Auckland completed a second consecutive perfect season in the round-robin phase of the Lion Foundation National Women's League at Carisbrook on November 18, dismissing Soccersouth 5-0 to make it six wins from six for the 2007 season. But for the outstanding defensive contribution of Nancy Campbell, the home team could well have lost by a far greater margin. One of a handful of Otago University students making her last appearance in Soccersouth's colours, she produced a display which the beaten team will sorely miss next year and beyond. She couldn't stave off the “A Team” every time, however, the visitors stating their intentions straight from the kick-off. Ria Percival played the ball forward to reward Rebecca Tegg's diagonal run. Her deft back-heel was intended for Sarah Gregorius, but Cheryl McDiarmid intervened. Her clearance lacked conviction, however, and the ball fell invitingly for Betsy Hassett, whose twenty-yarder was gleefully grabbed by the assured figure of Noran Abaza just 44 seconds after the kick-off. Auckland continued to press over the course of the next fifteen minutes, but Campbell was popping up all over the place to frustrate their forward forays, her performance inspiring Mariah Meagher, Una Madden and Kushla Glover to raise their respective games accordingly. When a shot was next fired in anger, it emanated from the boot of Jaime Hackett. Madden fired over a corner in the nineteenth minute which arced out towards the far edge of the penalty area. Captain Leanne Tiffen headed the ball down, and from twenty yards, Hackett let loose a piledriver which careered through a crowded penalty area and  narrowly past the far post. Talk about flourishing a red rag to a bull! Auckland's response, four minutes later, saw them take the lead. Sarah Gibbs lifted the ball over the defence, and Tegg outpaced Campbell before lobbing the advancing figure of Abaza to open the scoring with a beautifully taken goal. From that moment on, it was one-way traffic, Abaza's goal the object of the “A Team”'s exertions. In the 25th minute, Stephanie Puckrin - back after injury - grabbed a Madden free-kick and sent Melissa Ray marauding up-field with an instant throw-out. She clipped the ball forward for Percival, who rounded two opponents at pace prior to Gregorius assuming possession. Her cross picked out Hassett, whose volley sizzled inches over the crossbar - the move deserved far better fate, such was the innovation on show throughout it. Around the half-hour mark, McDiarmid was given a right royal roasting by Percival, who raced past her three times in as many minutes. On the final occasion, the speedster slipped Gregorius through with a lovely pass into the striker's stride. She did everything right, but her shot past the advancing Abaza also crept a foot past the far post. Auckland were well and truly in the mood at this point, and attacked at will. Annalie Longo motored down the left in the 32nd minute before picking out Tegg with a pull-back from the by-line. The game's lone goalscorer to this point met the ball on the stretch, and resultingly sent it soaring over the crossbar from six yards. Abaza's goal-kick offered little respite, as Auckland retorted with another riveting raid, rich in rapier-like qualities. Ray was its instigator, with Percival, Tegg and Gregorius all involved in swift succession. The last-mentioned's driven low cross to Longo saw the youngster hit a shot on the turn straight at Soccersouth's increasingly overworked custodian. In the 35th minute, Longo returned the compliment for Gregorius with a pace which allowed the striker to race clear of the defence. She lobbed the ball over the advancing figure of Abaza, but again, her radar was off-beam, the ball drifting past the far post. Tegg was next to spurn an opening, shooting at Abaza to conclude a Gibbs-led raid. But the goalkeeper's poor clearance merely invited further pressure from the “A Team”, and they didn't fail to take advantage. Percival and Gregorius combined to send Hassett to the by-line, from where she steered the ball back into Ray's stride. The fullback hit a fulminating drive into the top far corner of the net from the edge of the penalty area, only to be denied her second goal in as many matches by the raised flag of an eagle-eyed referee's assistant, who deemed the ball had been fully over the goal-line before Hassett had turned it into Ray's path. Unperturbed, Auckland continued to pound away, generating three more openings before the half-time whistle. Percival picked out Gibbs, whose header sent Gregorius scurrying forth once more. Her cross was tailor-made for the fast-arriving figure of Kristy Hill to meet with a header, but Abaza pawed the ball to safety. The “A Team” then unleashed their most bewitching move of the half, a devastating flurry of passes which carved Soccersouth apart in breathtaking fashion. Hill, Ray, Percival, Hassett, Gibbs, Longo and Grace Vincent were all involved in this one-touch exhibition, before the last-mentioned picked out Tegg with her cross. Abaza grabbed the striker's shot gratefully - the purists present were wishing she hadn't! The final act of the first half saw another “A Team” passing masterclass unlock Soccersouth's door. Hassett, Gibbs and Ray combined, the last-mentioned playing a one-two with the first-mentioned before threading the ball through to Tegg.

