Smith Looks Forward To Return Clash And Future by Jeremy Ruane New Zealand women's captain Rebecca Smith is looking forward to Wednesday night's return clash with Canada at North Harbour Stadium, after the visitors handed their fellow Women's World Cup Finalists a 3-0 defeat in front of nigh on 5000 fans on Sunday afternoon. “Obviously it's never fun to lose 3-0”, she declared after the game, “but at the same time there are always positives which we can take out of a defeat, and the good thing is we have another game against them, so we have one more chance to do what we did well in the second half. “We started off a little bit defensively, and gave Canada a little bit too much respect and space in the first half”, revealed the Swedish-based defender. “We were dropping off quite a bit and letting them play in front of us, which is OK from a defensive standpoint, but it meant we didn't have very many opportunities to go forward and keep the ball”. Smith was happier with the second half effort. “I think we tried to stay a little bit higher, and really tried to play the ball when we got it, which is something I think we can do. But we need to believe in ourselves and have the confidence that we can play like that”. The opportunity to play on home turf for the first time in nine years against a top-ten-ranked side in Canada is a move which Smith regards as a step in the right direction. “New Zealand has been at a disadvantage for the last ten to twelve years, for a variety of reasons. “Looking back, they've always been really competitive. In 1987, they beat the USA, and had some good results up until the early 1990s, since which time I think it's remained stable in NZ, whereas a lot of other countries have really grown, and pumped a lot of money and a lot of support into their women's programmes in the process. “Obviously if you don't get the support and the money and the programmes, then it's not going to be easy to field a side that's going to be competitive with teams like Canada”, states Smith candidly. “But I think that we now have the right focus, the right support and the monetary support in place, so I think the women's game in this country is just going to grow from here”. The final game in the two-match series takes place at North Harbour Stadium on Wednesday evening, kick-off 7.30pm.

Development Aspects Of Game Please Herdman by Jeremy Ruane The good points outweighed the bad in the eyes of New Zealand women's coach John Herdman at North Harbour Stadium on Sunday evening, after his charges found themselves on the wrong end of a 3-0 scoreline in their clash with Canada. “That's the tenth-best team in the world, we`ve just played. They are physically and athletically very strong, and I think we were found out a little today on that premise, but they're full-time internationals, full-time players. “The reality for us is that is a good level, and our girls are working very hard to achieve that level for themselves. It's not all doom and gloom - there are a lot of positives there for us to move forward, given this, in our eyes, is a development tour. “Today, we tried a few different things with players, and tried to give players an opportunity - we started with five Under 20s, for instance. Now it's a case of where do we go next? What are the next steps for this team? And there'll be more opportunities for more players in the second game”. Herdman was impressed by New Zealand's second half efforts. “We tried to get a little bit more shape, and some players were actually a bit more confident when getting on the ball. “Tactically we were poor in the first half - the team didn't set up as well as we wanted to. The second half we stepped a little bit higher and put pressure on a little bit higher, which I thought made a difference”. A team effort, rather than one reliant on impressive individual displays, is how Herdman prefers to reflect on the first match of this two-test series. “Some of the girls coming on were quite positive. Zoe Thompson was quite bright, for instance. I'm not going to single out too many individuals, because there weren't that many strong individual performances, but young Annalie Longo, coming on, did well. “And when you think of the likes of Abby Erceg, a seventeen-year-old playing centre-back against Christine Sinclair … I thought she did a good job. The back four did work pretty well together at times. “Let's not lose sight of the fact that we're up against class players, and our girls don't get the chance to play against that class very often. So to step up like some of them did … I thought we did all right, particularly in the second half”. The final game in the two-match series takes place at North Harbour Stadium on Wednesday evening, kick-off 7.30pm.

Record-Breaker Sinclair Savours Another Highlight by Jeremy Ruane In a career already rich in memories to savour, Canadian striker Christine Sinclair's latest achievement is right up there. The two goals she scored against New Zealand in Canada's 3-0 win at North Harbour Stadium on Sunday evening saw her become the most prolific markswoman in the history of the Canadian National Women's Team, with 72 goals to her name from just 93 internationals. It's a feat she's quite rightly proud of. “It's great. I've always wanted to represent my country and now to have the scoring record, it's nice”, declares the young striker, who turns twenty-four in a fortnight. “I think it just represents how well our team's done in the past few years. We've scored quite a few goals during that time”. It's the latest highlight in a career already laden with them, but there are a few stand-outs which have special significance for Sinclair. “Participating in the last World Cup was awesome - just for the experience alone. But also winning the NCAA Championships in school with the University of Portland - that was a huge one for me. We won it twice while I was there. “Playing in the Under-19 Women's World Cup Finals in Canada, when we finished second, is definitely up there too”, says Sinclair of a tournament about which she has particularly fond memories. “Having the home crowd behind us in 02 was unbelievable. First of all, we were a team of eighteen-year-olds, and when we walked out into the stadium for our first match … at the start of the tournament, there were 30,000 fans cheering us on, and by the final, there were 60,000 fans watching a bunch of teenagers play. It was pretty cool, unbelievable, and definitely something I'll never forget”. Canada's captain is pleased with her country's progress towards the 2007 Women's World Cup Finals. “We're on the right track for China. These past few months, we've spent a lot of time on fitness conditioning, and I think that's paying off - in the ninetieth minute, we were definitely a lot fresher than the New Zealand players were. “Now it's just a matter of getting these games under our belt. From here we go to the Pan American Games in Brazil, then probably to Mexico - we've got quite a few games coming up, so I think we're where we want to be right now”. While Sinclair has personal targets - “a medal at the World Cup and the Olympics” - in mind over the coming two years, they are of secondary concern to her. “If the team does well, chances are I'll be scoring. So as long as the team goes well, that's all I care about!” Canada will have the chance to go well again when they take on New Zealand at North Harbour Stadium from 7.30pm on Wednesday evening, in the final game of the two-match series between these 2007 Women's World Cup Finalists.