Auckland and Capital Football set up a classic Lion Foundation National Women’s League Grand Final at Bayer Growers Stadium in Pukekohe next Sunday by scoring four-goal victories in their respective semi-finals on December 13. The "A Team" prevailed 4-2 to retain the NZ Women’s Football Challenge Cup over a determined Mainland Football combination, who had the better of the early exchanges before Rebecca Tegg drove a dagger through their heart just nine minutes into play, a shot on the turn out of nothing which soared over Noran Abaza’s head and into the top far corner of the net. Mainland were reeling from that blow, and were holding on for the next few minutes as the reigning champions looked to press home their advantage. Victoria Esson plucked a Rachel Oliver free-kick from the skies and threw it out to Grace Vincent, who sent Anna Green scampering down the left. She laid the ball back to Dana Humby, whose cross was only cleared as far as Kristy Hill. Her ball forward to Kirsty Yallop was touched on to Tegg, whose volley fizzed past the post. Abaza then produced a couple of fine saves which kept the Mainlanders in contention, saving at the feet of Humby before smothering a Yallop drive which was destined for the bottom corner of the net. Mainland weathered the storm, and began to get a foot-hold in the game again, evidenced by Sara Clapham’s 22nd minute free-kick which arced round the wall but past the far post. Auckland struck back instantly, Yallop whipping in a free-kick which was cleared for a corner. Green’s delivery picked out Maia Jackman, who mistimed her shot, hooking it back across goal to the corner-taker. Green fizzed the ball in again, and again Jackman got on the end of it, this time powering a header into the side-netting. In the 27th minute, "The A Team" doubled their lead. Briony Fisher’s long throw-in was allowed to bounce by the Mainland defence - a fatal mistake. In stormed Green, who swivelled to smash home a volley which beat Abaza all ends up - the ‘keeper had no chance! At 2-0, Auckland had the game in their back pocket, particularly with Melissa Ray’s constant stream of encouragement to all around her, guiding the team around the pitch - you can’t beat that sort of leadership in a match environment! And they kept on pressing for goals. Just after scoring, Green got the better of Ella Wiebe - a solid performer - on the left and linked with Yallop, who got the better of Kirsty Butland before threading a pass through for Tegg. Mel Anngow bundled her over in the penalty area as she shot, prompting referee Renee Silvester to have a good long look, before signalling a goal kick, to the undisguised disgust of a few white-clad individuals. In the 34th minute, the Mainland trio of Alice Pilgrim, Georgia Goulding and Clare Warner combined on the right to find a way round Ray, with the Mainland captain powering on before whipping in a cross to the far post. The retreating figure of Jackman headed the ball away, and neither Clapham nor Goulding were able to capitalise on the opening. The next few minutes saw a couple of clashes which left Mainland players reeling. Vincent stole in front of Clapham to receive a Humby throw-in, but caught the one-time Football Fern across her right knee, the one which, through injury, saw her career knocked sideways just as she was beginning to shine a couple of years ago. Clapham winced, grimaced and managed to hobble away before recovering. Abaza didn’t have the luxury when she clashed heads with Green seconds later. Yallop knocked a ball into the penalty area for her team-mate to head, and Abaza raced off her line to catch it. Crunch! Green was fine, but the ‘keeper scarcely moved upon hitting the turf, and referee Silvester instantly brought a halt to play. Abaza recovered her senses, but it took a solid four minutes before she did so. Once play resumed, Hill played the ball forward to Green, who flicked it on to Yallop. She turned inside Pilgrim before lashing a twenty-yarder towards the target, forcing Abaza to produce a solid smothered save by her near post. Auckland pressed again, Ray and Humby linking with Vincent and Fisher, whose pinpoint cross-field ball found Green thundering in off the left flank. Her header careered narrowly over the bar. Back came Mainland straight away, forcing a corner which Warner whipped in. Auckland cleared it straight back to her, with Warner’s delivery this time exposing a flaw in Vincent’s game. Her sliced clearance fell perfectly at the feet of Aimee Phillips, who promptly let fly, only for Esson to save while diving to her right. On the stroke of half-time, Jackman and Yallop produced some splendid combination play down the right, with the former releasing the latter to the by-line with a nicely weighted pass. Yallop’s floated cross arced over all-comers bar one … Humby’s volley sizzled over the crossbar with the goal gaping.

