Ellerslie overcame the disadvantage resulting from the 47th minute dismissal of goalkeeper Stephanie Puckrin for violent conduct to conquer Takapuna City 2-1 in stirring fashion on the sand pitch at Seaside Park, in their Uncle Toby’s Women’s Knockout Cup quarter-final on September 2. Ellerslie were rampant in the first half hour, and should easily have run up at least three goals in this time. Dana Humby fired a penalty over the crossbar, Tess Murphy hit the angle with a technically superb glancing near post header, then missed an open goal, while City ’keeper Rachel Howard saved twice from Maia Jackman and once from Lily Somerfield, and saw Zoe Albon fire narrowly wide, as the home team tore into their opponents with a vengeance. A goal had to come, and duly did on the half-hour. Latching onto a pass from Murphy, Jackman stormed past two opponents before squaring the ball to Priscilla Duncan, who stroked the ball beyond Howard’s despairing dive to deservedly break the deadlock. Before the interval, Jackman twice more went close, as did Murphy, whose teasing chip of Howard was brilliantly swatted to safety by the back-pedalling goalkeeper. But two minutes before the break, City drew level. Ellerslie’s defence misjudged a Sarah Gibbs cross, allowing Jamie Hackett, who had fired Takapuna’s only other chance of the half wide in the sixteenth minute, to home in on goal. The retreating Humby got in a timely challenge, but could only divert the ball over the head of the advancing Puckrin and into the net. Two minutes into the second spell, disaster struck for Ellerslie, as Puckrin gave referee Alex Paterson little option but to brandish the red card, having sent City striker Anna Perkins crashing to the floor with a hip throw, in retaliation to her opponent’s late off-the-ball challenge, from which the ‘keeper emerged injured. Vicki Rainbow donned the gloves, but had little to do for the remainder of the match as Ellerslie’s “Lionhearts”, to a woman, rose to the challenge. Such was their dominance of proceedings, despite their numerical disadvantage, you would have been forgiven for thinking that Takapuna were the team reduced to ten players - it really was an impressive performance. Takapuna, for their part, defended with aplomb, and looked to use the counter-attack to good effect, but were running on empty towards the final whistle, by which time Howard had thwarted Jackman, twice, and Flora McLeod, while Catherine Porteous had blocked a powerful Kristy Hill drive at point-blank range. Ellerslie must have thought the world was against them ten minutes from time, when Jackman, on receipt of a Vicky Butterworth pass, turned past Rebecca Simpson and unleashed a screamer from the edge of the penalty area. Howard tipped the ball onto the crossbar, and the ball bounced down, seemingly over the line, and back into play again. Neither referee Paterson nor his assistant were able to determine if the ball had crossed what remained of the paintwork in a waterlogged goalmouth, allowing Takapuna to breathe easily once more. In the final minute of running time, Ellerslie pressed for goal once more against opponents who were now running on empty. Player-coach Sue Taylor swept the ball out to Somerfield on the left, and she cut inside past an opponent before thundering the ball past Howard from the edge of the penalty area to clinch a memorable 2-1 victory for the home team.