The Football Ferns scored a routine 5-0 win over Vanuatu at the FFS Football Stadium in Apia on 13 February to finish on top of their group at the OFC Olympic Women's Qualifying Tournament. The island nation once known as New Hebrides kept their much vaunted opponents honest, but offered no threat to Victoria Esson's goal as her team-mates strolled to victory in the energy-sapping heat. As was to be expected, the Football Ferns dominated proceedings from the outset, and scored with their first attack of note in the twelfth minute. Daisy Cleverley spread play wide to Ally Green, whose cross was missed by Vanuatu goalkeeper Amelia Reddy, allowing Jacqui Hand an easy finish. Reddy's contributions to the fixture were frequent, her next involvement coming in the nineteenth minute. Ava Collins' driving run downfield saw her power past two opponents before working a one-two with Betsy Hassett as she surged into the penalty area. Collins looked to pick out Hannah Wilkinson with her cross, but Reddy anticipated the danger and saved at the striker's feet, a feat the 'keeper repeated sixty seconds later, much to Wilkinson's frustration, as she looked to capitalise on Cleverley's good work. But a second Football Ferns goal was inevitable, and superb work by Indiah-Paige Riley was at its heart. The Dutch-based midfield dynamo stormed through four challenges en route to the by-line, from where she pulled the ball back to allow Hassett to rifle the ball into the far corner of the net from the edge of the penalty area in the 21st minute. Reddy's anticipatory skills were to the fore again three minutes later, cutting out a cross intended for Wilkinson after Cleverley, Collins and Green had combined on a left flank raid. Green then went desperately close to increasing her team's lead with a thirty yard thunderbolt which crashed down off the underside of the crossbar and bounced into Reddy's hands. 3-0 became a reality in the 31st minute, captain Claudia Bunge's ball forward allowing Wilkinson to steer the ball into the stride of Riley, who slammed home under the diving figure of Reddy. Hassett headed a Riley cross past the post, while Cleverley stung the gloves of Reddy before a fourth Football Ferns goal materialised in the 43rd minute. Once again, Riley was Vanuatu's nemesis, evading a challenge before letting fly from twenty yards, her

rising drive hitting the bar and bouncing down over the line before returning to the field of play. Hand raced in to make sure, but the referee's assistant had signalled that the ball had already crossed the line. Hand's fine work down the right, weaving past three, wasn't afforded the finish it deserved  by Cleverley, who volleyed over from ten yards in first half stoppage time, while Reddy denied Riley what would have been her maiden Football Ferns hat-trick before the half-time whistle sounded. Katie Kitching replaced the double markswoman for the second spell, and quickly stamped her mark on proceedings, a jinking run past four culminating in a fifteen yard drive which was well smothered by Reddy, who was beaten all ends up by Macey Fraser's unerring finish in the 51st minute, the substitute swooping after Hand's cross was only partially cleared. A super tackle by Jesta Toka in the 56th minute denied Wilkinson a goal after Hand looked to set up her team-mate, while after Cleverley fired narrowly past the post from twenty-five yards, Wilkinson sent a shot flying across the face of goal, her last contribution to a contest which saw Vanuatu employ all-out defensive tactics for the final half-hour in an effort to avoid a hiding on the scoreboard. Their efforts proved fruitful, with the Football Ferns limited to just three openings during this period of the match. Reddy saved from Kitching after she had combined with fellow substitute Ruby Nathan fifteen minutes from time, while the goalkeeper produced a brilliant save to deny Fraser in the dying minutes after Mackenzie Barry and the full-of-running Gabrielle Rennie had caused mayhem on the right flank. Alas for Fraser, she wasn't to complete the contest, finding herself the meat in a Vanuatu sandwich in stoppage time which left the talented midfielder seeing stars - a concussion which brought a premature end to her tournament, with the Football Ferns set to face Fiji in the semi-final in three days' time. Vanuatu:     Reddy; Erikan, Kaltack (Simon, 52 (Woka, 71)), Toka, Aiviji; Manwo, Sine (booked, 84), Solomon, Aruvuha (Poida, 71), Siehi; Alatoa (Lop, 71) Football Ferns:     Esson; Barry, Bunge, Bowen, Green (Foster, 74); Riley (Kitching, 46), Cleverley, Hassett (Fraser, 46); Hand (Rennie, 64), Wilkinson (Nathan, 64), Collins Referee:     Kavitesh Behari (Fiji)