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A20 14/06/06
Outnumbered U-20s Twice Come Back To Draw
by Jeremy Ruane
The New Zealand's Under-20 Women's Football team played their third match of four on their Argentinian tour this morning, surviving a genuine test of character to emerge with their unbeaten record intact following a 2-2 draw with their Under-20 counterparts from the host nation.
Against opponents who bolstered their ranks with a couple of senior squad players, the Kiwi women twice came from behind to claim a share of the spoils in a hot-tempered affair, doing so on the second occasion with just ten players on the park, following the late dismissal of Maggie Lankshear.
The combative midfielder found herself the victim of a classic South American “double-whammy” in the 85th minute. She was felled on the half-way line, and a free-kick was awarded to New Zealand as a result, but before it could be taken, the referee's attention was drawn to the plight of prone Argentine midfielder Jonanna Bralamonte, who was lying in the immediate vicinity after the incident had brought about a melee.
Straight away, the official went for his red card, and the playing time of Lankshear's tour came to a premature conclusion, much to the disbelief of both herself and her team-mates.
Much as they had done in rallying to the call following Hannah Rishworth's head injury during the Argentina “A” match two days prior, the New Zealand U-20s rolled up their sleeves in the face of adversity and laid siege to the Argentina U-20s goal in the five minutes which remained.
They gained due reward in the shadows of the final whistle when Merissa Smith slid in to turn home Helen Collins' cross to the far post and confirm the final 2-2 scoreline.
It was a hard-earned draw for the New Zealand squad, who fell behind to a 28th minute goal conjured by the two over-age players Argentina fielded. Clarissa Huber and Rosanna Gomez contrived a neat one-touch interchange which the latter concluded in devastating fashion, thrashing the ball into the bottom left-hand corner of the net past diving NZ goalkeeper Aroon Clansey.
That was the lone goal of a fairly even first half, which hinted little at the drama which was to unfold in the second spell. The Kiwis lit the fuse with a firecracker start, Sarah Gregorius going close with a diving header before a gem of an equaliser was struck in the 56th minute.
Emma Harrison, one of three substitutes to take the field four minutes earlier, was the fulcrum in a patient passing move, her probing pass prising open the Argentine defence to allow Caitlin Campbell the chance to stretch her legs at pace down the right flank.
The fifteen-year-old fired in a cross which picked out Kiwi captain Kirsty Yallop as she arrived on the edge
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 Merissa Smith
 Helen Collins
 Emma Harrison
 Kirsty Yallop
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of the Argentine penalty area. Bringing the ball down expertly with one touch, the midfielder's second saw Argentine goalkeeper Mimmig flailing in vain as a perfectly struck volley soared over her head and into the back of the net.
With their tails up, New Zealand then enjoyed the better of the exchanges before getting caught with a sucker-punch which left them trailing 2-1. Gomez latched onto a loose ball and slipped it through for Bralamonte to blast past replacement Kiwi custodian Bianca Mori, who was relieved to see a twenty-five yarder from Gomez graze the angle of post and crossbar two minutes later, as the Argentinians rallied.
End to end action ensued until the incident which brought about Lankshear's dismissal, and the late equaliser which secured New Zealand a share of the spoils against their fellow FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup finalists.
Captain and goalscorer Yallop was well pleased with the outcome afterwards. “A loss today would not have been a fair reflection of the game. It was good that we had the mental strength to fight right until the end of the game.
“They are a team with a style of play which we are not used to at home. They are not as physical, but they play at a higher speed. They also play intelligently, and stretch the Laws of the game right to the limit”.
Yallop also expanded upon the tour as a whole. “As well as the footballing side of things, the whole experience has been fantastic. For a start, the pitches are ten times better than what we have at home, and in general, the facilities and service you get here at the Argentina Football Complex make you feel very valued as an athlete.
“It has given us a chance to see how top footballers are treated, and what we can hopefully aspire to in our careers”.
The New Zealand U-20 Women's Football team conclude their week-long tour of Argentina against the same opponents on Saturday morning, NZ time, the match commencing at 6.30am at the Argentinian Football Association's Ezeiza headquarters.
Match details:
Argentina U-20s 2 (R. Gomez, J. Bralamonte), New Zealand U-20s 2 (K. Yallop, M. Smith) HT 1-0
New Zealand line-up:
Aroon Clansey (Bianca Mori (52); Ria Percival, Hannah Bromley, Abby Erceg, Ali Riley (Emma Harrison, 52); Katie Hoyle (Maggie Lankshear (52 - sent-off 85)), Emma Humphries (Annalie Longo, 80), Kirsty Yallop; Caitlin Campbell (Helen Collins, 57), Sarah Gregorius (Emma Kete, 80), Merissa Smith
Non-playing substitutes: Julia Baldwin, Renee Leota
Unavailable: Hannah Rishworth, Grace Vincent
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