Four goals in eleven minutes late in the second half saw the New Zealand Under-19 Development Squad score a come-from-behind 4-1 victory over Central Soccer at Napier's Park Island on November 13, a result which saw the youngsters finish top of the unofficial Lion Foundation National Women's League table. A cagey first half saw the Under-19s first threaten in the eighth minute. Kelly Tunnicliffe played the ball through for Helen Collins, who, with Sarah Gregorius' assistance, overcame the challenge posed by Chelsea Aim before lashing wide from twenty-five yards. When Central first threatened, in the nineteenth minute, they opened the scoring, courtesy an own goal. Tina Stevenson's corner was headed skywards by Collins, her attempt to head clear eventually spinning back and over the despairing leap of Bianca Mori. This stirred the young visitors into life, and within two minutes, Ria Percival had shot at Tina Kopelic after Tunnicliffe and Collins had combined. Three minutes later, Collins went solo, muscling her way through only to encounter Elina Tito-Smyth - the phrase “Thou Shalt Not Pass” could well have been written with her in mind! The Under-19s produced a super move in the 25th minute which was well deserving of better fate. Maggie Lankshear, Kimberley Lewis and Annalie Longo interchanged passes, with the last-mentioned playing a lovely one-two with the first-mentioned before playing in Gregorius. Her chip on the run had Kopelic beaten all ends up, only to hit the crossbar. After Tunnicliffe had blazed wide following more hard work by Collins, the same player pounced on Lauren McKeown, who crazily tried to dribble out of her penalty area despite facing her own goal. Gregorius was the chief beneficiary of Tunnicliffe's doggedness, her jinking run culminating in a shot which was deflected to safety, eleven minutes before half-time. The second spell saw the Under-19s unleash all their guns on the Central combination, with Renee Leota the first to make an impact on proceedings. She played Collins through, and her dipping thirty-yarder, struck early in her run, arced over Kopelic and hit the bar. The goalkeeper greedily grabbed the rebound. Kirsty “Ice” Yallop was next to feature, the midfielder picking up her new nickname soon after finding herself on the wrong end of Nikki Wenzlick's elbow in an aerial duel. Cue a beaut black eye for the New Zealand International Young Player of the Year finalist, and ice packs galore to apply to her shiner! After Aim's sound defensive work had thwarted Leota, and Kopelic had easily dealt with Sam Selwyn's long-range effort, the Under-19s produced another neat move on the hour. Longo played the ball inside for Emma Harrison, whose angled through ball was swept goalwards first-time on the run by Leota. Kopelic got down quickly and well to save low to her left. Seconds later, Longo loomed large again, releasing Nicole Stratford with a superb first-time pass down the left. The winger crossed for Leota, whose header was pawed out by Kopelic, a goalkeeper who was to see even more action before the finish as the majority of her team-mates wilted under the Under-19s' sustained pressure. Kopelic and Aim were nearly punished by the persistent Leota in the 68th minute, as the striker's pressure almost paid off thanks to a communications breakdown, while the goalkeeper looked on as a

Ria Percival Sam Selwyn Renee Leota Nicole Stratford

Collins drive flashed past her post, Yallop - now back in the thick of the action - having sparked this opportunity with a surging run and one-two with Harrison before seeing her shot blocked. Fourteen minutes from time, the goal the Under-19s richly deserved for their pressure and patience finally materialised. Ria Percival whipped in a dangerous corner which Central failed to clear, and the well-performed Hannah Rishworth gleefully hooked the ball home over Kopelic - 1-1. This sparked an onslaught from the youngsters. Abby Erceg sent a header careering past the post before Kopelic pulled off a brilliant save to turn Collins' dipping twenty-five yarder over the bar, after Rishworth had stripped the hard-working Emere Bell of possession and linked with Percival, Katie Hoyle and Yallop. Ten minutes from time, Collins charged into the penalty area and was nearly tripped for her troubles. She stumbled on and fired goalwards, forcing Kopelic to tip her shot over for a corner. Percival's delivery was missed by everybody as it fizzed low through the crowd and into the net by the far post - 2-1 to the youngsters. Another spritely interchange soon followed, with Selwyn and Leota linking on the left before Percival commandeered proceedings. After beating an opponent, she turned the ball inside for Yallop, whose first-time lay-off set up Leota for a shot. The ball sailed over the bar. It sailed under it a minute later, as the youngsters extended their lead to 3-1. Petria Rennie led this attack, Yallop heading her lofted ball through for Gregorius. Her well-weighted cross picked out Leota, who directed an angled header wide of Kopelic into the bottom far corner of the net. 3-1 became 4-1 three minutes from time, with the move starting deep in the Under-19s half. Rishworth played back to Mori, who immediately played the ball wide to Selwyn. Yallop and Leota were next to partake in proceedings, the latter releasing Percival down the left. She skipped round the tiring figure of Aim before pulling the ball back from the byline for Collins, who greatly relished scoring at the right end in this match. Stevenson showed some fighting spirit late on with a surging run past four opponents, but Erceg's intervention confirmed a 4-1 triumph for the Under-19s, the next assignment for some of whom will see those aged sixteen and under back in Napier in mid-December, for the Under-14 and Under-16 age grade tournaments. Central, meanwhile, take on Auckland at Bill McKinlay Park next Saturday, with a place in the Lion Foundation National Women's League Grand Final against Capital Soccer at North Harbour Stadium the reward for the victors. Central:     Kopelic; Aim, McKeown, Stembridge (Foulkes, 63), Tito-Smyth (Saunders, 43) (Stevenson, 71); Saunders (Soffe, 20) (Tito-Smyth, 81), Wenzlick, Wiebe, Green (Scott, 29) (Hartley, 64); Bell (Hartley, 20) (Bell, 46), Stevenson (Green, 40) NZ U-19s:     Mori; Erceg, Baldwin (Rennie, 46), Rishworth, Lewis (Selwyn, 46); Stratford (Percival, 15) (Harrison, 40) (Gregorius, 71), Longo (Hoyle, 46), Lankshear (Yallop, 46) (Longo, 56) (Yallop, 64), Tunnicliffe (Stratford, 54) (Percival, 67); Collins, Gregorius (Leota, 46) Referee:     Kay Smith