Capital v Waikato-BOP 041216

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Courageous Capital Come Back To Sink WaiBOP

by Jeremy Ruane

Capital Football dug deep into their reserves of courage and intestinal fortitude at Petone Memorial Park on December 4 to edge Waikato-Bay of Plenty 4-2 on penalties after the teams had shared four goals during two hours of intense National Women's League semi-final action, the last hour of which saw Capital reduced to ten women.

Goalkeeper Anna Wittmann-Wenzel's dismissal for a professional foul on Leanna Ryan was a game-changer at the time, with WaiBOP scoring from the resulting free-kick to take the lead.

But Capital simply wouldn't lie down, and inspired by the immense defensive efforts of Tessa McPherson and Katie Barrott, as well as the urgings of the vocal locals, Emma Evans' team fought back to level the scores with just 87 seconds of injury time remaining.

That we were in for a treat was evident inside the first eight seconds of the match - that's all the time it took for Emma Main to dash through and rattle the side-netting of Amanda Wilshier's goal.

WaiBOP's response was to stick the ball in the net just three minutes into the match. Ryan dashed through but Wittmann-Wenzel was always favourite to gather the sphere - only she instantly spilled it after diving at Ryan's feet.

The striker duly tucked the ball home into an empty net from an acute angle, but her celebrations were cut short by referee Deb Stevens, who harshly ruled that Ryan had fouled the 'keeper in the challenge, even though there appeared to have been no contact between the players. It was a goalkeeping blunder, pure and simple, and Wittmann-Wenzel was very fortunate to get away with it.

From the resulting free-kick, Capital contrived a great chance to open the scoring. Francesca Grange galloped down the right before linking with Main, who played Michaela Robertson in with just Wilshier to beat, a feat the pint-sized striker achieved with aplomb. But she steered the ball agonisingly past the post - a let-off for WaiBOP.

After Barrott had tried her luck from distance - Wilshier greedily gathered her attempt, Chelsea Elliott gathered the ball on the right in the seventh minute and promptly sent Ryan racing through the middle.

She outpaced the pursuing figure of Mikaela Hunt, only to be thwarted by Wittmann-Wenzel, this time legitimately, the 'keeper's reflex save with her outstretched left leg flicking Ryan's shot away from its intended nestling place, the bottom corner of the net.

WaiBOP weren't to be denied, however, and in the tenth minute, took the lead through Helen Arjomandi. She latched onto the ball on half-way, swerved past one opponent then side-stepped another opponent on her charging run, before spotting Wittmann-Wenzel off her line. From thirty yards, an inch-perfect lob made its way from the former Football Fern's boot into the back of the net - 1-0 WaiBOP.

Capital were reeling from this blow, but wasted little time in restoring parity. After Wilshier had punched a Maggie Jenkins cross off the head of Robertson, the home team equalised in splendid fashion in the sixteenth minute.

Grange and Jayme-Lee Hunter teamed up in the middle of the park, but looked to have overcooked the omelette somewhat. At this point, Capital's footballing "master chef" appeared on the scene, and with the minimum of fuss, served up a souffle to savour, Briar Palmer's unerring eighteen yard drive arrowing into the bottom far corner of the net to the delight of her fellow yellow-clad cooks.

Game on! Cue a midfield battle royal, the cross-field wind making life challenging for both sides. Over the course of the next fifteen minutes, there was nothing between the teams, Helen Talbot's thirty-five yard lob - it landed on the roof of the net - was matched by a Palmer drive which Wilshier smothered during a sixty-second spell in the 25th minute.

Just after the half-hour mark, WaiBOP should have regained the lead. Hunt's under-hit back-pass left Wittmann-Wenzel in all sorts of bother with Ryan fast approaching, and the 'keeper was only able to direct her clearance straight to Arjomandi.

A first-time shot would surely have handed ended up in the back of the unprotected goal, but the game's first goalscorer opted to beat three players en route to the penalty area, where McPherson thwarted Arjomandi's progress with a perfectly timed tackle.

Capital retorted three minutes later, courtesy a poor Wilshier goal-kick. Jenkins swooped on the ball in an instant, and after evading a challenge executed the perfect twenty yard chip, which had 'top corner' written all over it before the back-pedalling figure of Wilshier managed to fingertip the shot to safety - a terrific save!

Jenkins took the resulting corner, and hit the crossbar with it! WaiBOP survived the resulting scramble, and the aftermath of a Palmer corner six minutes before half-time, the ball being kept out at the near post by the combination of Kate Williams and Wilshier.

