The Football Ferns booked their tickets for their fifth Olympic Women's Football Tournament in style at the FFS Football Stadium in Apia on 19 February, thrashing the Solomon Islands 11-1 in the final of the OFC Olympic Women's Qualifying Tournament. Jitka Klimkova's charges found themselves facing what amounted to a nine-woman defensive barrier from the outset, and it took a super move to unhinge it in the seventh minute. Katie Bowen fed Indiah-Paige Riley, who skipped past two challenges before playing the ball wide to birthday girl Jacqui Hand. Her cross fizzed beyond both Riley and Hannah Wilkinson, but not Grace Jale, who was coming in beyond all-comers. The ball struck her leg and ricocheted goalwards, prompting a fine reflex save from Margaret Kofela. Four minutes later, Riley and Hand worked a one-two on the right, with the former Matilda inviting Betsy Hassett to let fly. Lisa Solo blocked her shot, but within seconds, Riley was in possession again. This time she picked out Wilkinson, who turned and laid the ball off for Hand. She marked her 25th birthday by slipping past two defenders before thrashing the ball into the roof of the net - 1-0 New Zealand, and the Football Ferns were on their way. Kofela produced a fine save to paw away Hassett's fourteenth minute volley, but the midfielder linked with Grace Jale in the twentieth minute to present Riley with the ball. Two opponents later, she threaded it through for Wilkinson, whose first-time shot across Kofela found the net via the far post. It was so nearly 3-0 sixty seconds later, Kofela racing across goal to prevent an own goal by Edith Nari after her efforts diverted another Hassett shot towards the target. Come the 25th minute, however, that was the scoreline, and it was achieved in some style by Bowen, who surged downfield before linking with Riley and Jale, whose cross picked out the Inter Milan-based defender. Bowen's hip-turn volley was exquisite - a goal worthy of a final. After Hassett went close with a volleyed lob, and Nari headed clear to prevent Jale from heading a Hand cross goalwards, the Football Ferns were celebrating a fourth goal in the 37th minute. Barry released Hand down the right, from where she delivered a deep cross to the far post. Jale, arriving on cue, saw her header blocked by Nari, but reacted like a cat on a hot tin roof to rifle home the rebound. The goal delighted the crowd, who serenaded the scorer with chants of "Jale, Jale" long before the final whistle. The Football Fern with Fijian heritage is a huge fan favourite in the Pacific Islands, make no mistake! Jale was in the thick of the action again in the 41st minute. Bowen, Riley, Taylor and Wilkinson combined to set up a chance for her, but Kofela smothered her drive, the 'keeper looking on sixty seconds later as Hassett thundered a twenty-yarder against the crossbar, Riley - a superb defence-splitting pass - having teamed up with Wilkinson and Jale to open the door for the 157-times-capped veteran. Hand went close on receipt of a Hassett cross before the Football Ferns went nap, Riley executing a beautifully flighted chip into the top far corner of the net after her initial attempt to score had been blocked by Nari. That made it 5-0 on the stroke of half-time, with Wilkinson and Hassett spurning chances to make it six before the whistle, the latter being denied by Kofela, who produced a fine save to foil Hand in the 49th minute after a cross from the well-performed Ally Green was cleared to the player who was celebrating her 25th birthday. Four goals in a ten-minute spell followed, the first of them materialising in the 53rd minute. Jale secured possession on the left and evaded a challenge before slipping a pass inside for Hassett. Her cross to Riley was volleyed emphatically into the top corner from fifteen yards by the wily midfielder, who looks certain to be a nailed-on starter for the Football Ferns for many years to come - she cannot be left out on the form she has shown in Samoa. An outstanding tournament. Two minutes later, the scoreboard altered again, only this time it was the Solomon Islands who were celebrating. For large periods of the match, the usually rock-solid Victoria Esson had been the lone occupant of New Zealand's half of the pitch while

