Junior Ferns captain Hannah Carlsen was in commanding form at Becroft Park on June 9, as she guided her Forrest Hill-Milford United team to a 1-0 victory over Three Kings United in a cracking Lotto Northern Premier Women's League contest. In a game bristling with individual skill and technical quality, there was little to choose between these top six contenders throughout the first twenty minutes, although a couple of inch-perfect cross-field passes from Carlsen during this period suggested she was well in the mood to raise her game, as top players tend to when faced with quality opposition. The ASB National Women's Knockout Cup holders certainly qualify in that regard, and engineered the first scoring opportunity of the game in the thirteenth minute. Rebecca Rolls' clearance forward was sent on by Jasmine Pereira to Martine Puketapu, who held the ball up before slipping it into the stride of Jessie Mathews. She evaded one challenge before letting fly, only for Kate Seatter's precisely timed challenge to take the sting out of the shot and afford Elise Donovan a comfortable save. Eleven minutes later, Shivi Anthony, having broken up a home team raid, picked out Claudia Crasborn, whose subsequent slide-rule pass sent the speedy Jasmine Pereira careering through Forrest Hill-Milford's defence. The striker let fly under pressure, and sent the ball sizzling narrowly past the near post. Three minutes later, the home team forced Rolls to make her first save of the match. Morgan Owen and Casey Ridsdale combined to bring Chloe Wilson into play on the left. Her angled cross arced in front of Three Kings' defence to Carlsen, whose instant control afforded her the space from which to let fly from twenty yards. Rolls grabbed this effort comfortably, and repeated the feat five minutes before half-time when the same quartet combined once more. Prior to that, however, Carlsen had been caught in possession by Puketapu just outside FHM's penalty area. Her shot flashed narrowly across the face of goal from the edge of the penalty area, while long-range efforts from Emily Jensen and Crasborn prompted smothered saves by Donovan in the next couple of minutes. Referee Anna-Marie Keighley twice incurred the wrath of the natives during the first half with a couple of calls which, from some angles, appeared to be tackles from behind. But the official's positioning couldn't be faulted - she was right on top of both situations, and saw the tackling player get the ball prior to the tackled player falling over her opponent's outstretched leg. There was one free-kick call made prematurely - the advantage law should have been applied - but by and large, the recent attendee at a gathering in Zurich for potential officials at the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Finals in Canada had a generally sound game. Right on half-time, Three Kings came close to opening the scoring when Puketapu, following good work by Mathews, evaded three challenges before unleashing a low drive which Donovan smothered well. FHM's 'keeper was in action again just forty seconds after the resumption, when Mathews, Crasborn and Puketapu combined to send the second-mentioned scooting through the home team's rearguard. But Crasborn's touch failed her at the vital moment, much to Donovan's relief as she gratefully gathered the ball. The home team responded through Carlsen, who unleashed a peach of a pass in behind Hannah Robert for Tayla O'Brien to stride onto. While she snatched at the chance and sent the ball sizzling past the near post, her 49th minute effort was nowhere near as wayward, by comparison. Dallas Olsen's hoisted ball forward was dealt with as well as it could have been by Three Kings' rearguard, the ball falling invitingly for O'Brien, who promptly let fly with a shot which had 'top far corner' written all over it. Rolls had other ideas, however, and pulled a "worldie" out of her box of tricks, flinging herself to her right to brilliantly fingertip the ball onto the bar and to safety - a simply stunning reflex save which drew applause from all around the ground, players as well as spectators. Either side of the hour mark, Carlsen chanced her arm, firstly with a curling twenty yarder, then with an effort which Hannah Robert blocked well after the playmaker had combined with Owen. Three Kings responded through Puketapu, who wasn't

