Auckland-Manukau have taken over at the top of the National Women’s Soccer League after downing previous leaders United Soccer 2-0 in the local derby at McLennan Park on November 2.      The new front-runners were rarely threatened by the incumbents, whose only chance came after two minutes when the league’s leading goalscorer, Liz O’Meara, saw her drive tipped over the crossbar by Stephanie Puckrin, following a well-worked free-kick routine which featured the well-performed Elina Tito.      After this early scare, Auckland-Manukau quickly asserted their authority, their first opening coming in the ninth minute of play. Rachel Doody scampered down the left and whipped in a low cross for Melanie Gooch, who touched the ball on to Hayley Moorwood. Her close-range drive was blocked to safety by Tito.      Four minutes later, Maia Jackman swept past Natalie Donze on the right and made in-roads towards goal. En route, she let fly with a teasing dipping cross-shot which Rachel Howard was forced to turn over the crossbar.      After United had cleared the resulting corner, Margot Bowker combined with Jackman down the right to create more havoc down the right. The latter’s cross picked out Amanda Crawford, who turned the ball into Gooch’s path. The solidly-performed Stephanie Stephens spared the visitors’ blushes on this occasion with a scrambled clearance.      Crawford picked out Jackman with the resulting corner, but her header was cleared to Moorwood, who sent a twenty-five yarder fizzing over the crossbar as Auckland-Manukau piled on the pressure for an early goal, which they nearly got in the sixteenth minute.      Catherine Porteous was forced to clear the ball back to Howard with Bowker hard on her heels, after Moorwood’s probing through ball had caused consternation in the visitors’ rearguard. The defender picked up a knock for her troubles, and was only able to stay on the park for another thirteen minutes, before succumbing to the injury.      During that time, the home team had largely held court, with anything United could muster foundering primarily on the positional sense of Terry McCahill, much to the frustration of Gillian Thurlow and O’Meara, whose goalscoring partnership was largely responsible for propelling the team representing all points north of the Auckland Harbour Bridge to the top of the table going into this match.      McCahill was well supported by Melissa Ray and Kristy Hill in quelling United’s thrusts, so much so that, the second minute incident apart, Puckrin’s role was largely spectatorial.      In the 32nd minute, Auckland-Manukau opened the scoring, thanks to an astute strike from Bowker. Following a strong run by Gooch, the striker worked a one-two with Vicki Rainbow before curling the ball into the bottom right-hand corner of the unsighted Howard’s net from fifteen yards.      Within a minute, the home team were on the hunt for more goals, McCahill sending the ball forward for Bowker and Gooch to utilise. The latter took the bull by the horns and evaded two challenges before seeing her shot well saved by Howard, who dived to her right to complete the denial.      The goalkeeper was in action again six minutes later, after Gooch had evaded the challenges of Stephens and Donze down United’s left flank. After linking with Jackman, Gooch crossed for Bowker, whose shot on the turn was brilliantly anticipated by Howard, the custodian making the save look easy, on an occasion when a lesser goalkeeper might have been embarrassed.      Auckland-Manukau went to the break 1-0 up, and three minutes into the second spell, doubled their advantage, with Moorwood a fully deserving goalscorer - she had an outstanding game.      Rainbow pounced on a loose ball resulting from Crawford and Gooch getting their wires crossed, and fed the rampaging Ray, who charged forward out of defence before slipping a slide-rule pass through for the mercurial Moorwood. She evaded a challenge before squeezing the ball past the advancing Howard and inside the near post.      With the wind behind them in the second spell, the home team continued to enjoy the upper hand in the local derby, despite their tendency to over-hit through balls for the

forward line to chase, a tactic forced upon them by the dogged pressing of a United team which made Auckland-Manukau work hard for what they had.      As a tactic, however, the visitors were largely hemmed in their own half, and while they mounted sporadic raids, McCahill, Lily Somerfield and company were well in control of the situation at the other end of the park to leave the incumbent league leaders facing a most frustrating afternoon at the office.      If another goal was to come, there was only one team likely to score it. The impressive Doody almost secured it for them, cutting in from the left to send a dipping twenty yard drive just over the crossbar in the 67th minute.      Seven minutes later, superb work by Crawford saw the striker getting in between two defenders to secure possession, which she retained despite Katherine Whittle’s determined efforts to nudge the ball away from the striker over the next twenty seconds.      Eventually, Crawford found room in which to turn her marker and fire in a cross-shot towards the far post, where Jackman was fast arriving. So, too, was Howard, who read the situation brilliantly and raced off her line to save at the incoming player’s feet.      Seconds later, Howard was beaten, as Gooch scampered through United’s square backline onto a McCahill through ball. But the striker lifted her effort high and wide of the mark, which prompted Auckland-Manukau’s coach, Sue Taylor, to introduce quicksilver youngster Lacey Parsons to the fray.      Before she could join in the fun, however, Doody and Moorwood caused mayhem on the left, the raid culminating in the latter’s deep cross to the far post for Jackman, who sent a header flying narrowly past Howard’s right-hand upright as the ‘keeper anxiously looked on.      In the dying minutes, an Auckland-Manukau raid culminated in Dana Heiford’s angled cross-field ball picking out the run from deep of Moorwood, who, by this stage, was heavily involved in every home team raid, to the extent that, on this occasion, she tried the most audacious lob from the tightest of angles in an attempt to make it 3-0. The ball just cleared the crossbar, but it was ‘Goal of the Month’ material had fate been kinder.      As it was, the home team had one last chance to improve their goal difference, and Moorwood was instrumental in its creation. Linking with Ray, she played the ball wide to Parsons, who set sail before turning the ball inside.      Moorwood instantly released her again, with the speedy substitute whipping in a cross to Crawford, who had Jackman in support on the far post. She also had Donze for company, and the defender prevailed on this occasion to confirm that Auckland-Manukau’s winning margin in the local derby would only be 2-0.      United’s coach, Billy Harris, was well pleased with his side’s display afterwards. "I’m rapt with their efforts. They worked hard and held Auckland-Manukau out well - it was a courageous performance, particularly as we had six schoolgirls on the park today.      "There’s quite a big gap still to be bridged, however, and the players’ base needs to be spread out before any of the other teams can break the monopoly held by the game’s ‘big three’ (Auckland-Manukau, Mainland Soccer and Capital Soccer)".      His counterpart, Auckland-Manukau’s Sue Taylor, was equally as pleased with her team’s efforts. "Our young players stood up for us today, Hayley Moorwood and, particularly, Rachel Doody catching the eye. We were very strong defensively, and our tackling and commitment couldn’t be faulted, nor could the communication of the captain, Terry McCahill, to the younger players around her.      "However, we’re still not taking our chances, although United deserve credit for that - they never stopped pressing us, and made us work hard for this result. But we’ll happily take the points!!" Auck-Man.:    Puckrin; Hill (Somerfield, 46), McCahill, Ray; Jackman, Rainbow, Moorwood, Doody; Crawford, Bowker (Heiford, 66), Gooch (Parsons, 79) United:        Howard; Porteous (Ebbett, 29), Simpson, Stephens, Whittle; Cross, Tito (Heath, 71), Kendall, Donze; Thurlow, O’Meara Referee:    Sam Tompsett