New Zealand’s Football Ferns marched imperiously into the semi-finals of the 2010 OFC Women’s Nations Cup on 1 October, conquering the Cook Islands 10-0 on North Harbour Stadium’s outer oval to edge ever closer to qualifying for the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup Finals in Germany. The reigning Oceania champions wasted little time in getting into their stride, Abby Erceg and Sarah Gregorius combining on the left before a switch of play brought Ria Percival into the action. Her low third minute cross, intended for Amber Hearn, was smothered by Cooks’ ‘keeper Mati Toru, who was in for a busy afternoon. Four minutes later, the Football Ferns came within inches of opening their account for the afternoon. Rosie White picked out Hearn with a pass, and the striker went to the by-line before inviting Percival to deliver a cross to the far post, where White was hurtling in on cue. Her header shaved the upright - it deserved better fate. The opening goal was scored in the ninth minute, and was sparked by a super pass from Katie Hoyle. Gregorius galloped down the left in pursuit of this invitation to stretch her legs, and once under control, she duly whipped in a wicked low cross which took Toru out of the equation. Hearn was sliding in, and steered the ball home from six yards. It was a case of role reversal between scorer and provider in the fifteenth minute, and the result was a doubled lead. Hayley Moorwood’s precise clipped pass over the defence picked out Hearn, who dinked a delightfully weighted cross into Gregorius’ stride, as she raced in off the left flank. Her finish was top quality - a side-footed first-time volley which wrong-footed Toru to give Gregorius her first goal in international women’s football, a feat which one of her team-mates experienced seven minutes later, but only after a scare. Erceg, whose distribution in this match was generally of the highest order, was guilty of a lapse in accuracy in the 21st minute, something which Poko Manulea was quick to take advantage of. She burst through the Football Ferns’ defence before looking to set up Dayna Napa, whose hopes of halving the deficit were thwarted by a solid save from Aroon Clansey, who was making just her second appearance for New Zealand, and her first since a clash against China in 2006. The Football Ferns responded to this warning shot across their bows by extending their lead to 3-0. Hearn sent White racing down the right, from where she pulled the ball back into the stride of Katie Hoyle. From the edge of the penalty area, she stroked home her maiden goal on the world stage in the 22nd minute. After Anna Green and Gregorius had linked with Hearn, who sent a screamer careering inches over the far angle of post and crossbar from fully thirty yards on the angle, some Moorwood magic manufactured goal number four, in the 27th minute. The Football Ferns’ captain found two opponents on top of her as she took the ball into the Cook Islands’ penalty area. Patience and skill were the watch-words as she worked her way to the by-line, and both were rewarded when one of her challengers left enough of a gap through which a cross could be delivered. Moorwood didn’t hesitate, and clipped an inch-perfect ball onto the head of Hearn, as she arrived on the far post. The number nine’s downward header guided the ball beyond Toru, much to the delight of Gregorius, who bundled the ball home from close range. Within a minute, Percival stripped an opponent of possession and scampered past three more as she rampaged down the right at pace. Her cross curled just behind White, who attempted in vain to

compensate for the inaccurate delivery via a hip-turn volley. Gregorius picked up the pieces and attempted to put them away via a curling effort which Toru parried, then smothered at the feet of the incoming Kirsty Yallop, fresh off the plane after playing in the Swedish Damallsvenskan for her Kristianstads DFF club on Monday morning. Erceg and Green combined on the left for Yallop, who, as Moorwood drew the defence with a diagonal run, played a ball in behind her for White, who walloped a shot on the turn straight at Toru from the edge of the penalty area. The Cooks’ ‘keeper then made a far more difficult save, after a slick interchange of passes between Percival, Hoyle, Yallop and Gregorius, The hat-trick hunting striker was thwarted by the legs of Toru in the 31st minute. Hoyle and Percival then ignited another raid which featured a gem of a one-two between Hearn and Yallop which took three defenders out of the equation. Yallop’s cross zoomed across the bows of Hoyle, who arrived two seconds too late to net her second goal of the game. The Football Ferns were relishing their work now, and openings were frequent in number and high in quality. Green fed Hearn, who cut in from the left before playing the ball into Moorwood. Her lay-off invited Green to let fly, but Toru tipped her twenty-yarder over the crossbar, which came under threat from Percival’s resulting corner - Erceg’s header skimmed it in the 36th minute. After White had been thwarted by Toru following the combination work of Percival, Hearn and Gregorius six minutes before half-time, the Football Ferns went nap a minute later thanks to Hearn, who unleashed a twenty-five yard thunderbolt into