Nancy Campbell (Soccersouth) covers Rebecca Tegg (Auckland) every step of the way Ria Percival (Auckland) scampers clear of Jaime Hackett (Soccersouth) Sarah Gibbs (Auckland) escapes the clutches of Kath Doubleday (Soccersouth) Sarah Gregorius (Auckland) is forced to turn away from goal by Nancy Campbell (Soccersouth) Mariah Meagher (Soccersouth) tracked down by Annalie Longo (Auckland)      Melissa Ray and Marlies Oostdam (Auckland)

Her shot on the turn was parried by Abaza, who took some of the power off the shot, then raced back to paw it out from under the crossbar, thus denying Auckland a second goal on the stroke of half-time. There was no respite for the home team in the second spell. Three minutes into it, Hassett sent Tegg spearing through in pursuit of a measured through ball, to which Abaza again proved equal. Three minutes later, Auckland were harshly denied a second goal by the intervention of another referee's assistant. Gibbs' fired over a corner which Tegg met with a towering header. It beat Abaza all ends up, but needed to be scrambled over the line. Hill did so, with her chin, and was distraught when referee Kenny Evans deemed she had handled the sphere, and awarded a free-kick to Soccersouth instead. Seconds later, the “A Team” were denied a penalty, arising from Percival's wicked cross into a penalty area which was well populated by blue and white shirts. The visitors went up as one when one of the Soccersouth contingent used a hand to prevent the ball from reaching her opponents, but referee Evans made neither his first nor his last dubious decision of the day which entailed taking pity on outclassed opponents. There was only one thing to do, as far as the “A Team” was concerned, and three goals in the next eight minutes nullified any hopes Soccersouth held of pinching a result - they needed to win this match to earn their first-ever NWL semi-final berth. The first came in the 54th minute. Marlies Oostdam, who had just entered the fray in place of Vincent, rumbled down the left before picking out Gregorius. She turned and played the ball into the path of Percival, who took one touch to evade an opponent before thundering home an unerring twenty-yarder - 2-0. After Tegg had been denied by Abaza yet again - Gibbs, Hassett and Longo, with a slick one-two, had combined to create the opportunity, Auckland made it 3-0 in the 59th minute. Hill got the ball on half-way and surged forward, playing a neat one-two with Longo before steering a low cross into the path of Gregorius, who, from point-blank range, couldn't miss. 3-0 became 4-0 in the 62nd minute. Oostdam played the ball forward, but it was Gregorius' gorgeous first-time angled lay-off which gave Tegg all the time and room in the world to exploit, She did so superbly, sweeping round the stranded figure of Abaza before steering the ball home into an empty net from a tight angle. At this point, the “A Team” took their foot off the accelerator, and Soccersouth wasted little time in showing that they are a team who can't be taken lightly. In the 68th minute, Glover pounced on a pass intended for the just-introduced Auckland substitute, Hannah Rishworth, and instantly sent Tiffen spearing through the visitors' defence. Puckrin was off her line in cat-like fashion to save at the feet of the home team's captain. This sparked another flurry of Auckland attacks, with Tegg, Oostdam and Percival all going close over the course of the next ten minutes, although only the last-mentioned called Abaza into action. Come the 79th minute, however, she was picking the ball out of the net for a fifth time, a result of Oostdam, Hassett and substitute Merissa Smith combining to present Tegg with the chance to complete her hat-trick. From twenty yards, she buried the chance with aplomb. Cue another onslaught of Auckland attacks, as they looked to finish with the proverbial flourish. Within a minute of the goal, Smith and Oostdam combined to gift Longo a shooting chance, which she directed straight at Abaza. The goalkeeper then tipped a stinging effort from Smith round the post after Hassett and Oostdam had linked to set up the speedster, although she still had to evade two challenges before letting fly six minutes from time. The resulting corner was cleared to Hassett, whose chip back into the danger zone was headed inches over the crossbar by Smith. In stoppage time, Auckland looked certain to net a sixth goal when Gibbs sent Smith hurtling through the middle. Into the penalty area she strode, but as she did so, Campbell appeared on her shoulder and produced a superb goal-saving tackle. Tegg was onto the loose ball in a flash, but directed her shot straight at Abaza, who, like her Soccersouth team-mates, was relieved to hear the final whistle seconds later, signalling as it did a 5-0 reversal at the hands of the “A Team”, who now have another week off before contesting the Lion Foundation National Women's League Grand Final, at 2.30pm on December 1 at Wellington's Newtown Park. At least the beaten team can take consolation from two factors, as their season concludes for another year. Jane McAuslan's full colour labour of love is by far the best programme in the competition, and Carisbrook is far and away the league's best playing surface. If you can't play on that pitch, you can't play - simple as that! It was Soccersouth's ill fortune in this match to come up against a team who can, with relish! Soccersouth:     Abaza; Meagher, Rombouts (Scott, 21), Campbell, McDiarmid; Larsen (Doubleday, 46), Steiner (Gray, 69), Glover, Madden; Tiffen, Hackett Auckland:     Puckrin; Ray (Rishworth, 66), Hill, Erceg, Gibbs; Percival, Hassett, Longo, Vincent (Oostdam, 50); Gregorius (Smith, 72), Tegg Referee:     Kenny Evans