, and duly cleared the danger, much to the relief of Cox, who redeemed herself in the eighteenth minute by smothering a low cross from Wilkinson after she had jinked past two opponents down the right before endeavouring to pick out Lee in the goalmouth. Auckland took the lead in the 24th minute. White was felled some twenty-five yards out from goal on the angle, but brushed off the effects of the blow in the best possible manner. She hammered the free-kick at the target, the shot being too hot for Nayler to handle cleanly. Skilton, like any good striker should in the circumstances, was following in, and duly despatched the loose ball into the back of the net, much to the ‘keeper’s chagrin. This enthralling encounter was now becoming an end-to-end affair, with some delightful flowing football from both teams spoilt only by the final ball - more often than not it was intercepted, rather than being inaccurate in nature. Lee stung the gloves of Cox with a twenty-yarder just after the half-hour mark before Northern introduced Katie Bowen to the fray, an early substitute for Hannah Hoeksema. It was the individual battle between Wilkinson and Maia Jackman which was catching the eye, however, with the defender edging the battle on points. The tackle she executed on her younger rival in the 36th minute stopped Wilkinson dead in her tracks, but Smallfield was following up, and let fly with a twenty-five yarder which dipped narrowly over the bar. Scrambling Auckland defence kept Northern at bay as the home team sought an equaliser over the course of the next five minutes, to which the visitors responded with a neat 41st minute eight-pass interchange involving Pearl, White, Carlsen, Skilton and Wall. The last-mentioned laid the ball back to Burrows, who thundered a thirty-yarder over the bar.

Hannah Wall (Auck) and Hannah Wilkinson (Nor) Maia Jackman (Auck) beats Megan Lee (Nor) Jess Innes (Nor) edges out Briony Fisher (Auck) Becky Burrows (Auck) and Liz Milne (Nor) clash Caitlin Smallfield (Nor) holds off Nadia Pearl (Auck) Claudia Crasborn (Auck) shields from Katie Bowen (Nor)

A minute before the break, a lofted ball forward by Verdon saw White beat Nayler in the air, only to direct the ball narrowly past the post - a real let-off for Northern, who looked to equalise through their captain ninety seconds into the second half. Cox was right behind Caitlin Campbell’s thirty yard piledriver on this occasion, and looked on with relief just after the hour mark as a Campbell shot from similar range cleared the bar by not a lot. And a thirty-five yard free-kick from the headgear-wearing number seven left Cox beaten all ends up, only to land on the roof of the net. Prior to these two efforts, Auckland bossed the midfield, with Carlsen, Burrows and Pearl comfortably dictating terms for some fifteen to twenty minutes. During this spell, the visitors engineered three opportunities of note, the first of which saw Briony Fisher’s ball in behind O’Neill - she slipped at the vital moment - let in Wall in the 48th minute. Nayler hurtled off her line to save at her Junior Ferns’ team-mate’s feet on this occasion, while five minutes later the ‘keeper pawed out a Skilton cross after Pearl had released her down the left. Wall swooped on the dropping ball, controlled it neatly and pulled the trigger, the goal yawning in front of her. As she struck the sphere, O’Neill’s despairing lunge paid off, the defender’s tackle diverting the ball into the side-netting. Just prior to the hour, Pearl and Carlsen - soon to be booked by referee Chris Wolken for returning to the field of play without permission - worked a one-two before White was released through the inside right channel. Armstrong forced her away from goal, but White was able to lay the ball back to Wall, who checked inside and unleashed a curling twenty-yarder which was matched in its quality by the fine diving save Nayler executed to keep it out. Around the time Jess Innes was introduced to the game, Northern began to get on top of their cross-town rivals, and after Cox had tipped a long-range effort from Liz Milne round the post, Wilkinson was only denied a 73rd minute equaliser by the offside flag. Three minutes later, there was no such saving grace for Auckland, as Northern conjured up a deserved equaliser. Campbell spread the ball wide to Innes, who whipped in a delicious cross to the far post. Wilkinson came roaring in to head home, and celebrated gleefully. Seven minutes from time, the scorer turned provider, as Northern took the lead. Down the right Wilkinson thundered, powering past three before setting up Bowen. The first half substitute steered an angled first-time shot across Cox and into the far corner of the net - 3-2 Northern, and Auckland facing a real fight to avoid defeat. Straight from the kick-off, the visitors went on the offensive in a big way - defeat was simply not an option for Auckland, and throughout the remainder of the match, they pounded away in search of an equaliser. Crasborn was pushed into the attack, and Jackman picked her out four minutes from time. Armstrong stepped in to avert the danger and played the ball back to Nayler, who sliced her clearance straight to Burrows. Her twenty-yarder deflected for a corner, which was cleared. Two minutes later, Skilton switched play to Wall, who judged the bounce of the ball well before running on and unleashing a shot which Nayler was, wrongly, adjudged to have carried over the dead-ball line as she made the save. Wall wasted no time in firing in another corner, then another, and still another. The last one was cleared to White, twenty-five yards out from goal, and a minute left on the clock. Another "Golazo"? You’d better believe it - the ball arced over Nayler’s head and sailed into the top far corner - 3-3, and still time for a winner. Auckland sought it, Skilton leading the charge. She played a ball in behind the defence which Nayler was favourite to win, but which Wall anticipated superbly. The ball ricocheted off the attacker and narrowly past the post, the last chance in a gripping local derby which was a fine advertisement for the women’s game in New Zealand, and enjoyed a fitting result for two well-matched sides. Northern:     Nayler; Seatter, Armstrong, O’Neill, Ray; Hoeksema (Bowen, 34), Campbell, Milne, Lee (Innes, 70); Wilkinson, Smallfield Auckland:     Cox; Fisher, Crasborn, Jackman, Verdon; Carlsen (booked, 61), Pearl, Burrows; Wall, White, Skilton Referee:     Chris Wolken