The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website | home
Australia Feb 1 | Australia Feb 2
Australia Feb 1
Record-Breaking Matildas Hit New Zealand Women For Six
by Jeremy Ruane
Australia's Matildas scored their biggest ever victory over the New Zealand women's team at Canberra Stadium on February 4, scoring three goals in each half to score a 6-0 win, a result which easily exceeds the 4-0 triumphs the Australians recorded in both 1995 and 2000.
The Matildas hit the crossbar three times and had a goal ruled out for offside in the 31st clash between the trans-tasman rivals, and the outcome extended their winning streak to eleven matches in a rivalry which last saw New Zealand triumphant in October 1994.
There is little likelihood of their turning the tables when the teams clash again on Waitangi Day, as this defeat left the Kiwi girls rather shell-shocked, the gulf between the countries ranked fifteenth and twenty-fourth in the world all too evident in this match, which was delayed thirty minutes before kicking off in 28C heat and saw both teams using their entire compliment of substitutes throughtout the second half.
Things began to go awry for the SWANZ, who greatly missed the absent through injury Maia Jackman, in the third minute, when Melissa Ray was caught out of position by an early ball forward from Kate McShea. This allowed Sarah Walsh to exploit the space behind her, and as Abby Erceg raced across to cover, she lashed a twenty-five yarder across Rachel Howard into the far corner of the net.
The Matildas maintained the early pressure, Claire Polkinghorne hitting the crossbar in the eighth minute before Cheryl Salisbury had a goal denied her by the offside flag seconds later, both opportunities having emanated from Jo Burgess corners.
New Zealand were rarely sighted as an attacking force in the first spell, their first chance to press their claims for a first goal in international football since defeating Papua New Guinea 5-0 in April 2003 coming in the sixteenth minute.
The hard-working Marlies Oostdam released Simone Carmichael down the right, but when she fired over her cross under pressure, there was no-one on hand in a white shirt to exploit the opening.
At the other end of the park, however, gold jerseys were everywhere. A Joanne Peters free-kick was flicked on by Walsh for Katie Gill in the eighteenth minute, and while she spurned this first opportunity, Rebecca Smith was unable to head clear, gifting Gill a second opening which she also failed to exploit.
The sultry conditions saw referee Brett Whitford employ water breaks in the match, and it was straight after the first of these that Peters picked out Gill with a cross which the striker headed against the crossbar.
The SWANZ, with Erceg and Ria Percival in defiant form defensively, and Nicky Smith a willing chaser of causes - however remote - in attack, were hanging on for the half-time whistle as the Matildas - using this two-match series as preparation for their Olympic qualifying campaign - pounded away, with Katie Hoyle doggedly looking to plug holes all over the park.
In doing this, it meant her direct opponent was given free rein, and after Walsh had squandered a great chance when shooting at Howard in the 33rd minute, Collette McCallum took full advantage of Hoyle's absence six minutes before half-time. Heather Garriock and Polkinghorne combined to present the young midfielder with a chance some twenty yards out, and Howard was beaten all ends up from outside the penalty area once again.
2-0 became 3-0 two minutes before the break, Garriock cutting in from the left and eventually shaking off the persistent Percival before lashing home a shot inside Howard's near post from just outside the penalty area.
Burgess fired the last shot in anger of the first half narrowly over the bar, while the first such effort in the second spell found the net once more, in the fiftieth minute. Garriock's corner was cleared well, but the Matildas, with four fresh faces on the park, quickly regained possession, and from twenty-five yards, one of the quartet, Lana Harch, thundered home another gem into the top right hand corner of Howard's net.
The SWANZ responded to this setback in two ways, firstly with their best chance of the match, three minutes later. A wayward goal-kick by Emma Wirkus was pounced on by Percival, who stormed down the right and smashed a twenty-five yarder across the goalkeeper, the ball crashing against the far post.
Nicky Smith was following in, and the prospect of New Zealand's first goal in 885 minutes of international women's soccer beckoned. But the striker was unable to steer her effort beyond the reach of the recovering Wirkus, and the scorer of the SWANZ last goal against Australia - in October 1998 - groaned in despair.