Hannah Carlsen Rebecca Rolls Tayla O'Brien Emily Jensen Tessa Berger powers past Casey Ridsdale

far away with a dipping thirty yarder after the ball fell to her following an aerial duel between Pereira and Michelle Windsor, who, soon after, saw her headed effort grabbed under the bar by Rolls after an Owen free-kick fell kindly for Wilson, whose thunderous drive cannoned off Jensen to Ana Clark, who picked out her defensive team-mate with a fine cross. Forrest Hill-Milford had the bit between their teeth now, and, driven on by Carlsen, they pressed on in an effort to break the deadlock. O'Brien was thwarted by the combined efforts of Tessa Berger and Anthony in the 68th minute, before a pass from Berger three minutes later dropped Tina Kolose in it big-time. Carlsen swooped on her like an eagle on unsuspecting prey, and promptly slipped O'Brien through with just Rolls to beat. The 'keeper parried the shot superbly, but right into the stride of Carlsen, following in. From six yards, she somehow skied it - an inglorious miss from the game's star turn. Back came Three Kings, Mathews and Kolose combining with Robert, whose hanging cross wasn't dealt with by FHM's defence. Pereira rose among them, and guided a header inches past Donovan's right-hand post. The resulting goal-kick ended up at the feet of Berger on half-way. She stormed away down the left on a slaloming run which took her past three opponents and into the home team's penalty area, where her progress was finally halted by Windsor, Berger's former Three Kings team-mate. Thirteen minutes from time, Carlsen gathered the ball on half-way, eased past a couple of opponents, then unleashed a gem of a pass in behind Three Kings' defence and perfectly into the stride of O'Brien, racing in off the right flank. Robert confronted her, but O'Brien jinked inside her before letting fly with a shot which took a deflection as it found its way between the approaching figure of Rolls and her near post. Cue sheer delight from those clad in white and black. Despite being without the services of the injured Daisy Cleverley, Camp America recruit Rachel Head and newly named Football Fern Megan Lee, they were in front, and their confidence levels were soaring as a result. Even Ellie Andrews was encouraged to let rip, after Ridsdale and Wilson had made in-roads down the left. Seconds later, O'Brien gathered a Jensen clearance and played the ball to Carlsen, who avoided Puketapu's challenge before lashing a twenty-yarder narrowly past the far post. Three Kings promptly counter-attacked, substitute Jessica Rollings forcing a corner which she duly delivered right into the danger zone. Jensen soared above all-comers, but couldn't quite get over the ball, instead directing it inches over the bar from inside the six-yard box seven minutes from time. Back came Forrest Hill-Milford, Carlsen's promptings forcing a corner which O'Brien delivered. Seatter beat Berger in the air, forcing Rolls to plunge low to her right to gather, and prompting Wilson to take evasive action to avoid colliding with the 'keeper. Into stoppage time, and Carlsen gathered the ball on half-way, eased past a couple of challenges, then unleashed an absolute gem of a forty-yard pass right into O'Brien's stride. Robert, racing back to cover the threat, did well to put the goalscorer off, O'Brien dragging her shot across the face of goal. Rolls launched the resulting goal kick downfield, and within seconds Pereira was careering down the right at pace - she had given Clark the runaround on a few occasions in this match, and this was another. This time, the striker got to the by-line before drilling in a low cross which Rollings, at full stretch, was unable to direct on target. Donovan launched the ball downfield, Carlsen the beneficiary. Once again, she split Three Kings' defence with a pass which put O'Brien in one-on-one with Rolls. This time, the 'keeper thwarted the danger with her leg, allowing Robert to clear the threat posed by the final attack of an outstanding contest between two well-matched sides, save for one key difference. Carlsen, this writer's choice as NPWL Young Player of the Year in 2012, was superb. FHMU:     Donovan; Olsen, Seatter, Windsor, Clark; Carlsen, Andrews, Owen; O'Brien, Ridsdale, Wilson Three Kings:     Rolls; Anthony, Jensen, Berger, Robert; Mathews, Kolose, Hayr (Rollings, 60); Pereira, Puketapu, Crasborn (Molloy, 81) Referee:     Anna-Marie Keighley