Three minutes later, Arjomandi and Sarah Krystman combined to play in Michaela Foster on the right. Using Ryan's angled run through the middle as a defence-distracting decoy, the Young Ferns' captain let rip with a twenty-five yarder which screamed past Wittmann-Wenzel but just past the far post as well.

Capital responded instantly through Palmer, who set off on an angled cross-field run from the left flank which took her past a swathe of opponents before she checked inside and unleashed a curling left-footed chip from twenty-five yards which beat Wilshier, only to land on the roof of the net.

Cue a frustrated "Aarh!" from Palmer, a growl of personal disapproval at her inability to execute what she desired in the moment which was to become more frequent as the contest wore on.

The second half was just three minutes old when McPherson was once more called upon to spare Capital's blushes, Ryan the latest victim of the defender's tenacious tackling after Krystman had made a break down the left.

Capital's defensive colossus was at it again two minutes later, this time from a constructive perspective. Spotting Main's angled run from right to left thirty yards up-field, McPherson delivered a gem of a ball from inside her own half into the striker's stride.

Main promptly shot straight at Wilshier, whose goal came under siege sixty seconds later after Robertson and Palmer - a delicious cross - combined to pick out Asha Strom on the far post. She headed the ball back across goal, prompting a scramble which WaiBOP once more survived.

Back came the visitors, Arjomandi releasing Ryan at pace down the left in the 53rd minute. After racing past three opponents, she let fly, only to see Wilshier block her shot to safety with Elliott charging through the middle - she would surely have scored had Ryan squared the ball to her.

Capital introduced the first of the game's substitutes in the 56th minute, and within two minutes were having to contemplate a second change, this one a result of an incident which had the potential to swing the game very much in WaiBOP's favour.

Krystman and Arjomandi combined once more, and once more the former Helen Collins sent Ryan scampering through with Capital's rearguard in her slipstream. Wittmann-Wenzel, hesitant at first, eventually raced off her line but clipped the fleet-footed striker inside the 'D' as she knocked the ball past the 'keeper.

There could only be one outcome from this situation, and while Ryan was receiving treatment - she would eventually be forced to leave the game prematurely because of her injury - referee Stevens made certain that her officiating team were all singing from the same hymnal before reaching for

her back pocket to produce that rarest of birds in women's football, the red card.

As Wittmann-Wenzel trudged off, Capital's coaching team had a dilemma on their hands - who would be the sacrificial lamb to allow replacement 'keeper Natasha Ingram to take to the field?

Jenkins took one for the team, while Ingram's first task saw her fishing the ball out of the back of the net, Elliott walloping home the free-kick arising from the incident which left Capital having to play out the remainder of the match with just ten players on the park.

That WaiBOP were restricted to just one chance inside the next fifteen minutes, despite their numerical superiority, speaks volumes for the contributions made by McPherson, Barrott and Hunt during this time - they simply would not accept defeat!

The one moment when they were unhinged came in the 71st minute, with Arjomandi latching onto Elliott's through ball, only to send the ball blazing over the bar after outpacing Hunt. Had she scored then, it was surely game over for Capital.

But it wasn't, and with fifteen minutes to go, they introduced Emily Morison to the fray, a substitute who nearly made an instant impact. Barrott and Robertson combined to pick out the newcomer mere seconds after her entrance, and Morison saw her first shot blocked, while her second, from the rebound, careered narrowly past the post.

It was a wake-up call for WaiBOP, who spurned another chance to clinch a place in next Sunday's Grand Final in Christchurch ten minutes from time. Elliott once more played the ball forward, this time towards Foster, who won it back at the second time of asking after initially losing out to Hunt.

Foster instantly picked out the run of Ryan's replacement, Ella Golding, but with just Ingram to beat, and a composed finish required, the substitute sent the ball sailing into the carpark. 'How costly could that miss prove to be?', one wondered.

Very, as things turned out. Two minutes later, McPherson linked with Main, who worked a one-two with Hunter before threading the ball through to Robertson. Her low cross invited Palmer to let fly … another "Aarh!!" ensued as the ball swerved past the post.

Two minutes from time, Palmer picked out McPherson with a free-kick. She headed the ball on to Robertson, whose looping header was grabbed by Wilshier, only for the 'keeper to spill the ball with Morison looming large. The 'keeper recovered the sphere, and WaiBOP were surely home and dry now.

The magic figure of 'six' appeared on the fourth official's board soon afterwards, six minutes left for Capital to conjure up an escape act which until very late in the half, seemed highly unlikely.

