The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website | home
29/09/96 | 25/04/97 | 06/07/97 | 20/07/97 | 02/10/97 | 03/05/98 | 30/08/98 | 27/09/98 | 25/04/99 | 15/08/99 | 01/09/99 | 14/05/00 | 23/07/00 | 20/08/00 | 06/09/00 | 10/08/03 | 23/05/04 | 01/08/04 | SWANZ Cup 2004 | 14/08/05 | 07/05/06 | 16/07/06 | 10/09/06 | 06/05/07 | 15/07/07 | 25/05/08 | 10/05/09 | 08/07/09 | 19/07/09 | 16/08/09 | 09/09/09 | 16/05/10 | 27/06/10 | 11/4/11 | 24/6/12 | 05/05/13 | 15/05/16 | 26/06/16
01/09/99
Lynn-Avon Survive Battering To Break Trophy Drought
by Jeremy Ruane
Despite being outplayed for lengthy periods of the 1999 Auckland Premier Women’s Knockout Shield Final by Three Kings United on September 1, Lynn-Avon United secured their first trophy win in two seasons when downing the holders 1-0 in a pulsating encounter at Mt. Smart #2.
Lynn-Avon had the only chance of the first quarter-hour, Michelle Hodge saving at the feet of Amanda Crawford, after Petra Visschers had broken down the left and crossed for Melissa Wileman, whose shot was blocked.
Around the twenty minute mark, play swung from end to end. Three Kings attacked firstly, their eighteenth minute raid involving Jane Simpson, Maia Jackman and Tarah Cox, whose cross was cleared.
This sparked a Lynn-Avon counter-attack, Visschers scampering some sixty yards down the left before laying the ball back to Angela Vujnovich, whose twenty yard shot flashed wide. The resulting Helen Exler goal-kick was a poor one, Crawford’s shot from the edge of the area only just clearing the crossbar.
Both Hodge and Yvonne Vale were in action within the next two minutes, saving from Crawford and Jennifer Kelley respectively. The latter’s effort sparked Three Kings into life once more, and the next ten minutes saw the trophy holders since 1997 very much on top.
A Michele Cox corner picked out Jackman, whose header was headed off the line by Lyn Pedruco. The rebound fell to Amy Goaziou, whose drive was parried by Vale, and cleared to safety in the 24th minute.
Three minutes later, another Cox corner was cleared, but only to Goaziou, who held off a challenge before picking out Kelley. Her drive was well saved by Vale, who, five minutes later, produced another fine save to foil Kelley from point-blank range, after yet another Cox corner had left Lynn-Avon’s rearguard at sixes and sevens.
Two minutes later, it was Lynn-Avon’s turn to be frustrated, as Simpson cleared a Wileman drive off the line following a Crawford corner. Two minutes before the interval, Visschers’ shot was blocked by Michele Cox, the end-product of a counter-attack following arguably the move of the match to this point.
Goaziou sparked the Three Kings raid, her defence-splitting pass, allied to Jackman’s pace, leaving Lynn-Avon wide open. Vale did just enough to deny the striker, however, who, had she been able to round the goalkeeper, had an open goal at her mercy.
The first twenty minutes of the second half saw Lynn-Avon barely able to cross the half-way line, such was Three Kings’ dominance. The only occasion they did saw them claiming a 55th minute penalty, when Dana Heiford went down in the area under a strong challenge. Referee Alex Paterson was having none of it, however, and play continued.
Prior to this, Three Kings had pounded away for the opening goal, but Lynn-Avon’s defence had held firm. Goaziou switched play to half-time substitute Stacey O’Hara in the 49th minute, who, in tandem with Jackman, carved open Lynn-Avon’s right-hand flank.
O’Hara’s shot flashed past the upright, seconds before Jackman headed O’Hara’s cross from the right past the far post, after she had combined with Kelley to create the space down the right in which the subsitute could operate.
Three Kings were desperately unlucky not to open the scoring in this magnificent advertisement for women’s soccer in the 57th minute. A crossfield pass from Exler released Goaziou down the left, and from twenty-five yards, she unleashed a sizzling drive which flew past Vale, only to cannon back into play off the post.
Three minutes later, the same player was denied again, Vale this time saving her curling free-kick from the edge of the penalty area. Soon after, it was Three Kings’ turn to be denied a penalty, as Kelley was brought down inside the area.
Lynn-Avon weathered the storm, and twice tested Hodge in the 66th and 67th minutes, the ‘keeper saving from Visschers and Vujnovich respectively. But a minute later, Crawford found a way past the goalkeeper, steering home
Wileman’s cross to the near post, after Three Kings’ defence had failed to deal with the danger.
Six minutes from time, a Jill Corner surge released Wileman, who delivered another inviting cross. This time, Crawford was unable to get on the end of it, sparking a final flurry from Three Kings in which they were again denied a penalty - Alisse Robertson later admitted that she had fouled Jackman inside the area with four minutes to go.
A minute later, Lynn-Avon failed to clear a Michele Cox corner, the ball falling invitingly for Exler to fire home her first goal of the season. But her shot flew inches past the upright, and Lynn-Avon held onto their one-goal advantage to inflict upon Three Kings their first defeat of the season, and in doing so clinch their first trophy since 1997, which, in Jennifer Carlisle’s case, was her first-ever trophy in club football.
|