Auckland made it a “three-peat” of Lion Foundation National Women's League titles at Newtown Park on December 1, as they humbled Capital Football 3-1 to convincingly claim the crown as the country's foremost female footballing province for the ninth time in eleven years. The “A Team” also retained the Roy Cox Shield - the symbol of supremacy in clashes between these age-old rivals - with this win, but it was the National League championship they most coveted, having gone through both the 2006 and 2007 campaigns without defeat heading into this encounter. On this occasion, they've won the title with an extremely young team, and one which has been hit by injury from prior to the campaign's commencement. Indeed, with Rebecca Tegg and Marlies Oostdam both having suffered ACL injuries within the past ten days, it's now possible to name an entire team of Auckland-based New Zealand internationals who were unavailable for this encounter due to injury or overseas commitments. Their loss was the youngsters' gain, with Betsy Hassett - named after the final as the youngest-ever winner of the National Women's League Player of the Year trophy - and Annalie Longo the driving forces behind an “A Team” combination which, throughout the duration of the competition, played with a refreshing joie de vivre, and seemingly never knew when they were beaten. They certainly never gave Capital the chance to challenge that last attribute in this match, as within two minutes of the kick-off, the “A Team” opened the scoring in stunning fashion. Stephanie Puckrin hoisted the ball forward, and one bounce later, Merissa Smith was flying through the inside right channel, from where she unleashed a thumping twenty yard volley across the diving figure of Lilly Ran into the far corner of the net. The `keeper got her fingers to it, but Smith unleashed a lot of frustration with her shot, and celebrated accordingly. Capital were stunned, and the “A Team”, with Longo and Hassett in typically impish mood, wasted little time in imposing their will on proceedings. In the ninth minute, Ria Percival played the ball forward to Sarah Gregorius, who scampered down the right and fired in a deep cross towards the far post, which Longo, arriving late on the scene, volleyed over the bar. It took the local side eighteen minutes to muster their first opportunity of the match, with Rebecca O'Neill - she worked tirelessly throughout - playing the ball through for Renee Leota to pursue. Puckrin raced off her line and grabbed the ball in front of her, two minutes before smothering a shot from Hannah Wall, after the youngster had worked a one-two with Leota and fired hopefully goalwards from near the left touchline. Puckrin instantly sparked an “A Team” counter-attack, led by Percival. She was thwarted by Zarnia Cogle near the right-hand corner flag, but Longo was backing up her team-mate, and rewarded Hassett's super run from midfield with a cross to the far post which the tireless youngster headed over the crossbar. In the 21st minute, Auckland doubled their lead with a fabulous goal, both in conception and, particularly, execution. Sarah Gibbs, Smith and Hassett interchanged passes on the left flank, with the last-mentioned ultimately overlapping Smith as the scorer of the first goal received Gibbs' second pass to her. Smith used the decoy cleverly, and at the same time turned inside Tess Murphy to create some space for herself. What followed was the sort of goal which became “King” Kenny Dalglish's trademark finish - a delicious twenty-five yard curler into the top far corner of the net, the 'keeper diving valiantly but fruitlessly. Ran flung herself to her left, but Smith's effort was unerring - it never looked like missing from the moment it left her boot. Such was the quality of both her finishes that you would never have guessed the goalscorer was struggling with her confidence in front of goal going into this match. Two spectacular finishes later … Capital needed to score next to get back into the contest, and they looked to do so straight away. Wall and O'Neill put pressure on Abby Erceg, forcing the NZ International Women's Young Player of the Year to turn towards Puckrin for help. An audacious lobbed pass to the goalkeeper relieved the danger, allowing Puckrin the chance to control and clear the ball as O'Neill closed in - an unorthodox means of escape, but one so typical of the confidence which Erceg exudes once on the park. On the half-hour, Wendi Henderson played the ball wide to Liz Milne, as the fullback pushed up in support. She played a one-two with Wall before letting fly from twenty-five yards, but her effort faded just past Puckrin's left-hand upright. Only a timely tackle in the penalty area by “A Team” captain, Kristy Hill, denied Wall two minutes later, as she latched onto Zarnia Cogle's ball forward down the left. This sparked Auckland into life once more, and soon afterwards, Smith and Grace Vincent were both narrowly astray with long-range efforts. Further “A Team” pressure stemmed from the boot of Gibbs six minutes before half-time. She fired over a free-kick which Bria Sargent was forced to head past her own post, meaning the feisty fullback had the opportunity to whip over a corner. This one was a beauty, deep to the far post where Hill rose to meet it and direct a header down and towards the target. It crept inches wide. Capital responded through Cogle, who picked out Wall with a cross which found the young striker goal-side of the retreating figure of Hill. Anticipating the threat, Puckrin plucked the ball from the sky - Wall's frustration was tangible. In the 44th minute, Auckland's Sarah Gs combined on the left, Gibbs providing Gregorius with the ammunition to deliver a hanging cross towards the far post. The ball arced just over the head of Smith, much to the relief of Ran, who grabbed the ball greedily, and launched a counter-attack. Leota flicked on the goalkeeper's clearance, and through Auckland's defence Wall surged, powering into the penalty area, only to be denied in the act of pulling the trigger by a stunning recovering tackle from Hill, the last act of note in a

