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Australia 2
Goal For Football Ferns, But Matildas Prevail Again
by Jeremy Ruane
Emma Kete had the pleasure of scoring the Football Ferns' first goal from open play against non-Oceania opposition since June 2000 at Stockland Park on March 3, but it wasn't enough to deny the Matildas a 2-1 victory over their trans-tasman rivals in the second match of their three-game series on the Sunshine Coast.
On as a tactical substitute for Annalie Longo after half-an-hour, the feisty young striker was quick to make her mark on proceedings, and after warming the gloves of Australian goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri soon after coming on, she proceeded to find the net five minutes before half-time.
Outpacing Cheryl Salisbury to get on the end of a sumptuous defence-splitting pass from Abby Erceg, Kete found herself with just Barbieri to beat, and coolly slotted home the equaliser.
For Australia had opened the scoring after twenty minutes, due reward for their strong start to the game, which initially prevented the Football Ferns from establishing their passing game.
Colette McCallum got in behind Ali Riley on New Zealand's left and crossed to the far post, where beanpole striker Katie Gill got in between Maia Jackman and Ria Percival to volley home past Jenny Bindon.
The Football Ferns' equaliser stunned the Matildas, prompting a momentum shift which left John Herdman's charges heading to the dressing rooms at the interval in far more buoyant mood than their rivals.
But just two minutes into the second spell, the wind - which was again prevalent around Stockland Park - was taken from New Zealand's sails when sloppy marking at a throw-in allowed McCallum to get in behind the Kiwi defence on their right and whip in a cross which Amy Chapman turned home from close range.
“It was a real sucker punch, coming as it did so soon after half-time”, reflected Herdman afterwards. “And try as we might, we couldn't peg it back. The game opened up after that goal, and we had a succession of corners which we were unable to convert, and Emma Kete fired narrowly wide from another opportunity.
“Jenny Bindon made a number of great saves to deny Australia on a day when we were not quite as sharp in defence as we were in the first match, while we needed to be a bit tighter in midfield as well.
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 Emma Kete - "Supersub"
 Merissa Smith - "ran her socks off"
 Abby Erceg - defence-splitting pass
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“Kete made a difference upon coming on as a substitute, while Renee Leota and Hayley Moorwood were again impressive, and Merissa Smith ran her socks off. She was replaced by Wendi Henderson, who broke her nose in a clash of heads and herself had to be replaced by Hannah Bromley late on”.
Matildas' coach, Tom Sermanni, was pleased with the outcome. “I'm very happy to win the game, though I felt we should have scored more goals given the number of chances we had, and I also felt that the score didn't reflect the quantity of goalscoring chances we created.
“However, I'm very pleased with the way we performed considering the number of changes to the team and the number of young players on the field. These games continue to be of great benefit, and allowed some players to show me what they can do at this level”.
Among them was striker Sarah Walsh, who was twice denied by the woodwork in this match, while Salisbury was among those denied by Bindon, who produced a stunning fingertip save to deny the Australian captain's header.
The teams conclude their series on Wednesday at Stockland Park on the Sunshine Coast, the match kicking off at 6.30pm NZ time. It's one from which the Football Ferns are determined to get a result, as Herdman explains.
“The girls are sitting here right now extremely disappointed with the outcome of tonight's match. The culture of this team is shifting - no longer are close losses acceptable to them. There is a genuine belief that they are good enough to win matches like this - hopefully on Wednesday, we will”.
Details:
Australia 2 (K. Gill (22), A. Chapman (47))), New Zealand 1 (E. Kete (40)) HT 1-1
Matildas: Melissa Barbieri; Clare Polkinghorne, Sally Shipard, Cheryl Salisbury (booked, 58), Caitlin Munoz; Amy Chapman (Victoria Balomenos, 75), Amber Neilson (Renee Rollason, 62), Colette McCallum (Brooke Spence, 84), Elise Kellond-Knight (Tameka Butt, 59); Sarah Walsh, Katie Gill
Football Ferns: Jenny Bindon; Ria Percival, Maia Jackman, Abby Erceg, Ali Riley; Annalie Longo (Emma Kete, 30), Emily McColl, Hayley Moorwood, Kirsty Yallop (Simone Carmichael, 60); Renee Leota, Merissa Smith (Wendi Henderson, 70) (Hannah Bromley, 85)
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