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12/9/97
“A Team” Dish Out Footballing Lesson To Defending Champs
by Jeremy Ruane
Canterbury’s reign as National Champions of Women’s Soccer came to an abrupt end at Keith Hay Park on September 12, 1997, when they were crushed 6-0 by a rampant Auckland in the second semi-final of the Bluebird National Women’s Soccer Tournament.
It was a little like the first set of the Women’s Final at the US Open Tennis, Martina Hingis versus Venus Williams. Like the “Swiss Miss” on that occasion, the “A Team” was, quite simply, irresistible.
They went into the tournament with “The Three Ps” - Professionalism, Pride and Perfection - as their guide. In this match, a further “Three Ps” were added - Power, Pace and Precision. Canterbury, consequently, were pummelled.
Auckland hit the front after just 110 seconds. Michele Cox flighted a corner perfectly onto the head of her midfield partner in crime, Lyn Pedruco, and from then on it was a matter of “by how many” Auckland would win.
Maia Jackman and Beth Clark both failed to convert an Amanda Crawford cross in the seventh minute, while, after Crawford and Tina Bosscher had exchanged wayward volleys, Jackman spurned another gem of a chance, this time provided by Cox.
Crawford cracked home number two on the quarter hour, Clark slipping a lovely ball into her path which she dealt to from ten yards out. The scorer was denied a second goal moments later, Lisa Mahan stopping the ball between her legs.
Jackman and Cox wove some magic on the right in the 25th minute, with the latter delivering an inch-perfect cross onto Clark’s head, as she arrived at the far post. How she managed to head over, only she will know.
Canterbury showed some signs of resistance to the spell Auckland were casting when Zarnia Cogle delivered a cross from the right in the 28th minute. Yvonne Vale missed it, which allowed Rachel Oliver a shooting chance. Jane Simpson cleared off the line to spare her goalkeeper’s blushes.
Pedruco was denied by Mahan moments later, the goalkeeper recovering the ball before Crawford could pounce to make it 3-0. Then Jackman spurned a glorious chance, blazing the ball wide with just Mahan to beat after Cox threaded a gorgeous pass through for her fast-running team-mate which took three defenders out of the equation in an instant.
Pedruco and Clark failed to score before the interval, the latter’s effort leaving Mahan beaten all ends up as it hit the far post, but the “A Team” didn’t have long to wait after the break before their dominance was confirmed on the scoreboard.
Gillian Thurlow beat two players before releasing Crawford, who raced through with just Mahan to beat. The goalkeeper gave her half the target to aim at, something you don’t do when a striker of Crawford’s capabilities is bearing down on goal!!
Mahan tipped a Crawford effort over the bar soon after, with the striker heading narrowly over from the resulting corner, taken by Cox. The midfield maestro delivered another made-to-measure corner in the 48th minute, much to Pedruco’s obvious delight - 4-0.
Cox, Jackman and Crawford combined to set up Melissa Wileman four minutes later, but the ball sailed wide of the target when scoring appeared the easier option. Soon after, Crawford was replaced - the coaching team of Sandy Davie and Roy Cox were already mindful of the next day’s final - allowing Melita Harrison the chance to have a run up front.
While she settled in, Auckland took their foot off the accelerator, with only Kelly Jarden causing them any problems in this time. But the sight of Cox unleashing a twenty-five-yarder which Mahan pawed to safety in the 67th minute was the signal that the blue-and-white machine was up and running on all cylinders once again.
Jackman spurned another great chance a minute later, Jennifer Carlisle the source of supply this time. With Harrison in support, Jackman evaded her marker, but fired wide when Mahan was all that stood between her and scoring the goal which would break Auckland’s existing record winning margin over Canterbury, recorded in the 1993 final.
That honour fell to Harrison in the seventieth minute. Wileman played the ball inside to her, and she fair hammered it home from the edge of the area to make it 5-0. From Canterbury’s bench was heard not a sound!
Harrison returned the compliment three minutes later. Cox headed the ball down to the youngest member of the “A Team”’s squad, and she slipped a delightful ball through for Wileman, who raced away to shoot home into the far corner of the net past a now mesmerised Mahan.
The goalkeeper was determined not to concede a seventh, much to her credit, although Pedruco wasn’t happy that she was denied her hat-trick at the death. Jill Corner was also foiled by the ‘keeper just before Derek Rugg blew the final whistle, the most welcome sound to Canterbury ears all afternoon.
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Auckland: Vale; Simpson, McCahill, Carlisle, Corner; Thurlow, Cox, Pedruco, Clark; Jackman, Crawford
Subs: Wileman, Sharpe, Harrison
Scoring: L. Pedruco (2, 48), A. Crawford (15, 43), M. Harrison (70), M. Wileman (73)