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Cook Islands
SWANZ Struggle To Overcome Stubborn Defence Of Cooks
by Jeremy Ruane
The Cook Islands put up stubborn resistance, but ultimately succumbed 9-0 to New Zealand's national women's soccer team, the SWANZ, at Canberra's Belconnen Soccer Centre on April 9, in the latest round of the Oceania Football Confederation's Women's World Cup qualifying series.
The Kiwi team struggled to overcome their rivals, however, squandering a wealth of opportunities throughout the match, frustration often overtaking the patience required to put the eleven-woman defensive tactics employed by the Cooks to the sword.
All appeared on course early on for the SWANZ, Simone Ferrara nutmegging Cooks' goalkeeper Sharline Viking in the fourth minute to open the scoring, after Wendi Henderson's cross from the right had cannoned off Nicky Smith into the midfielder's stride.
Smith (shot pictured opposite) and Henderson both went close in the next six minutes, before Maia Jackman opened her account for the evening in classic fashion in the thirteenth minute, powerfully heading home a pinpoint Henderson corner from twelve yards.
Two further Smith efforts fizzed over the crossbar before goal number three graced the game in the 22nd minute. Henderson's cross from the left never reached Ferrara, after she was crudely shoved over in the penalty area by Julina Matakino. Ferrara rolled home the spot-kick - 3-0.
Three minutes later, Jane Simpson volleyed wide after crosses from Henderson (pictured below, supported by Simpson) and Jackman foundered on determined Cooks' defending, while a flying header from Jackman flew inches past the post, after Simpson and Ferrara had combined on the right.
 The premature departure of debutant midfielder Rachel Doody, with a knee injury, paved the way for Priscilla Duncan's appearance, and while she was getting up to speed, Michele Keinzley saw Viking parry her twenty-five yarder to safety after the vibrant Ferrara had linked up with Simpson on the right.
The same duo teamed up to engineer the SWANZ fourth goal, in the 31st minute. Jackman flicked on Simpson's cross to Henderson, whose low cross was steered home by Smith.
After Henderson, who clearly relished her recall to the starting line-up, had volleyed at Viking after Keinzley and Jackman had teamed up, the SWANZ went nap in the 34th minute. Ferrara, Simpson and Smith combined, the last-mentioned's low cross being turned home by Jackman, who got in amongst the retreating Cooks' rearguard to ram home her second goal of the game.
The Islanders were clearly fearful of Jackman, as evidenced by captain Julieanne Westruff's comments soon after - "Don't let that number seven get it!!", this after the striker had flicked on a Simpson cross for Henderson. (Her second half comment, "The number seven is loose!", easily surpassed this as the quote of the day!!)
Seconds after Henderson's effort had been scrambled clear, Viking produced the save of the game to thwart Duncan, whose dipping twenty-five yarder was destined for the top left-hand corner of the net.
The goalkeeper denied both Smith and Jackman before the break, while in between Jackman diverting a header onto the roof of the net, and Duncan blazing a shot over the bar with the last chance of the half, the SWANZ were denied two
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 Nicky Smith
whips in a cross
 Rebecca Smith
moves upfield
 Rachel Doody on her SWANZ debut
 Simone Ferrara
scoring from the penalty spot
 Kelly Jarden
in full flight
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clear-cut penalties by referee Tammy Ogston, the first when Moeroa Mamanu handled the ball, then when Jackman was sent tumbling seconds later.
The second half was four minutes old when Kelly Jarden whipped over a super cross from the left which Jackman met at full pelt, and ended up in the back of the net with the ball - 6-0, and her hat-trick strike.
After Ferrara had chipped the ball onto the roof of the net, following a short corner routine between Henderson and Simpson, with assistance from Smith, the SWANZ went seven-up in the 53rd minute with a goal rich in movement.
 Keinzley, Duncan and the overlapping Simpson were all involved, and the subsequent volley from Henderson was sumptuous - Viking got her fingertips to it, but this shot stayed hit!
The goalkeeper gained her revenge seconds later, thwarting Henderson after Smith's hard work, then found reason to buy a lottery ticket, as Jarden's stupendous inswinging corner hit the far post, bounced off Viking's legs and was scrambled to safety.
Simpson celebrated her first goal for the SWANZ in the 59th minute, her cross-shot being misjudged by Viking, and it seemed only a matter of time before the New Zealanders would reach double figures.
That they didn't is something for which they only have themselves to blame, as impatience and frustration with the Cooks' defensive tactics stymied many a promising move, and resulted in a steady stream of pot-shots which were directed at Viking.
Liz O'Meara - another debutant, Duncan, Ferrara and Keinzley all saw their shots comfortably gathered by the goalkeeper, while Jarden, O'Meara, Keinzley and Rebecca Smith were all guilty of firing shots wide of the mark, when more composed finishes were called for.
Jarden rattled the crossbar with a twenty-five yard effort thirteen minutes from time, while Viking plucked a Simpson cross off the head of Jackman, moments before being replaced between the sticks by Miriama Ngaoire, who promptly denied both Rebecca Smith and Duncan - a fine save to turn the youngster's sizzling twenty-yarder to safety.
It took the predatory skills of Terry McCahill to wrap up the scoring in stoppage time, the ever-reliable defender ramming home her first international goal, after Keinzley's corner was blocked on the line by Isabel Urirau for the final 9-0 scoreline.
"There was a lesson to be learnt by us tonight, in terms of having to be patient and keep possession", mused SWANZ coach, Sandy Davie, afterwards. "We did quite well at times, but lost our way trying to force the play.
"Terry McCahill and Rebecca Smith were solid and steady respectively, while Nicky Smith did well again, and Simone Ferrara played quite well in midfield. Overall, though, no-one stood out for the entire ninety minutes".
SWANZ: Vale; Simpson, McCahill, R. Smith, Jarden (Ray, 78); Keinzley, Doody (Duncan, 26), Ferrara, Henderson; Jackman, N. Smith (O'Meara, 61)
Cooks: Viking (Ngaoire, 87); Mamanu, Matakino, Piri, Moeara, Purea; Daniel (Apera, 63), Rakei, Westrupp, Urirau; Raina (Willis, 71)
Referee: Tammy Ogston (Australia)
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