It was her last act of the match, as seconds later, New Zealand coach Allan Jones rang the changes,
|
 Abby Erceg keeps Katie Gill at bay
 Hayley Moorwood shadows Joanne Peters
 Nicky Smith shields from Cheryl Salisbury
 Ria Percival forces Heather Garriock inside
 Simone Carmichael
 Rachel Howard
|
introducing eight fresh faces to the fray, including debutants Emma Kete and Ali Riley. The newcomers were still acquainting themselves with the pace of the game when they yielded another goal, in the 56th minute.
Rhian Davies lofted the ball over the New Zealand rearguard and just outside the penalty area, a situation which caused advancing Kiwi 'keeper Jenny Bindon to hesitate. It proved costly, as Walsh, who had darted through to breach the offside trap, simply headed the ball over the static 'keeper and walked it into the net - 5-0.
Nine minutes later, the Matildas amassed goal number six, with Davies the architect again. Her ball forward saw Sasha McDonnell capitalise fully on the injury-hampered Erceg to scamper through and round Bindon before tucking the ball home.
This prompted another change to the SWANZ line-up, with Erceg making way for Emma Humphries, allowing Ray and Rebecca Simpson to team up in the heart of New Zealand's rearguard. The duo made an excellent fist of things, their efforts doing much to prevent the Australians adding further to their already humiliating tally - one superbly timed tackle in particular, by Simpson on McDonnell, had the Australian striker complaining in vain to well-performed referee Whitford.
Bindon made a couple of saves from Beaumont, while her opposite number, Wirkus, was also called into action on two further occasions, as the SWANZ sought to extract something from the game. Three minutes before the goalkeeper saved at her feet, Zoe Thompson engineered an opening for Michele Clarke with a super cross from the right which her fellow substitute headed goalwards.
But a combination of Wirkus and the woodwork meant the Kiwis were destined not to score once more - it's now some 922 minutes since they last hit the target on the world stage.
In the final minute, the Matildas' bottle blonde bombshells combined, Kim Carroll's free-kick picking out the head of McDonnell. For the third time in the game, the crossbar came to New Zealand's rescue, the last act of note in the latest trans-tasman women's engagement which gave Kiwi coach Allan Jones a very clear idea of where his charges stand in relation to their long-term goals.
"We have got a major problem on the world stage", he declared in typical no-nonsense manner. "It was demonstrated today that we were technically and physically outplayed. With the odd exception, player for player, they were quicker and stronger all over the park.
"The exceptions were Abby Erceg - outstanding, Ria Percival, who helped out more than capably at right back, and Marlies Oostdam and Nicky Smith, both of whom worked very hard".
Jones' most telling comment is one which his charges will do well to heed, given that Tuesday's return is now very much a test of character for the players, in light of Sunday's outcome. "I've learned a lot about this current squad, and there will need to be a massive improvement if we are to progress on the world stage".
Australia's coach, Tom Sermanni, decreed New Zealand shouldn't get too disheartened, despite the result. "There were three key factors which combined to impact on this game. The first four goals were all scored from outside the penalty area - we just hit them and they went in, whereas on another day ...
"Secondly, we've been together as a team for two years, and have accrued a significant amount of experience in that time compared to New Zealand, who are just starting out down that path.
"Lastly, all the players in our squad are playing for positions in our upcoming Olympic qualifying series, so are itching to make an impression, given the competition for spots.
"As well, the Kiwis - a common trait in New Zealand teams - were very disciplined, maintained their attitude and concentration levels, kept closing us down at every opportunity, and were unlucky not to pot a couple themselves", says the Matildas' mentor. "So all in all, from a New Zealand perspective, I wouldn't get too disheartened".
Matildas: Barbieri (Wirkus, 46); Alagich (Davies, 46), McShea, Salisbury (Neilson, 79), Polkinghorne (Beaumont, 60); Burgess (Harch, 46), McCallum (Colthorpe, 46), Peters (Small, 65), Garriock (Carroll, 68); Gill (McDonnell, 60), Walsh (Munoz, 60)
SWANZ: Howard (Bindon, 54); Percival (Duncan, 54), Erceg (Humphries, 65), R. Smith (Simpson, 54), Ray; Carmichael (Clarke, 54), Moorwood (Yallop, 54), Hoyle (Riley, 54), Oostdam; N. Smith (Thompson, 54), Henderson (Kete, 54)
Referee: Brett Whitford
|