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NZ U18s
Much To Like In New Zealand Sides’ Clash
by Jeremy Ruane
The result went as one would expect of a clash between New Zealand’s Senior and Under-18 Regional Selections - 5-1 in favour of the older and wiser contingent - but there was much to like about the performance of both sides on the opening day of the quadrangular International Women’s Soccer Tournament at Bill McKinlay Park on September 18.
The Senior side fielded their most experienced line-up from the squad chosen for the first half, and such was their cohesion, movement and overall quality of play in this spell that you would never have guessed that the last time the bulk of this team had played together was in June 2000, at the Pacific Cup tournament across the Tasman - they really looked the business!
Understandably, the advent of changes to the line-up throughout the second half meant these facets of the Seniors’ play became less evident, but given time, and adequate preparation, including games against quality opposition, coach Sandy Davie has a vibrant group of players at his disposal, who are well capable of mounting a serious challenge to qualify for the 2003 Women’s World Cup Finals in China.
The Under-18s’ objective is far closer, in terms of time. The Oceania qualifying tournament for the inaugural Under-19 Women’s World Cup Finals takes place in Tonga in May, and on this showing, New Zealand’s preparations are bubbling along nicely.
The youngsters didn’t make life easy for their elder opponents, and weren’t afraid to stand their ground in the challenge. The pick of the Under-18s, on this showing, was Amber Hearn, who gave Wendi Henderson as good as she got in midfield.
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The youngster had an outstanding ninety minutes, while not far behind in this regard were Rachel Doody, goalkeeper Wendy Horneman and striker Emily McColl, who earned the biggest cheer of the night with an absolute snorter of a goal in the 39th minute.
Breaking clear on the right, she cut into the penalty area before unleashing a screamer which fair sizzled into the top near corner of Yvonne Vale’s goal, the ‘keeper rendered helpless by the sheer ferocity of the shot.
This made the scoreline 4-1, for the Seniors had turned on the style on more than one occasion prior to McColl’s missile. Melissa Ruscoe had hit the angle with her ninth minute attempt to volley home a Nicky Smith free-kick, while the lively front-runner went for goal on her own a minute later, lasering her shot across the face of goal after weaving past four challenges.
Two minutes later, the Seniors opened the scoring. Smith sent another free-kick towards Ruscoe, whose effort hit the crossbar. A scramble ensued, the ball spilling loose to Ruscoe, who squeezed the ball inside the diving Horneman’s right-hand post.
The Seniors doubled their advantage twelve minutes later, with a goal made in Canterbury. Kelly Jarden sent Rachel Oliver scampering away down the left, and the wide midfielder got to the byline from where she whipped in a superb cross, the sort strikers love to find themselves on the end of.
Three defenders had gone to cover Crawford’s run to the near post, but the ball went beyond this point to Smith, who found herself in copious amounts of space, and with so much time on her hands that boiling an egg was an
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option!! “Smooth” put both time and space to good use, and the net duly bulged -
2-0.
Nine minutes later, the margin was extended to three goals by the Seniors, who were starting to put on a bit of a show for the two hundred-odd present. Maia Jackman slipped the ball into Smith‘s path down the right, and the striker got to the byline before whipping in a cross for Amanda Crawford.
The flu-ridden front-runner drew two defenders with her as she darted to the near post, and rendered her opponents helpless with the most deft of flicks, which steered the ball into Oliver’s path, as the midfielder arrived on the far post. She dutifully put the finishing touches to a well-conceived manoeuvre.
If that goal was good, the Seniors’ fourth strike, ten minutes before the interval, was quite superb. Ruscoe, on the right flank, switched play to Jarden, on the left near the half-way line. An angled through ball picked out the hard-working Jennifer Carlisle, who slipped a delightful pass into the path of Smith, who neatly lobbed the advancing Horneman to complete, with no little amount of style, what, without question, was the best goal of the day.
The Under-18s enjoyed their best spell either side of half-time, and late on in the match - Vale prevented Rachel Porter from getting on the end of a Janelle Hunter cross by saving at her feet in the 74th minute - as they looked to build on their goal, but the best chances in the second spell fell the way of their senior rivals.
Michele Keinzley, a half-time substitute, burst forward and took on four opponents before slipping the ball across to Jackman, whose shot was parried to safety by Horneman. Keinzley was crowded out
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this time, while Jackman’s second attempt to score in this raid was blocked. Ultimately, Henderson fired over from twenty-five yards.
Four minutes later, Jackman only just failed to get on the end of a raking Oliver cross, while in the 69th minute, a mistake by Horneman allowed Sara Clapham to get in a cross for Crawford, who found herself with her back to goal and defenders all around. A pass picked out Stephanie White, who watched in disbelief as her shot struck the legs of the well-placed Saskia Bullen and rebounded to safety.
Three minutes later, Jackman rounded off the scoring with a goal which was due reward for her anticipation and lightning-quick acceleration. An Oliver break down the left had resulted in a cross beyond Keinzley, and with Kim Rowney shepherding the sphere back to Horneman, there seemed to be no hint of danger.
Seconds later, Rowney and Horneman were left looking at each other with one question in mind - “Where the heck did she come from?” For Jackman was turning away in celebration, having stolen inside off the right flank, nipped in between the two Under-18s and made off with the ball, which she calmly stroked into the empty net to bring about the final 5-1 scoreline.
NZ Seniors: Vale; Simpson (Morrison, 59), Ruscoe, Jarden (Humby, 72); Jackman, Carlisle (Clapham, 46), Henderson, White, Oliver; Crawford (Gooch, 81), Smith (Keinzley, 46)
NZ U-18s: Horneman; Rowney (Wenzlick, 81), Doody, Bullen; Humphries (Meagher, 81), Moorwood, Hearn, Duncan (Ray, 63), Meo; McColl (Porter, 71), Thompson (Hunter, 54)
Referee: Linda Ritchie
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