Dream Women’s Knockout Final Realised Once Again by Jeremy Ruane The foremost teams on the club scene in New Zealand women’s soccer, Ellerslie and Lynn-Avon United, will draw swords once again at North Harbour Stadium on July 21, in a repeat of last season’s Uncle Toby’s Women’s Knockout Cup Final. Holders Ellerslie realised their objective of making the final once again with a 7-0 thrashing of Taradale at Michaels Avenue, while Lynn-Avon thumped Nomads United 5-0 at Christchurch’s Tulett Park. Lynn-Avon made light work of the heavy going to take a 3-0 half-time lead, and played well within themselves in securing a nap hand, their goals coming from Amanda Crawford, Amber Hearn, Sara Clapham, Melita Harrison and Terry McCahill. Ellerslie, meanwhile, were rarely troubled by a Taradale combination which, to their credit, never stopped trying to play football, despite being decidedly outclassed. They never gave up the ghost either, but no team with which Gail Hall is associated has ever been known to do so - the first lady of women’s soccer in the Hawkes Bay region continues to set a fine example for her peers to follow, despite her claims to the contrary. The home team’s pace and energy were simply too much for Taradale to cope with, and after Michele Keinzley had hit the post and Melanie Gooch had an effort cleared off the line, the latter struck the game’s opening goal in the twelfth minute, drilling home past Kylie Sutherland after a strong run through from half-way. Sutherland then turned a Rebecca Sowden drive round the upright before Ellerslie doubled their advantage in the sixteenth minute. Gooch’s fine pass to the left wing sent Pip Meo (pictured in typically dynamic no-holds-barred action in this match) scampering through. She rounded Mandy McLean for weighting a cross to the far post which Keinzley simply had to direct into the net with her head - it was a superbly constructed strike. Ellerslie continued to lay siege to the Taradale goal, with Saskia Bullen seeing one shot cleared off the line and another hit the post in one concerted raid, prior to the cup holders netting a third goal in the 26th minute. Gooch - a fine performance - slipped Keinzley through, but the striker was felled by Sutherland in the penalty area, and referee Lynn Fox had no hesitation - spot-kick. Anything Paraguayan goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert can do, Stephanie Puckrin can do also, it seems. Ellerslie’s custodian steamed upfield to take the penalty, and duly buried the ball beyond Sutherland to virtually clinch the home team’s place in the final barely half-way through the first half. At this point, the home team eased off the accelerator somewhat, before picking up the tempo again shortly before half-time. Priscilla Duncan and Keinzley both screwed shots wide with just Sutherland to beat, either side of Tracey Foulkes clearing a Gooch header off the line, following a fine move involving Meo, the overlapping Sowden, and Keinzley, the recipient of a far post cross. Taradale gave Puckrin her lone cause for concern seconds before half-time, Sheri McKen firing wide on the run following a fine through ball from Nicki Bailey, moments after feeling the full force of Puckrin as the goalkeeper collided with the striker in the race for a Sutherland clearance. McKen won it, but was unable to direct her shot on target with Puckrin bearing down on the ball at a rate of knots. Ellerslie started the second half in much the same vein as they’d begun the match - with a hiss and a roar. Sutherland was Taradale’s hero, however, denying Duncan, Gooch and Meo - this effort following fine work by Vicki Rainbow, while looking on as a thirty yard chip from Dana Humby only just missed its mark. The world was about to turn pear-shaped for the visitors’ goalkeeper, however, as following her save from Meo, she went down in agony, and needed five minutes of treatment to a knee injury before soldiering on. Within a minute of recovering however, Sutherland had to fish the ball out of the net, as Ellerslie scored their fourth goal in the 61st minute. Gooch caught Rachel Webby in possession, and slipped the ball into the path of the rampaging Duncan, who careered through before picking her spot beyond the clearly uncomfortable goalkeeper. After Flora McLeod had directed a header at Sutherland, Taradale’s custodian leapt to turn an artful curling effort from Duncan to safety, only to land in a crumpled heap, her day’s action done. Shelley Mildenhall took over the gloves, but could only look on seconds later, as a teasing cross-shot from Sowden hit the crossbar. The same player was then denied by the heels of Webby as she looked to extend Ellerslie’s advantage, which duly happened in the 76th minute. Gooch charged through, but after evading Webby’s challenge, shot straight at Mildenhall. Gathering the rebound, Gooch eventually turned it home - 5-0. Four minutes later, goal number six arrived, Meo the architect once again. After beating two players on the left near the byline, she pulled the ball back for Keinzley, who crashed the ball home first-time into the bottom far corner of the net. After Gooch had gone desperately close when just failing to connect with a cross-shot from McLeod, Ellerslie rounded off the scoring four minutes from time. Duncan powered her way through on the right, but found no-one in support when she crossed to the near post. Taradale looked to clear their lines, but Sowden was on the scene in an instant, and fired an exocet into the back of the net to complete a 7-0 victory in style. Ellerslie:     Puckrin; Humby (McLeod, 58), Somerfield, Hill; Bullen (Rowney, 49), Duncan, Sowden, Rainbow, Meo; Gooch, Keinzley Taradale:     Sutherland (Mildenhall, 65); Grant, Linton (Smith, 87), Webby,  Foulkes; McLean (Hooker, 87), Hall, Bailey (booked, 83), Bell; McKen, Coutts Referee:     Lynn Fox