Annalie Longo Wendi Henderson Betsy Hassett Liz Milne Sarah Gibbs Patrice Bourke Melissa Ray Stephanie Puckrin

first half in which the title-holders dictated terms, and endured few problems coping with Capital's probing through balls, which had releasing the speedy duo of Leota and Wall as their prime objective. In the early minutes of the second spell, both goalkeepers had their gloves warmed by shots of varying strength. Having moved into a more attacking role, Henderson's direct no-nonsense approach offered Hill and Erceg a new threat to deal with, and they only just did so straight from the kick-off. The veteran front-runner still retained possession, however, and Wall was the beneficiary of it, but found Puckrin right behind her shot. Three minutes later, Auckland retorted, Gregorius' delicate touch to Hassett setting the midfielder off on a run which left two opponents trailing in her wake before she poked the ball through for Gregorius, who had raced forward in support. Sadly for the former Capital player, her somewhat tame shot was smothered by Ran. This sparked another spell of “A Team” pressure, with Melissa Ray, Percival - a lovely lay-off - and Hassett teaming up to present Longo with a shooting chance which, after evading a challenge, she sent fizzing narrowly past the post from twenty yards. Another Gibbs corner soon afterwards was cleared to Hassett, who played the ball wide for the fullback to fire back into the goalmouth once more. She picked out the head of Smith, whose header Ran gratefully grabbed in the 54th minute. Capital's `keeper promptly started a counter-attack, with Milne and Cogle combining to release Henderson. Puckrin advanced off her line, but the 2006 NWL Player of the Year poked the ball past her, but past the post as well. Puckrin was in the thick of the action again seconds later, blocking from Leota at close quarters. Hill's clearance sparked a swift Auckland counter-attack, with Gregorius, Smith and Hassett linking to send Percival racing through. A very late offside flag put paid to her prospects of a seventh goal of the NWL campaign on this occasion. After Hill had just failed to get on the end of a Gibbs corner prior to the hour mark, Auckland seemingly went into snooze mode - sloppy play abounded, with poor passing and obscure option-taking the way of things for a good ten minutes. Capital didn't help themselves during this period, taking out their frustrations on their opponents via some cheap off the ball nonsense which detracts from the game of the likes of captain Patrice Bourke, who is too good a player to need to stoop to such levels. A couple of substitutions helped get things back on track, with Auckland rousing themselves from their stupor in the 69th minute. Percival was on the charge, and slipped Gregorius through the inside-right channel, leaving the striker one-on-one with Ran. The goalkeeper stood her ground well, parrying the shot to her left, with Gregorius unable to turn home the rebound. Seconds later, the action switched to the other end of the park, with Wall outpacing Gibbs down the right. Puckrin careered out of her penalty area to assist her team-mate, but that merely gave Wall the opportunity to play the ball across to Leota, who, with an empty net to aim for, looked odds on to score. She took one touch to control the ball, but wasn't afforded a second, Erceg swooping to deny the striker. Capital kept up the pressure, Leota and Cogle linking for Henderson's benefit, only for Puckrin to pluck the ball off the head of the striker. Cogle then slammed a shot into the back of substitute Hannah Rishworth, as the home team pressed for the goal which would drag them back into the contest. Auckland's response to this was to surge downfield and all but finish the job with another stunning strike, in the 72nd minute. Percival surged forth once more, and played the ball across to Gregorius, who brought substitute Anna Green into the move with a pass to the left flank. From fully twenty-five yards out on the angle, “Greenie” slammed a screamer into the top far corner of the net - 3-0, game over. As Capital reeled from this mortal blow to their title hopes, the “A Team” looked to twist the knife. Percival and Longo combined to present Smith with a shooting chance, her angled volley flying across the face of goal. Seconds later, Hassett made a monkey out of Milne with a delightful piece of skill near the by-line, Longo and Green having combined to release their industrious team-mate. Hassett picked out Gregorius with her cross, but the striker volleyed over the bar. After Leota had fired a warning shot across Auckland's bows ten minutes from time, when she got in behind their defence only for Puckrin to smother her effort, Capital's leading markswoman joined Auckland's Rebecca Tegg on seven goals in the NWL Golden Boot stakes in the 82nd minute. Cogle played the NZ U20 international through the inside right channel, from where Leota fired unerringly beyond the diving figure of Puckrin to score what proved to be the final goal of the National Women's League season, Capital, ironically, having scored the first of the campaign in their opening round 3-1 loss to Auckland. Now, it was 3-1 to the “A Team” again, and while Percival and Gregorius went close before the final whistle, Auckland had done more than enough to clinch a third successive Lion Foundation National Women's League crown, and a fifth title in the six seasons since the new format was introduced. They weren't always at their fluent best in this fixture against their nearest and oldest rivals, but over the course of the season, seven wins from as many matches suggests the province which has come to dominate the code in this country, since the inception of women's football in New Zealand thirty-five years ago, was far too good for all-comers once again. Capital:     Ran; Milne, Murphy (Slattery, 81), Sargent, Bourke; O'Neill, Kent (Van Kampen, 56), Henderson, Cogle; Wall, Leota (Carlson, 90) Auckland:     Puckrin; Ray (Rishworth, 67), Hill, Erceg, Gibbs; Percival, Hassett, Longo, Vincent (Green, 56); Gregorius, Smith (Murray, 83) Referee:     Jim Murphy