The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website | home
30/1/11 | 5/2/11 | 12/3/11 Final | 22/10/11 | 20/10/13 | 8/12/13 Final | 09/11/14 | 16/11/14 | 23/11/14 | 30/11/14 | 08/12/14 Final
30/11/14
U-18s Sweep Aside Capital In Semi
by Jeremy Ruane
The NZ U-18 Development Squad will target history at ASB Park next Sunday after trouncing Capital Football 5-1 in their ASB National Women's League semi-final on the turf pitch at QBE Stadium on November 30.
Never in the history of either the National Women's League or its predecessor, the National Tournament, has a national age group representative side won the competition, although the 2005 U-19 squad finished as winners of the League's round-robin phase - they didn't contest the play-offs, however.
Mainland Pride will be bidding to do what Capital couldn't in this clash between the second and third place-getters, and that's to stop a talented young team from handing out a thrashing to their opponents - this match marked the third successive week in which the U-18s have hit at least five goals en route to the Grand Final.
They got off to a flying start in this encounter, Tayla Christensen opening the scoring after just fifty seconds. Pouncing on a poor clearance, she weaved her way through three challenges before calmly steering the ball between Cushla Lichtwark and her near post.
Considering these teams produced a stunning goalless draw when they met three weeks ago, seeing a goal scored so early in the piece was something of a shock to the system - it certainly was for Capital, whose passing and general distribution throughout proceedings, particularly in their defensive third, played a significant role in their downfall.
Lichtwark was among the most culpable in this regard. Her poor goal-kick in the third minute allowed Paige Satchell to pounce on the unsuspecting Francesca Grange and set up Martine Puketapu for a chance. Tessa McPherson blocked her effort at close quarters.
Five minutes later, Bella Kingi swooped on a stray pass and sent Jacqui Hand surging through the inside-right channel. When a shot of her own was an option, she opted to square the ball to Puketapu, who was again thwarted by Capital's rearguard - captain McPherson was already shaping as a buttress upon whom her team's fortunes hinged.
Capital mounted their first attack in the eleventh minute, Kennedy Bryant sending Emma Main through with just goalkeeper Kelsey Dzaferic to beat. The 'keeper did well, however, spreading herself superbly to block then smother the striker's attempt to level the scores.
Claudia Bunge - far from her best game of the season, it must be said - sent Hand away down the right after Dzaferic had got to her feet. The winger again sought out Puketapu's prowess in front of goal, this time via a first-time cross, which the striker met with a stinging volley which Lichtwark found too hot to handle.
Capital scrambled the ball to safety on this occasion, but were fortunate to survive four minutes later when the usually unflappable Julia Baldwin made a right hash of a clearance, a blunder on which Hand wasted little time in exploiting.
She swiftly wriggled past two opponents before setting herself for a shot, only to get her angles all wrong - the ball fizzed across the face of goal and past the far post. Hand should have scored, and she knew it.
Unperturbed, the U-18s carried on in their pursuit of goals - their confidence and self-belief is so evident in their play. Witness an audacious free-kick routine in the nineteenth minute, where Emily Oosterhof over-ran the wall and continued on past the defensive wall as Daisy Cleverley slipped the set-piece into her stride, inviting the fullback to cross first-time.
Oosterhof did so, Puketapu her target. McPherson, however, was alert to the danger, and once more stepped in to deny the number nine at the vital moment.
McPherson featured in the next move of note in the match, but this time it was at the other end of the park. Capital won a free-kick on the right flank, and Baldwin uncorked an absolute gem of a delivery, flighting it delightfully into the near post. McPherson mistimed her header, however, the ball ricocheting past the post off her cheek.
Back came the U-18s, although by the time the 27th minute rolled around, Capital were starting to get a foothold in the match, and the frequency with which white-clad players had been pounding away at the travelling team's defence had waned somewhat.
Not on this occasion, however. Kingi - she had a great game - sent Hand haring away down the right once more, and once more a first-time cross headed in Puketapu's direction. And once more, McPherson intervened, blocking the striker's first effort before Puketapu lashed the rebound wildly over the crossbar.
As well as their distribution issues out of defence - was the prevailing wind into which they were playing a factor in this? Not that it should be for any Wellington-based team, of course! - Capital were enduring another problem in this match, specifically the inability of Michaela Robertson to make any in-roads of note in attack.
The U-18s defensive strategy significantly stifled the pint-sized striker's impact on the match, but when she finally broke free of the shackles by which she had been bound, in the 39th minute, the impact was instant.
Tearing past Oosterhof, Robertson raced into the penalty area, and drew a foul from Bunge which prompted referee Sarah Williamson to unhesitatingly point to the penalty spot.
With Bryant enduring something of a crisis of confidence in this match - her distribution, too, was not what it could have been - Baldwin took on the responsibility from twelve yards, and calmly beat Dzaferic all ends up with her textbook spot-kick - 1-1.
The U-18s responded in the only way they've come to know - attack. They managed one more of note before the half-time whistle, led by Christensen. Her left flank raid was spotted by Liz Anton, whose precise pass into the overlapping fullback's stride allowed Christensen to scythe into the penalty area.
Cue another intervention by McPherson. This time, Kingi picked up the pieces and presented Satchell with the chance to shoot, but the wee winger walloped the ball straight at Lichtwark.
Capital suffered a setback on the stroke of half-time when fullback Ella Wilson succumbed to a groin injury, but you would never have known it from the way they began the second half - they were well up for the fight with the wind now at their backs.
