Two goals in the first thirteen minutes of their clash at the legendary Candlestick Park laid the foundations for Team USA to overpower the Football Ferns 4-1 in San Francisco on October 27, as the visiting team played the first of two matches against the Olympic women's champions to mark US Soccer's centenary celebrations. After Sarah Gregorius gave the hosts a fifth minute fright when swooping on a stray pass to unleash a rising angled twenty yard drive towards Hope Solo's top left-hand corner - the 'keeper swatted it to safety, the world's number one-ranked team struck twice in six minutes to effectively settle the contest before the 16,315-strong crowd had settled into their seats. Megan Rapinoe rifled a twenty yard free-kick over the defensive wall and between the diving Erin Nayler and her right-hand post in the seventh minute of play to open the scoring, after which the host nation continued to pile on the pressure, forcing a host of mistakes by the Football Ferns, whose passing in the opening minutes of the match reflected their collective nervousness. Within a minute of the goal, the relentless Carli Lloyd pounced on a stray pass and played Rapinoe in on the left. She drove in behind the retreating Ria Percival before rattling the side-netting with a fierce drive. Three minutes later, Christen Press pounced on another stray pass just outside the penalty area before turning and lashing a low drive narrowly past Nayler's left-hand post. The Football Ferns failed to overcome their collective uncertainty, and when Lloyd latched onto another stray pass in the thirteenth minute, the mercurial number ten was merciless in response, driving into the penalty area before thrashing the ball past Nayler - 2-0. Rapinoe wasn't far away again soon afterwards, as the visitors continued to contribute to the USA's solid start by needlessly giving the ball to them. But the Football Ferns gradually got to grips with their situation, and at the venue where The Beatles played their last concert in America, they eventually started playing in harmony again. This was first evidenced in the 24th minute, when Hannah Wilkinson was thwarted in the area by Ali Krieger, who timed her challenge perfectly to stifle the striker's progress. Amber Hearn wasted a free-kick opportunity on the half-hour when driving it into the wall, but four minutes later, Annalie Longo worked a one-two with Percival on the right, the latter's return pass allowing the twinkle-toed midfielder to dance into Team USA's penalty area. Longo's slide-rule pass rewarded Wilkinson's angled run across the defence, and enabled her to attempt a tight-angled chip at the goal which Solo was charging out of. The 'keeper produced a fine reaction save to deny the Football Ferns a way back into the contest. After Ali Riley had foiled a Heather O'Reilly shot, the USA increased their lead four minutes before half-time. Lloyd sparked things off, picking out O'Reilly on the edge of the penalty area. She held off a challenge before laying the ball back into the stride of Press, whose unerring twenty-yarder arrowed past the despairing dive of Nayler and into the far corner of the net - 3-0. It was a mortal blow as far as the Football Ferns' prospects of mounting a fightback were concerned, but they set themselves a revised challenge of matching their rivals stride for stride throughout the second spell. Six minutes into it, Katie Hoyle robbed Lauren Holiday in midfield and instantly sent Wilkinson surging through the inside right channel. She raced on and rounded

half-time goalkeeping substitute Nicole Barnhart, only to run out of real estate - she hit the outside of the near post with a cross-shot from virtually on the by-line. Team USA failed to heed this warning, however, and paid the price in the 54th minute. Sarah Gregorius - the commentator described her as a "pest" for the way in which she harried the US defence throughout the second spell - stormed off down the left before picking out Longo inside her. She redirected the attack to the other flank, where Hearn was lurking with intent. Meghan Klingenberg thwarted her progress, so New Zealand's most prolific markswoman returned the ball to Longo, who threaded it through to Wilkinson in the penalty area. From ten yards out, she unleashed a drive which Barnhart could only parry. Becky Sauerbrunn reacted far too slowly to the rebound, unlike her opponent, Wilkinson gleefully punching the air with delight after burying the ball in the bottom far corner. 3-1 then - could the seemingly unthinkable be possible? Not if the two-time world champions had anything to do with it. Sure enough, they stepped up to the challenge presented to them, and once again started giving the Kiwis a few things to think about. Abby Wambach, despite being generally well contained throughout proceedings by Abby Erceg and the outstanding Rebekah Stott - her best game in a Football Ferns shirt yet - went close in the 63rd minute after a Rapinoe free-kick wasn't cleared. Sixty seconds later, O'Reilly's low cross from the right was blocked by Stott, who then deflected Press' attempt to turn home the rebound over the bar. Then in the 67th minute, Sauerbrunn's ball forward saw Wambach beat the advancing figure of Nayler to it initially, but the 'keeper quickly retrieved the situation. After Stott had sent a diving header goalwards following a well-flighted Percival free-kick, Press mounted a 71st minute raid which was initially thwarted by Hoyle. O'Reilly was following up, and rattled the crossbar from fifteen yards on the angle, but the Football Ferns stood firm. A flurry of substitutions followed, including the introduction of the legendary Christie Rampone, whose 285th cap this was. To put that into perspective, this was the Football Ferns 189th "A" international since they first took to the world stage in 1975 … Three minutes from time, the USA capitalised on another brief lapse in concentration to net a fourth goal. Press - an impressive display - engineered the opening on the right, threading a pass between Riley and Hoyle to find O'Reilly racing into the penalty area. She unleashed a curling effort beyond the flailing fingertips of Nayler and into the top far corner of the net to bring about the final 4-1 scoreline, which could very easily have been increased sixty seconds later. Lloyd picked out substitute Sydney Leroux with a gem of a pass which she headed over the advancing figure of Nayler. But for Stott racing back to head the goalbound ball to safety,  a fifth goal would have resulted. But 4-1 was reward enough for Team USA following the first of their two encounters with the Football Ferns, the second of which takes place at Ohio's Columbus Crew Stadium from 12.30pm on Thursday, NZ time. Team USA:     Solo (Barnhart, 46); Krieger, Sauerbrunn (Rampone, 73), Buehler, Klingenberg; O'Reilly, Lloyd, Holiday (Mewis, 80), Rapinoe (Leroux, 80); Wambach, Press F'ball Ferns:     Nayler; Percival, Stott, Erceg, Riley; Longo, Hoyle, Hearn, Hassett (Yallop, 60); Wilkinson (Collins, 75), Gregorius (White, 79) Referee:     Carol Anne Chenard (Canada)