University of North Carolina

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Top College Team Down Plucky Kiwi Women

by Jeremy Ruane

The University of North Carolina “Tar Heels”, the reigning champions of America's NCAA Division One women's soccer competition, completed their three-match trans-tasman tour at Bill McKinlay Park on May 27 with a hard-fought 1-0 over the Auckland-based members of the New Zealand national women's team.

A 1500-strong crowd urged on the locals throughout the first senior international women's fixture to be played in this country since October 1998, and the plucky Kiwi combination responded with a performance which was well worth a share of the spoils.

Unfortunately, the first of three international fixtures on home turf over the course of the next ten days saw New Zealand yield a scrappy goal fifteen minutes from time, and that proved the difference between the teams on the scoreboard.

The visitors, despite playing into the wind, took the game to New Zealand from the off, but it was the home team who engineered the first opportunities in the match. Hayley Moorwood sent Zoe Thompson scooting through in the seventh minute, but UNC goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris raced out of her penalty area to bravely head clear.

Five minutes later, the Kiwis went closer still. Rebecca Sowden rolled a short free-kick to Marlies Oostdam, who unleashed a twenty-five yard screamer which crashed against the crossbar. UNC scrambled the ball to seeming safety, but Oostdam was lurking again - this time, her more delicate effort cleared the crossbar.

UNC's first opening saw US international Yael Averbuch head a Melissa Hayes corner over the crossbar on the quarter-hour. When Hayes next fired over a corner, New Zealand raced downfield with the ball, Merissa Smith in charge, with Thompson and Nicky Smith either side of her.

The sixteen-year-old continued on, however, only to undo all her good work by shooting tamely at Harris, with a frustrated Nicky Smith in yards of space to her left and far better placed to exploit the outnumbered UNC rearguard.

From such lessons, the younger Smith will learn. Meantime, the third Smith on the park, UNC's Sterling Smith - nicknamed `Silver', perchance? - fired over a twentieth minute cross with which New Zealand's defence failed to deal. Whitney Engen's driven effort cleared the crossbar by not a lot as a result.

Moments later, a free-kick from the squad's second US international, Casey Nogueira, had Jenny Bindon scrambling to paw the ball round her near post. And the same players featured in the 24th minute, Nogueira intercepting a Maia Jackman pass intended for Ria Percival and racing goalwards. Bindon battered her shot to safety with some aplomb.

New Zealand careered downfield on the counter-attack, Abby Erceg sparking a move which culminated in Oostdam's precise pass releasing Merissa Smith through the inside left channel. Her cross-shot was saved superbly by Harris, who, while in the USA's extended senior squad, has met to make her debut for the reigning Olympic champions.

Seconds later, speedster Smith was in again, Moorwood splitting the defence with a pass which invited the youngster to steer the ball beyond the closing figure of Harris. She did this, but, as often happens when a striker is going through one of those spells when the ball never bounces kindly for her in front of goal, she directed her effort narrowly wide of the mark, rather than between the posts.

Just after the half-hour mark, UNC engineered a great chance when Hayes picked out Jaime Gilbert. The burly striker burst into the penalty area and angled a shot narrowly past the far post.

It roused the Kiwis into a well-conceived 36th minute attack which saw Percival and Thompson contrive a slick one-two on the right, the former getting to the by-line from where she drove a cross to the near post, the fast-arriving Nicky Smith her intended target. Harris converged on the ball even faster - she's a top `keeper, this lass.

The photos below appear courtesy Shane Wenzlick

Hayley Moorwood (NZ) controls under pressure from Melissa Hayes (UNC)

Marlies Oostdam (NZ) unleashes her crossbar rattler

Maia Jackman (NZ) wins an aerial duel

Priscilla Duncan (NZ) controls the ball

Not for the first time in the half, the offside flag foiled a Merissa Smith-led raid, and it was something which would frustrate Moorwood on a couple of occasions in the second spell - one of these, in particular, looked to be a call of hairline magnitude.

Generally, however, referee Leigh Perry and her team were on top of their game, which meant the players - the locals particularly - could get on with the task of impressing a crowd which featured plenty of youngsters with parents in tow.

The Kiwis began the second half brightly, but penetrating the Betsy Frederick-marshalled defence proved something else again this time round, at least initially. But after Averbuch had met Hayes' corner with a glancing header which lacked accuracy, Katie Hoyle - passion personified - picked out Merissa Smith's angled run with a measured pass. The striker's shot was well stopped by Harris at her near post.

The goalkeeper, with the wind behind her, launched the ball downfield, and Averbuch latched onto it before slipping Nogueira down the left at pace. She got to the by-line before pulling the ball back into Sterling Smith's path. But before she could pull the trigger, Oostdam lunged head-long in a desperate and successful attempt to thwart the danger.

It was only temporarily averted, for within seconds, UNC were on the prowl again, the left flank once more their source of creativity. But Jackman produced a timely tackle to deny Sterling Smith, and this time New Zealand was able to clear their lines convincingly.

Plenty of neat and tidy play with little end product was the summation of the next fifteen minutes from both teams' perspective, but with fifteen minutes remaining, UNC struck the goal which ultimately decided the game.

It was a somewhat fortuitous effort, and was sparked by Engen's driven corner to the far post. Erceg, Jackman and Annalie Longo all attempted to clear the danger, but couldn't shake off the persistent Nogueira, off whom a clearance cannoned straight into the goalmouth.

More by instinct than anything else, Gilbert stuck out a leg in the confines of the goal area, and the ball ricocheted off her outstretched limb and into the net - 1-0 UNC, and some crestfallen faces wearing white shirts were instantly evident.

The New Zealanders quickly rallied, however, Moorwood drilling a Merissa Smith cross wide within four minutes of the goal. Then Priscilla Duncan sent Smith scurrying away in pursuit of a peach of a pass down the left, the youngster clattering into `keeper Harris as both converged on the ball. The American will be nursing the bruises from that particular clash for a day or two, at least.

The dying stages of the match saw both goals survive scares. Bindon was beaten by a clever curling effort from Sterling Smith which thudded against the base of her right-hand post in the 89th minute, to which New Zealand responded in stoppage time through the Smiths. Merissa picked out Nicky, whose volley on the turn fizzed narrowly across the face of goal, Harris beaten.

Back came UNC, and soon after Averbuch had fired a twenty-five yarder over the bar, referee Perry's final whistle signalled the end of an enterprising match from which New Zealand's Auckland-based players will take much confidence, ahead of the Women's World Cup Finalists' next assignment - a two-match series against fellow finalists Canada at North Harbour Stadium, starting in a week's time.

New Zealand: Bindon; Percival, Jackman, Erceg, Green (Hoyle, 46); Moorwood (Duncan, 58), Sowden (Longo, 46), Oostdam; Thompson (Moorwood, 62), N. Smith, M. Smith

UNC: Harris; Moraca, Frederick, Eveland; Washington, Averbuch, Hayes, Heath; S. Smith, Nogueira, Engen. Subs (rolling): Gilbert, Perkins, Yates, Esposito, Moore

Referee: Leigh Perry

2007 Home Internationals