The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website | home
Australia 1 | Australia 2 | Australia 3 | Papua New Guinea | Tour Pics | Olympic Qualifying Reflections
Australia 3
So Near Yet So Far For Football Ferns
by Jeremy Ruane
The Football Ferns are in something of a quandary after the final clash of their three-match series against Australia at Stockland Park on the Sunshine Coast on March 5.
Their question? “How on earth did we lose that match 4-2?”
One of the explanations will almost certainly be dubious refereeing. Because the Matilda's first goal - a Collette McCallum effort direct from a corner in the ninth minute - shouldn't have been awarded as Australian captain Cheryl Salisbury was impeding Jenny Bindon in the goalmouth, preventing the Kiwi `keeper from attacking the ball.
And their 66th minute effort was similarly questionable. Sarah Walsh's shot from just inside the penalty area struck the arm of Maia Jackman at point blank range, prompting the referee to instantly pointed to the spot - Salisbury duly equalised, making it 2-2.
Yes, you read that right - prior to that strike, New Zealand had been ahead of their old foes in a match for the first time since beating them in October 1994!!
Merissa Smith terrorised Matildas fullback Karla Reuter throughout the first half with her pace, to the extent that the Australian was withdrawn at the interval. Smith had already made her mark, however, holding the ball up well before spotting goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri off her line.
The speedster's first goal for her country soared into the top far corner to level the scores in the thirteenth minute.
Ten minutes before half-time, the Football Ferns stunned the 2007 Women's World Cup quarter-finalists by taking the lead. Kirsty Yallop scythed inside off the left flank before steering the ball into the path of Hayley Moorwood.
From twenty yards out, New Zealand`s captain picked out a beauty, her dipping effort arcing perfectly over Barbieri and just under the crossbar to leave the scoreboard reading “Australia 1, New Zealand 2” for a good half-hour.
The psychological importance of that scoreline shouldn't be underestimated where this young team is concerned. It marks a significant milestone in their development - they've now proven themselves capable of holding onto a lead for a lengthy period against higher-ranked opposition.
The next step is to record a draw or a win against such opponents, something which the Football Ferns can achieve at the Beijing Olympics, provided the NZ Olympic Committee have the vision to see the benefits participating in China will have for this team, both short- and long-term (Germany 2011, and the London Olympics in 2012).
A few heads understandably dropped following the unjust penalty, a turning point in a wind-afflicted match which, to that point, the Football Ferns had dominated. They continued to mix it with their trans-tasman rivals, who struggled to test Bindon to anything like the extent they had done in the second encounter.
But eight minutes from time, they engineered a significant gap in the Football Ferns' defence. Jackman stopped a piledriver flush in the face, and while the ball ricocheted away for a corner, New Zealand's FIFA Women's All Star was seeing stars, and needed some
|
 Maia Jackman - harshly penalised, then saw stars
 Hayley Moorwood - stunning strike
 Renee Leota - ran herself into the ground
 John Herdman - greatly encouraged by progress
|
attention off the pitch.
In her absence, McCallum delivered a corner right into the area Jackman would otherwise have been occupying, and Salisbury rose above all-comers to head the Matildas in front, seven minutes from time.
A stoppage time corner from Heather Garriock saw Claire Polkinghorne head home the goal which clinched a hard-fought victory for the Matildas, whose preparations for the Asian Women's Cup in May have been greatly boosted by this testing three-match series against John Herdman's young charges.
While understandably disappointed with the outcome, the Football Ferns coach is greatly encouraged by the progress his team has shown in this series. “We've made some massive steps forward on this tour, and I'm really excited at what's been achieved, and the whole approach of the squad in general.
“The girls know they can defend, and they're now putting their attacking principles into play. That transition from defence into attack has been pivotal in this series, and we've now scored three goals in two games against a team which was beaten by the odd goal in five in last year's World Cup quarter-finals by eventual runners-up Brazil.
“With Matildas' coach Tom Sermanni selecting his best available team in each match, our performances have been real eye-openers for people. In tonight's game, everyone gave their all, but three players merit special mention.
“Merissa Smith and Renee Leota both ran their socks off, while the stand-out performer in all three matches has been Hayley Moorwood - she can influence games like good midfielders should”.
Herdman's opposite, Tom Sermanni, is well aware his team dodged a bullet in this match, and openly acknowledged the Football Ferns' spirited display. “The conditions made today extremely difficult to play good football, with extreme winds and quite a firm pitch meaning it certainly wasn't a pretty match.
“But we managed to score four goals against a very spirited New Zealand team, and held our discipline throughout even when we fell behind. The series was very beneficial, giving us some quality time together on the pitch, as well as the opportunity to blood some younger players at international level”.
New Zealand now head to Port Moresby to take on Papua New Guinea in Saturday's Oceania Football Confederation Olympic Women's Football Tournament qualifying fixture. It takes place at the Lloyd Robson Oval from 5pm NZ time.
Details:
Australia 4 (C. McCallum (9), C. Salisbury (66 pen, 83), C. Polkinghorne (90)), New Zealand 2 (M. Smith (13), H. Moorwood (35)) HT 1-2
Matildas: Melissa Barbieri (Lydia Williams, 46); Clare Polkinghorne, Sally Shipard (Kim Carroll, 46), Cheryl Salisbury, Karla Reuter (Ellen Beaumont, 46); Heather Garriock, Joanne Burgess (Amy Chapman, 58), Caitlin Munoz (booked, 41) (Tameka Butt, 70), Colette McCallum; Sarah Walsh, Kate Gill (Victoria Balomenos, 87)
Football Ferns: Jenny Bindon; Ria Percival, Maia Jackman, Abby Erceg, Ali Riley; Merissa Smith (Wendi Henderson, 75), Emily McColl, Hayley Moorwood, Kirsty Yallop (Simone Carmichael, 46); Renee Leota (Annalie Longo, 80), Emma Kete
|