the top left-hand corner of Toru’s net as the ‘keeper looked on in stunned bemusement. The scorer sent a twenty yarder sizzling past the post seconds later, after Yallop’s pass had invited her to let fly. Soon after, a raking Cooks clearance gave Napa something to chase, but Clansey, who was clearly eager to make the most of this rare opportunity on the world stage, came careering way out of her penalty area to avert the danger, colliding with Napa after doing so. The Cook Islands bench were furious that Tahitian referee Averii Jacques awarded the Football Ferns a free-kick following this clash - they felt it should have gone against the host nation. They were doubly frustrated seconds later, as the Football Ferns wrapped up the first half scoring in stoppage time. Moorwood played in Percival on the right, and the fullback’s cross-shot careered over Toru’s head and into the net - 6-0 on the stroke of half-time. New Zealand introduced Liz Milne and Hannah Wilkinson to the fray at half-time, but the relentless nature of the Football Ferns’ search for goals continued unabated. Kristy Hill headed a Percival cross narrowly across the face of goal in the 47th minute, while Moorwood only just failed to get on the end of a delivery from the same player three minutes later. In between times, both Wilkinson and Yallop - following a Green cross - were unable to direct efforts on target in the absence of Toru, whom the substitute had rounded after Gregorius and Hearn had worked a one-two to send her through on goal with just the ‘keeper to beat. Two goals in as many minutes reinvigorated the Football Ferns’ attacking thrust ten minutes into the second spell. The first saw Hearn and Green combining for Gregorius to head home her hat-trick goal from close range, while seconds later, Erceg’s

thumping header crashed into the roof of the net after Percival’s corner had been punched out by Toru. Hearn then rattled a post with a twenty-yarder before Toru blocked a Milne piledriver, following an interchange between Yallop and substitute Maia Jackman on the right. Then, in the 63rd minute, a meeting of the minds which hatched many a Lynn-Avon United triumph throughout the past decade plotted and executed New Zealand’s ninth goal in eye-catching fashion. Moorwood, Yallop and Hearn gathered around the ball after the Football Ferns were awarded a free-kick. What followed was a routine straight off the training ground at Ken Maunder Park - Moorwood’s pass, Yallop’s dummy, Hearn’s thirty yarder soared into the top corner. Quality, and a goal which took the scorer to third in the all-time New Zealand goalscoring charts. Urged on by coach John Herdman, the Football Ferns pounded away in search of double figures, but the goals just would not come. Moorwood evaded two challenges before slipping Yallop through, but her fifteen yard effort was parried then smothered by Toru, the recovery save necessary as Gregorius was hovering with intent. Jackman, Milne and Yallop then combined for Wilkinson’s benefit, but Toru parried her eighteen yarder to safety as well. Seconds later, Hearn sent Gregorius down the right, from where she whipped in a cross which Moorwood looked to meet with a spectacular diving header. She succeeded only in directing the ball into Yallop’s stride, and the midfielder sent her 69th minute effort careering past the post. The resulting goal-kick found its way to Hill, who sent Jackman racing down the right. Her cross parted Yallop’s hair - she came desperately close to scoring her tenth goal for her country. Instead, it was the supplier of that opportunity who had reason to celebrate ten minutes from time, seven-and-a-half years after she last scored for New Zealand!!! Green’s corner picked out the head of Jackman, whose header completely deceived Toru and crept in by her right-hand post to the delight of a scorer who now stands just one game away from making her fiftieth appearance for her country. The final ten minutes saw Hearn twice go close to increasing the Football Ferns’ winning margin. Toru saved at her feet on both occasions, which sandwiched headed attempts by Green and Moorwood which were deserving of better fate, particularly the latter effort, sparked as it was by a raking sixty-yard ball from Erceg which landed perfectly in Green’s stride as she charged down the left. One member of the Cook Islands team had more reason than most to be pleased that Moorwood failed to score on this occasion. Six minutes from time, Angela Wallbank entered the fray, affording those present the rare opportunity to see sisters appearing on opposing teams in a Women’s World Cup qualifying encounter - a special moment for the family, without question. And a performance which saw the Football Ferns do many good things, but in which there is still room for improvement, something they will look to realise in their remaining matches at the 2010 OFC Women’s Nations Cup tournament, beginning against Tahiti from 3.30pm on Sunday. Football Ferns:     Clansey; Percival (Jackman, 61), Hill, Erceg, Green; Moorwood, Hoyle (Milne, 46), Yallop; White (Wilkinson, 46), Hearn, Gregorius Cook Islands:          Toru; Iroa, Tutai, Akavi, Kaukura (Wallbank, 84); Manulea, Dean (Henry, 49), Harmon, Trego (Manico, 65); Napa, Mustonen Referee:     Averii Jacques (Tahiti)