WaiBOP threw on their remaining subs for the final minutes, with a famous win imminent. And when Arjomandi and Foster combined in the third minute of stoppage time, it was only the bounce of the ball which prevented Golding from making absolutely certain of their passage to the Grand Final.

There was time for one last assault from the home team. Ingram launched the ball forward, and Serena Murrihy's attempt to head the ball away sliced off her head straight to Robertson, who turned and sent Morison scampering through the visitors' rearguard, the substitute going on to round Wilshier and roll the ball home into an empty net with just 87 seconds left to play - 2-2.

Incredibly, in the time remaining, she nearly nabbed the winner, Wilshier getting away with one after failing to control a back-pass from Murrihy as the visitors came to grips with having victory snatched from their grasp with just seconds of the semi-final remaining.

Cue extra time, which quickly became a war of attrition between two teams who had given their all, and now had to somehow find more. This was particularly the case with Capital's charges, given they'd already had to endure thirty minutes with ten players doing the work of eleven.

But they were the first team to threaten in the extra thirty minutes, Morison evading a couple of challenges only to fire a tame shot at Wilshier, who then watched Hunt's header fly past the post following Main's 103rd minute corner.

Despite their numerical superiority, WaiBOP appeared to be the team who were struggling to cope with the additional time required to sort out Canterbury United Pride's opposition in a week's time - the ten women were thriving, by comparison.

On the stroke of half-time in extra-time, the visitors finally mustered an attack of consequence, with substitute Leah Gubb picking out Arjomandi on the right, despite Naomi Courtney-Tennent in yards of space to her left. The two-time NWL Golden Boot swept past two opponents, then ran into McPherson - 'thou shalt not pass'!

Into the second spell of extra time, and Capital pressed on from the outset. Palmer pinged in a corner which found Hunter in the thick of the action. The ball flashed inches past the post, prompting calls for 'corner' and 'goal kick' in unison. The greater number of visiting voices swayed referee Stevens' decision.

Back came WaiBOP, Courtney-Tennent shooting straight at Ingram ten minutes from time, before Capital retorted via a Barrott free-kick into the zone. Murrihy and Foster combined to clear the danger as Morison looked to pounce once more.

Four minutes before the end, Morison played the ball forward to send Robertson - who was virtually out on her feet - racing in behind Murrihy one last time. But her tiring legs and tiring mind had a disconnect, the striker stumbling over her own feet just outside the area. Capital fans called for a free-kick, but referee Stevens rightly ruled play on … and to penalties we went.

First up, the captains and undoubted star turns of the respective teams. Palmer first, her finish unerring - there was no frustrated 'Aarh!' on this occasion! To Arjomandi attention turned - 1-1 surely, given her goalscoring prowess over many seasons of club and representative action.

After two hours of play, and the added pressure of a penalty shoot-out, mental fatigue is a factor for which no-one can legislate. Footballing giants such as Michel Platini and Roberto Baggio have failed the test from twelve yards in shoot-out conditions, so when Ingram plunged to her left to pull off a save few anticipated, Arjomandi instantly found herself in good company, much to her chagrin.

Main and Foster exchanged spot-kicks before Morison stepped up to the plate, only for Wilshier to dive to her left and, at 2-1, keep WaiBOP in the contest. All eyes turned to Murrihy, who looked to level the scores once more.

Fatigue is invariably a factor in these shoot-outs, but so, too, is luck. And Capital rode it on this occasion. Murrihy directed her shot low to Ingram's left, but the diving 'keeper tipped the ball onto the post. It ricocheted back onto the head of the prone custodian, off whom it flew upwards before bouncing away from the goal.

At that moment, you just knew that the ten women were destined to win, and after Hunter and Emma Cawte converted their respective penalties, Hunt despatched her spot-kick under the diving figure of Wilshier to clinch a 4-2 shoot-out win for Capital, who have well and truly earned their place in next Sunday's National Women's League Grand Final at English Park after this courageous come-from-behind triumph.

Capital: Wittmann-Wenzel (sent off, 58); Grange (Morison, 75), Hunt, McPherson, Barrott; Jenkins (Ingram, 61), Strom (Bryant, 56 (Wilson, 118)), Hunter; Main, Robertson, Palmer

WaiBOP: Wilshier; Williams, Murrihy, Reid, Robinson (Courtney-Tennent, 90); Foster, Arjomandi, Talbot; Krystman (Cawte, 81), Elliott (Gubb, 86), Ryan (Golding, 71)

Referee: Deb Stevens

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