her team-mates laid siege to the Solomons' goal. On this occasion, however, she fielded a hefty clearance downfield and, with Lorina Solosaia chasing a seemingly lost cause, Esson was caught in two minds. She opted to evade the striker, but in doing so gifted possession to Jemina David, who promptly fired the ball into the unguarded net from thirty yards - 6-1. Straight from the kick-off, Jale, Hand and Riley set about restoring the Football Ferns' six-goal advantage, with Hand evading a couple of challenges before clipping a cross into the goalmouth which Wilkinson headed home over Kofela. 7-1 became 8-1 in the 62nd minute, with Riley inviting the Football Ferns' latest centurion, Rebekah Stott, to clip an angled cross to the far post. Jale soared above all-comers and headed home into the top far corner to clinch a share of the Golden Boot for the tournament, this being her seventh goal of the competition. She should have claimed it outright in the 69th minute when skying a glorious chance delivered on a silver platter for her by Riley, whose ball forward sixty seconds later sparked the move from which New Zealand made it 9-1. Hand latched onto it and set up substitute Katie Kitching, whose first touch of the ball in the contest sent it flying into the net past Kofela - 9-1. Riley and Jale sent shots flying narrowly past the goalkeeper's left-hand post inside the next five minutes before double figures were amassed fourteen minutes from time. Barry and Hand combined on the right, the latter picking out Kitching with a cross. The midfielder's initial attempt was blocked, but she showed great composure to control the rebound then evade two challenges before finding the far corner of the net with unerring accuracy. After Ruby Nathan had been thwarted by Kofela, Foster and Riley teamed up to present Kitching with the chance to complete her hat-trick in the 87th minute. Kofela had other ideas, producing a terrific parried save, the rebound of which sat up perfectly for Jale, who couldn't believe her eyes as her attempt to turn the ball home hit the post. An eleventh goal was inevitable, and it came to pass in the 89th minute. Needless to say, Riley was at its heart, weaving past four opponents before setting up Nathan to pick out the top corner from fifteen yards - 11-1. More brilliance from Riley followed in stoppage time, the Dutch-based maestro evading three challenges before seeing Kofela block both her initial shot then her follow-up attempt at the near post. The goalkeeper also frustrated Jale in the time remaining, grabbing her header from a Foster cross, then doing enough to prevent Jale from heading home a Barry cross, despite the fact the striker was soaring above Kofela to head the ball goalwards. The Football Ferns had long since done enough to head for Paris, however, wrapping up their campaign with thirty goals scored in their five wins, and numerous other achievements accomplished, Stott making her 100th appearance after all she has had to endure in recent years a particularly deserved milestone. Two goals against is a cause for concern, however - they hint at a dropping of standards, however slight, but certainly not an improvement by their rivals. Prior to this tournament, the Football Ferns had never conceded in successive matches against any of their Pacific Islands neighbours, and had only let in four goals in the 37 internationals they'd played against their islands rivals in the team's near-fifty-year history. On the evidence of the results at this tournament, this dominance is set to continue for quite some time to come, particularly when one contemplates a Football Ferns future inspired by the likes of Katie Bowen, Macey Fraser, Ally Green, Jacqui Hand, Grace Jale, Katie Kitching and Indiah-Paige Riley, seven players whose eye-catching performances in this campaign suggest that they'll be part of the Football Ferns set-up for quite a few years yet. Solomons:     Kofela; Saeni, Nari, Solo, Donga (Fiua, 66), Pegi (Oritaimae, 54); Gogoni, Saepio (David, 30), Aniholland, Ikama; Solosaia (Sade, 66) Football Ferns:     Esson; Barry, Bowen, Stott (Bunge, 83), Green (Foster, 68); Riley, Taylor (Cleverley, 68), Hassett (Kitching, 68); Hand, Wilkinson (Nathan, 68), Jale Referee:     Norbert Hauata (Tahiti)