A thirteen-year-old record was cast aside at Burnside Park, Christchurch, on September 5, as Auckland crushed South Canterbury 15-0 to fully justify their favouritism at the 1999 National Women’s Soccer Tournament. The scoreline is a new record victory in the history of National Tournaments, the previous record result also having belonged to Auckland, who dismissed Marlborough 13-1 during the 1986 tournament. The “A Team” started slowly, as they struggled to come to terms with South Canterbury’s outlandish offside system - at one stage in the first half, an Auckland player was adjudged to be in an offside position just two yards inside South Canterbury’s half of the field!! Alisse Robertson was the first to go close, her teasing cross-shot striking the post in the fifth minute, with no-one in a blue jersey reacting to the rebound. Seconds later, Rebecca Sowden scampered down the right and pinged over a lovely cross which Amanda Crawford couldn’t quite get her head over, the ball clearing the crossbar by a foot at most. Julie Jamieson headed a twenty-five yarder from Crawford off the line in the eleventh minute, after a probing Amy Goaziou through ball had been cleared off the boot of Maia Jackman by goalkeeper Anna Galbraith. Within seconds, Auckland were in front, Sowden unleashing a cracking twenty yard screamer with her left foot which fair sailed into the net beyond the bemused figure of Galbraith. Five minutes later, Jennifer Kelley left a couple of defenders trailing in her wake prior to thumping a ferocious shot goalwards from the edge of the penalty area. Galbraith kept it out, but paid the price for doing so, trudging off the field with what appeared to be an injury to either her fingers, hand or wrist. Tiffany Payne took over between the sticks, and her first task was to parry Sowden’s header to safety in the nineteenth minute, after Helen Exler and Crawford had combined on the left. The rebound fell to Jamieson, who was adjudged to have handled the ball in the area as she attempted to clear - penalty! To Payne’s relief, Crawford fired the spot kick past the upright. Sowden spurned a glorious

chance, created by Goaziou, seconds later, before Robertson released Crawford with a fine ball over the top in the twentieth minute. The striker got to the byline before pulling the ball back into the path of both Jackman and Kelley, who, between them, conspired to send the ball sailing over the crossbar from well inside the six yard box! Payne saved comfortably from Michele Cox in the 23rd minute, after Crawford had again breached an offside trap which Auckland, by now, were coming to grips with. But it took them a further seven minutes to add to their eleventh minute goal, the architect of the “A Team”’s second strike being Crawford. Her anticipation of Exler’s long throw-in created the opening, and the flick-on was food and drink for Kelley, who cracked the ball home off the underside of the crossbar - 2-0. Crawford herself got in on the act in the 34th minute, tucking the ball comfortably past Payne after Cox had intercepted a Jamieson free-kick and headed the ball into Kelley’s path, the American opening up South Canterbury’s defence with a slide-rule pass which left Crawford with just a defender and the goalkeeper to beat. Two minutes later, Tarah Cox made it 4-0, heading home from a yard out on the far post on receipt of a magnificently weighted cross from Goaziou, who had shown fine skill in getting past two challenges en route to the byline. South Canterbury thwarted a Michele Cox free-kick in the 37th minute, the rebound being fired tamely at Payne by Sowden. Two minutes later, however, Payne was fishing the ball out of the net once more, again courtesy Crawford, who missed last year’s National Tournament through injury, and was certainly doing her level best to make up for it this time round. Tarah Cox and Goaziou started the move in Auckland’s half which led to their fifth goal, the ball being threaded out wide to Jackman, who fired over a cross intended for Crawford. She over-ran it, however, but Goaziou was following up, and sliced past a defender before setting up Michele Cox. Her shot was blocked, but Crawford crashed home the rebound. In stoppage time at the end of the first spell, Auckland

went close to adding to their tally. Goaziou and Crawford combined on the left, the latter picking out Jackman with the cross. Payne somehow pawed the ball off the line, and Kelley was unable to capitalise, the ball eventually coming back out to Goaziou, whose shot beat Payne all ends up, only to ricochet to safety off the far post. Kelley masterminded Auckland’s next raid of promise, supplying Goaziou with the pass which allowed her to cross to the far post, where Sowden was fast arriving. Her header flew mere inches over the bar, ensuring South Canterbury went to the break just five goals adrift of opponents they had encountered just once before at a National Tournament, in 1990. On that occasion, Auckland won 8-0, but the manner in which they started the second half indicated that eight would not be enough on this occasion! A pinpoint Robertson cross in the 42nd minute left Payne in no man’s land, allowing Crawford all the time in the world to pick her spot and clinch her second hat-trick of the day, Auckland having eclipsed Northland 6-0 in their first game of the tournament that morning. Two minutes later, it was 7-0. Exler’s throw-in was flicked on by Kelley to Sowden, who buried the ball into the back of the net, Payne beaten all ends up once more. She kept out a well-struck Sacha Haskell drive in the 48th minute, however, but was given no chance whatsoever by Goaziou from the penalty spot moments later, Michele Cox having been felled when in full flight. Auckland’s ninth goal found the target in the 52nd minute, Crawford heading home a Cox corner. The same source was responsible for the chance to clock up double figures three minutes later, Cox’s corner being handled in the goalmouth. Goaziou cracked home the spot-kick, meaning Auckland had doubled their half-time advantage in just fifteen minutes. Not satisfied with that tally, the “A Team” quickly added an eleventh goal, Haskell heading home Goaziou’s corner in the 58th minute. A twelfth strike took a further two minutes to eventuate, Cox and Goaziou combining to pave the way for Sowden to head home her hat-trick goal. The procession continued four minutes later, Cox

adding her name to the growing list of goal celebrants as she struck from twenty yards following a quickly taken free-kick - 13-0. The “A Team” squandered a golden opportunity to improve their goal haul a minute later. A sliced clearance left Crawford, Cox and Haskell bearing down on goal with just Payne to beat. The first-mentioned pursued the loose ball, while her team-mates made runs to the near and far posts respectively. Crawford’s cross was poor, but again the defence assisted, ensuring Haskell had a chance to shoot, which she duly did, but without accuracy. Come the 66th minute, and Auckland scored yet again. Crawford broke through the offside trap once more, and curled over a cross intended for Cox. Her dummy gave Goaziou time and space aplenty in which to shoot, and her effort careered in by the far post - 14-0. Cox hit the post in the 68th minute, and the woodwork denied Sowden three minutes later, Crawford and Jill Corner combining on the right to create the opening, which the youngster headed against the crossbar. Jennifer Carlisle was denied the chance to join the goalscorers’ list in the 72nd minute, the referee ruling her effort out due to an infringement apparently having taken place in the goalmouth, as both sets of players contested Goaziou’s inswinging corner. The scoring was completed in the 73rd minute by Goaziou. Carlisle retrieved possession on the right and whipped in a cross which was just too far ahead of Cox for her to capitalise on. That wasn’t the case with Goaziou, however, who came in from the left and fair hammered the ball bullet-like into the back of the net - it almost took Payne’s hand off en route! Haskell had a couple of chances to increase the tally before the end - Cox and Crawford were the respective architects of these openings - but 15-0 it remained, the “A Team” rewriting the record books with interest. Auckland:      Puckrin; Robertson, McCahill (Simpson, 41), Exler; Jackman (Haskell, 41), Sowden, T. Cox (Carlisle, 58), Kelley (Corner, 47), Goaziou; Crawford, M. Cox Scoring:          R. Sowden (11, 44, 60), J. Kelley (30), A. Crawford (34, 39, 42, 52), T. Cox (36), A. Goaziou (49, 55, 66, 73), S. Haskell (58), M. Cox (64)