SWANZ Cup 2000

The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website | home

SWANZ Cup 2000

Lynn-Avon Set New Record In Cup Final Mauling

by Jeremy Ruane

The gulf in women’s soccer between the northern region and the rest of the country was emphasised in emphatic fashion at North Harbour Stadium on September 9, 2000, as International Wire & Cable Lynn-Avon United battered Wairarapa United 6-0 to win the Uncle Toby’s Women’s Knockout Cup for a second time.

The Bluebird Northern Premier Women’s League champions made up for their penalty shoot-out defeat by arch-rivals Three Kings United in the Auckland Women’s Knockout Shield Final three days prior by recording the biggest-ever margin of victory in the final of the national knockout competition.

Lynn-Avon set about the task of keeping the cup in Auckland with a vengeance. Wairarapa goalkeeper Amy Cotterill saved at the feet of Amanda Crawford within seventy seconds of the start, Angela Vujnovich outpacing Lisa Gibson to supply the cross.

Cotterill was almost guilty of putting through her own net in somewhat bizarre fashion in the third minute, after Crawford and Melissa Wileman had worked a short corner on the right. The latter played the ball to Jill Corner, whose lob into the box was touched past the bemused goalkeeper by Melissa Reber.

The ball hit the post and rebounded towards Cotterill, who, amazingly, kicked it goalwards, but was able to smother the ball right on the line to thwart Lynn-Avon on this occasion.

She had less joy five minutes later. After smothering Crawford’s shot, following a strong run by the SWANZ striker, Cotterill was left gazing helplessly as the

international’s twenty-five yard drive seared past her en route to the top right hand corner of the net in the eighth minute.

The early goal enabled Lynn-Avon to settle, but in doing so, they allowed Wairarapa back into the game. After saving Nicky Smith’s twenty-five yard effort in the seventeenth minute, Yvonne Vale gifted possession to the newly-crowned International Young Player of the Year with a woeful clearance two minutes later, who struck a first-time shot towards the open goal some thirty yards away.

Much to Vale’s relief, the ball swerved to safety on this occasion, but Lynn-Avon’s last line of defence wasn’t given much opportunity to recover her poise, as a thirty yard screamer from Wairarapa’s player-coach, Wendi Henderson, needed saving solidly two minutes later.

The Central League champions, who had enjoyed an unbeaten season prior to this match, kept pressing for an equaliser, Smith’s header of a Gibson corner being blocked by Dana Heiford in the 27th minute. Rachael Calvert’s attempt to convert the rebound was deflected to safety.

Two minutes later, another Gibson corner - her fourth in succession in this sequence of play - was cleared to Smith, who fired a drive through the crowded penalty area which Vale was right behind. A similar effort from Henderson was capably dealt with by the goalkeeper on the half hour, as last season’s beaten finalists continued to strive for parity before the half-time whistle.

It wasn’t to be, however, as a Lynn-Avon goal against the run of play ten minutes prior to the interval knocked the wind out of Wairarapa’s sails. After Melissa Wileman had spectacularly missed the ball completely on receipt of a Crawford pass, namesake Reber showed her team-mate the road to goal in the 35th minute.

Latching onto Crawford’s through ball, the two-goal hero of Lynn-Avon’s Shield Final efforts three days prior careered past Mandy Hall’s challenge before sweeping the ball inside Cotterill’s near post to double the Auckland side’s advantage.

It was a blow from which Wairarapa never recovered, and Lynn-Avon should have had a third goal right on half-time to emphasise the fact. Vujnovich’s low cross from the right targeted Crawford - she had a whale of a game, and richly deserved her recognition as Most Valuable Player.

Her lay-off to Rebecca Parkinson saw the youngster’s shot parried into Heiford’s path by Cotterill. Unfortunately, the midfielder couldn’t direct the rebound on target on this occasion.

The second spell was largely one-way traffic. After what, by Crawford’s standards, was an awful miss - she shot wide with just Cotterill to beat after Parkinson sent her clean through in the 48th minute, the striker got her geometry spot-on three minutes later, her powerful run down the left from half-way culminating in her slamming the ball inside Cotterill’s near post from fifteen yards - 3-0.

Last year’s beaten finalists were still reeling from this blow when Vujnovich went close with a shot on the turn from inside the penalty area. And, following a brief respite when a strong run and shot from Henderson was smothered by Vale in the 56th minute, the northern representatives forced a fine double-save from Cotterill on the hour, Crawford and Wileman those

thwarted by the shot-stopper.

Wairarapa’s goalkeeper was left totally exposed in the 64th minute, however, as Vujnovich scampered through a square defence down the right in pursuit of Crawford’s through ball. There was no stopping the striker as she careered goalwards, and around Cotterill she ran before calmly rolling home the fourth goal of the game.

After Vujnovich and Heiford had forced saves from Cotterill, Vale produced a fine diving save to her left to deny Michele Keinzley’s twenty yard effort, after Pip Meo, Wairarapa’s best performer on the day, had broken down the left.

A rasping Smith drive from twenty-five yards cleared Lynn-Avon’s crossbar by not a lot seconds later, while the same player sent the ball sizzling wide from just outside the penalty area in the 72nd minute, after an initial break by Keinzley.

She it was who forced Vale to turn her shot onto the bar ten minutes from time, following Gibson’s deep corner, seconds after Heiford, with two team-mates free to her right, had squandered a great chance at the other end of the park, the playing surface of which left a great deal to be desired, given the occasion.

There was no stopping Lynn-Avon, however, and nine minutes from time, Crawford crowned her personal tour de force with another solo effort, taking the ball all the way through before rounding Cotterill and ramming the ball into the empty net from close range - 5-0.

Sharleen James prevented Crawford from notching a fourth goal two minutes later, heading to safety as Reber’s cross entered the danger zone, this after the midfielder had been released by Wileman.

Substitute Amber Hearn and Parkinson both rattled the sidenetting in the remaining minutes, while a cross-shot from the latter sizzled across the face of goal in the dying seconds. And with the last touch of the ball in the match, veteran midfielder Lyn Pedruco headed home from close range to conclude in appropriate fashion a memorable Lynn-Avon United performance - no-one can deny that winning a national cup final 6-0 is certainly that!

Lynn-Avon: Vale; Corner, McCahill, Wells (Pedruco, 81), Carlisle; Parkinson, Heiford (Moorwood, 87), Wileman, Reber; Crawford, Vujnovich (Hearn, 78)

Wairarapa: Cotterill; James, Gibson, Hall; Scott, Henderson, Calvert, Dodd, Meo; Smith, Keinzley

Referee: Linda Ritchie

SWANZ Cup Finals SWANZ Cup History The Finals