Main caught Bunge in possession in the 49th
|
minute, and quickly took advantage of the space the defender's absence created. Emily Morison and Robertson were swift to support their team-mate, Main combining with both before inviting Robertson to let rip from fifteen yards.
Dzaferic tipped her effort round the post. The resulting corner was cleared, but as Puketapu set off on a counter-attack, she encountered a crunching tackle from Wilson's replacement, Ellen Fibbes.
The substitute emerged worse off from the clash, but referee Williamson had allowed play to continue, as to have not done so would have disadvantaged Capital, who had regained possession through Fibbes' industry.
Morison and Bryant were the principle beneficiaries, the latter finding herself one-on-one with just Dzaferic to beat, a feat Bryant accomplished with her shot. But it lacked accuracy, the ball creeping past the post - a great chance.
And one Capital would come to regret missing. For three goals in four minutes leading up to the hour mark turned this game inside-out and left the visitors to contemplate what might have been, and rue the glaring errors which brought about their downfall.
The U-18s earned a corner in the 57th minute, which Cleverley fired into the danger zone. For some inexplicable reason, Lichtwark completely misjudged her catch, and was grasping at thin air when the sphere was already behind her.
Kingi was swift to swoop, but was crowded out. Not so Puketapu, however - she slammed the ball home from eight yards, prompting Lichtwark to bawl out her defence for failing to pick her up.
Not a peep along the lines of "Why didn't you catch it in the first place?" was forthcoming in response from those clad in black. Yet you knew that was precisely what they were thinking …
While Capital were still reeling, the U-18s struck again, barely a minute later. Puketapu's first time pass released Satchell on the left, and she stood up Grange before buccaneering into the penalty area.
Satchell promptly let fly, wildly - the ball was heading past the far post. But the hasty retreat beaten by Hope Gilchrist worked in Satchell's favour, the ball ricocheting off the unfortunate defender and past the stranded figure of Lichtwark into the net behind - 3-1, via an own goal.
Capital were stunned by this double whammy, which became a triple whammy ninety seconds later. Lichtwark's goal-kick was, frankly, awful, and Puketapu, towards whom it was directed, despatched it back from whence it came with interest - 4-1, contest over courtesy three completely avoidable goals in four minutes.
Over the course of the next ten minutes, the U-18s went close to adding to their tally six times. After Cleverley felled Christensen with a free-kick, Puketapu sent Hand racing away down the right once more, but this time no one was on hand to do justice to a low cross which zoomed across the goalmouth.
The roles were reversed moments later, Puketapu the player sent surging through the inside right channel. Lichtwark raced out to narrow the angle, but the striker's shot arrowed past her, and, thankfully for Capital, past the far post as well.
Nicole Mettam was next to send Puketapu racing through, in the 66th minute. On this occasion, the combined efforts of Lichtwark and McPherson were required to thwart her progress, with the goalkeeper recovering to grab the rebound before Satchell could turn home the loose ball.
Cleverley then chanced her arm from twenty-five yards. Lichtwark greedily grabbed this effort, and looked on with relief as Kingi fired wide moments later, after Oosterhof, Mettam and Hand had made serious in-roads down Capital's left flank - since Wilson's departure from the fray, this had proved a highly fruitful furrow for the youngsters to plough.
Any genuine hopes Capital held of getting back into the match largely revolved around exploiting Robertson's pace. The 72nd minute was when she was next able to stretch her legs, and she duly bore down on goal before firing past the advancing figure of Dzaferic.
Sadly for Capital, the ball sped past the post as well, while three minutes later, the U-18s 'keeper grabbed a shot from Robertson after she had caught Bunge in possession. Seconds later, Liz Anton - a top display, this incident apart - was guilty of the same offence, but Main was unable to direct the opportunity on target.
McPherson then sent Main racing through in pursuit of a great through ball from deep in the 76th minute, but the striker ran out of real estate, although she made a despairing effort to turn it home from the most acute of angles upon reaching it.
Back came the U-18s, Lichtwark guilty of flapping at another Cleverley corner in the 79th minute. The 'keeper looked round to see Bunge head over an open goal from four yards.
In response, Morison sent Robertson racing through from the resulting goal-kick. The striker found herself one-on-one with the U-18s replacement 'keeper, Abby Roper, who had just been introduced to the fray.
Her first touch was a fine parried save to her right, from which the youngsters launched a counter-attack in which Christensen, substitute Jade Parris and Hand all played a part. Crucially, Puketapu did, too, at its conclusion, the striker completing her hat-trick by rounding both McPherson and Lichtwark before stylishly tucking the ball home into the empty net - 5-1.
Lichtwark saved from both Mettam and Puketapu prior to the final whistle, while some clever work in the area by Parris was ultimately foiled by McPherson - she must have blocked at least eight shots alone in this match, and along with Baldwin, stood out for those clad in black.
But Capital were ultimately no match for the NZ U-18s squad, a team rippling with self-belief who, make no mistake, will give next Sunday's Grand Final against reigning champions Mainland Pride at ASB Park a real good go. And if they can contain Annalie Longo … one thing's for sure - it'll be a crackerjack finale to the 2014 season!
NZ U-18s: Dzaferic (Roper, 79); Oosterhof, Bunge, Anton, Christensen; Mettam, Cleverley, Kingi; Hand, Puketapu, Satchell (Parris, 74)
Capital: Lichtwark; Grange, McPherson, Gilchrist (booked, 61), Wilson (Fibbes, 45); Bryant (Rutene, 77), Baldwin, Hunter; Robertson, Main (Bacon, 77), Morison
Referee: Sarah Williamson
|