Rebecca Tegg (Auck) in full flight Anna Green (Auck) chased by Clare Warner (Main) Sara Clapham (Main) watches the ball as Grace Vincent (Auck) awaits developments Maia Jackman (Auck) and Rachel Oliver (Main) tangle for the final time Briony Fisher (Auck) chased by Liz Gilchrist (Main) Grace Vincent (Auck) gets away from Clare Warner (Main)

On the stroke of half-time, Jackman and Yallop produced some splendid combination play down the right, with the former releasing the latter to the by-line with a nicely weighted pass. Yallop’s floated cross arced over all-comers bar one … Humby’s volley sizzled over the crossbar with the goal gaping. The start of the second spell saw Mainland looking to score the first goal after the break, but Auckland engineering the first opening via a Green header, which Hill sent thundering past the post with a bullet header. The visitors, through Clapham, swooped on a stray Humby pass virtually straight away and slipped Liz Gilchrist in through the inside left channel. Esson advanced off her line and saved superbly at the midfielder’s feet - a top-class stop. Back came "The A Team" in the 54th minute, with a goal that, against most teams, would have killed the game off as a contest. Ray mopped up an Anngow through ball and played the ball wide to Fisher. She lobbed it forward onto the head of Tegg, whose deft flick sent Green spearing through the heart of the Mainland defence. Abaza was all that stood between Green and her second goal, but stood not a prayer as the ball thundered past her into the back of the net - 3-0. Mainland got away with a back-pass five minutes later after Anngow gifted possession to Tegg, then recovered to play the ball back to Abaza. Referee Silvester missed it, but in fairness, she was unsighted - Hill, seconds later, was not, as she met a Yallop corner at the near post and sent a header zooming over the bar, much to the defender’s disgust. The visitors introduced some young legs in the form of Ashleigh Ward around this time, and she instantly started asking questions of the Auckland defence. Clapham and Goulding combined to play her in on goal in the 63rd minute, but the youngster fired wide. Two minutes later, Ward got the better of Humby on the left and sent a low cross zooming across the face of goal, begging for a black-clad player to touch the ball home. None was on hand, however, allowing Auckland to scramble the ball for a corner. Oliver’s delivery wasn’t cleared, the ball dropping from an awkward height into the stride of Clapham. She unleashed an absolute screamer of a volley which flashed over the bar, but deserved better fate - the technique required to execute this effort was top shelf, and the midfielder caught it perfectly. Mainland kept plugging away, and in the 73rd minute gained some reward for their efforts. Wiebe and Ward combining on the right to set up Clapham for a twenty-five yarder which sailed into the top far corner of the net - 3-1. After Yallop had unleashed a dipping twenty-yarder which grazed the crossbar, Auckland wrapped up the game with a fourth goal, seven minutes from time. Yallop’s free-kick from in front of the dugouts arrowed into the near post area, where Tegg darted in to head home unchallenged - a soft goal, but one which sealed another Grand Final berth for "The A Team". But Mainland weren’t done with, and four minutes later, reduced the deficit once more. Emily Cooper got the better of Laura Merrin in midfield, only to gift possession to Wiebe with her very next touch. The newly-capped Football Fern stormed forward before hammering  a twenty-five yarder hard and low beyond the diving Esson into the bottom far corner of the net, where the ball stuck fast, such was the power with which it was struck. And still they pressed. Warner threaded the ball through for Wiebe, only for Hill - guilty seconds earlier of an awful pass across the face of goal which gifted possession to Ward - to step in and thwart her progress. But Hill failed to clear the danger, allowing Merrin to let fly with a rasping drive which Esson tipped onto the post. The rebound cannoned off the trailing leg of the ‘keeper and went out for a corner, which Warner squandered, the last chance of an entertaining encounter between two of the greatest rivals in New Zealand women’s football. For Mainland, it was the final game of the season, but for some, the final game in red and black. Clapham is heading to Perth and Goulding to Auckland, but for former internationals Anngow and Oliver, it was the final game in their careers - a combined 41 years’ service to Canterbury and New Zealand football. It wasn’t the note on which they wanted to finish, but it was fitting for Oliver in particular that her career should conclude with a reprise of the greatest individual battle this writer has witnessed in over two decades of writing about women’s football - her duel with Jackman, at QE2 Park in the Mainland - Auckland encounter in the very first National Women’s League season, 2002, was as good as it gets. Auckland:     Esson; Fisher, Ray, Hill, Humby (Gooch, 78); Vincent (Cooper, 71), Duncan, Yallop; Jackman (Williams, 88), Tegg, Green Mainland:     Abaza; Pilgrim, Butland, Anngow, Oliver; Warner, Clapham, Wiebe, Gilchrist (Merrin, 72); Goulding, Phillips (Ward, 59) Referee:     Renee Silvester