The Junior Ferns moved to within a point of progressing to the quarter-finals of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Finals at the Miyagi Stadium on 22 August by holding host nation Japan to a thrilling 2-2 draw in their Group A encounter. Their heroic display, which saw the New Zealanders leading 2-0 inside the opening fifteen minutes, was epitomised by the brilliance of goalkeeper Erin Nayler, who produced a string of stunning saves throughout proceedings to deny Young Nadeshiko the come-from-behind win they coveted in front of their home fans. Those immediately in front of the ‘keeper, Bridgette Armstrong and Rebecca Burrows particularly, were solidity personified as the Junior Ferns combined a stoic rearguard action with some enterprising raids which were particularly prevalent in the first half. It was Young Nadeshiko who first threatened, a corner from eye-catching playmaker Yoko Tanaka picking out Kumi Yokoyama in the fourth minute. Armstrong blocked both her attempts to break the deadlock, but New Zealand’s respite was brief. Japan’s captain, Nozomi Fujita, angled a delightful pass through Kiwi ranks into the stride of Ayu Nakada as she darted inside off the left flank, and after entering the penalty area she whipped a delicious low cross into the stride of Ayaka Michigami, who got goal-side of Burrows to unleash in a shot. Unfortunately for the striker, her goal-bound effort was diverted to safety by the fast-advancing figure of Nayler, the first indication that hers would be a busy evening’s action twixt the sticks. Nayler was called upon again five minutes later, and again it was Michigami she thwarted, saving at her feet as she looked to do justice to Hikaru Naomoto’s through ball, after the midfielder had pounced on a stray Hannah Wilkinson pass. The Kiwi powerhouse had already featured for all the right reasons by this stage of proceedings, Nadia Pearl and Katie Bowen combining to release her down the left, from where she picked out Rosie White with a cross which the Junior Ferns’ captain was unable to direct on target with her head. It was a warning sign for Japan, but one they didn’t heed, and they paid the price for doing so twice over before the quarter-hour mark, New Zealand’s first goal arriving in the eleventh minute, following an Evie Millynn corner. White flicked the ball on beyond all-comers, but  Burrows retrieved it and drove a low cross into the heart of Japan’s goalmouth, where Wilkinson was lurking. She stabbed at the ball, which struck the leg of covering defender Shiori Kinoshita and ricocheted towards Ayu Nakada, whose sliced attempt to clear succeeded only in diverting the ball into her own net. Those who were stunned by the sight of the Junior Ferns leading Japan after eleven minutes would have been in a state of shock four minutes later, as the Kiwis doubled their lead thanks to the combined efforts of two of their Olympics heroines. Wilkinson and White both featured in the Football Ferns’ ground-breaking displays at London 2012, and it was they who contrived a goal which briefly silenced the drums which invariably provide the soundtrack to any international match Japanese teams play on home soil. This one in Miyagi was no different, but Wilkinson was dancing to her own tune when she gathered the ball near the touchline inside her own half on the quarter hour. A cheeky lob over Nakada as she turned and raced round her opponent quickly saw the Whangarei-born force of nature get up a head of steam, and she was swiftly surging down the right leaving opponents in her wake. Wilkinson got to a point in line with the edge of the penalty area before looking up to find White up in support in the middle, with two defenders for company. A pinpoint cross was required, which Wilkinson duly supplied, but White had a lot to do if something was to be made of this opening. Controlling the ball, White turned away from goal inside the penalty area, then promptly swivelled to unleash a shot through the legs of the lunging figure of Mayo Doko and beyond the reach of diving goalkeeper Sakiko Ikeda, the ball rolling perfectly into the bottom corner of the net to give the Junior Ferns a 2-0 lead, and White the 100th goal of her footballing career. Japan were stunned, as was the watching world. The script had them down as one of the tournament favourites, especially in light of their senior side, Nadeshiko Japan, being the reigning world champions and recipients of silver medals at the 2012 Olympics. The Junior Ferns clearly had other ideas, however, but those concepts were about to undergo a very thorough examination by a Young Nadeshiko side determined not to find themselves falling victim to what would be, without question, a massive upset. Even a draw would have the global game sitting up and paying attention to the little nation that could, and often does, but Japan didn’t have an option in that regard - for them as host nation, victory was a given. So they set about realising their goal, only to find Nayler in imperious form. Twice she denied Michigami within five minutes of White’s strike, her first save a superb parried denial at point-blank range after the striker had been picked out by another penetrating pass from Naomoto. She also featured in the second opening, but only after a splendid run in off the right flank past three opponents by the tireless Tanaka, a player who appears destined, in tandem with the injured Mana Iwabuchi, to play a big part in Japan’s future, particularly with reigning FIFA Women’s Player of the Year, Homare Sawa, now fast approaching the twilight years of her stellar career. Young Nadeshiko had more pressing concerns, however, and the sight of Millynn evading a couple of challenges on the edge of their penalty area in the 28th minute was one of them. Kinoshita stepped in to curtail her progress, but only cleared the ball as far as Bowen, whose dipping thirty yarder landed on the roof of Japan’s net. But the ball was very soon down the other end of the park, with Nayler right behind a twenty yarder from Yokoyama before producing a stunning one-handed denial to frustrate the first touch of freshly introduced substitute Asuka Nishigawa. It appeared Japan had spared Nakada no mercy for putting through her own net, for she was the player Nishigawa replaced, but the change was a tactical one, and Ashleigh Ward soon found her area the target of many a Japanese attack. Not before the Junior Ferns had twice more threatened to increase their lead, however. A splendid counter-attacking run from Wilkinson saw her take on all-comers before Ikeda grabbed her deflected shot in the 33rd minute, while White, who had drawn defenders away to assist her team-mate on that raid, sent a powerful first-time header narrowly past the far post three minutes later, on receipt of Burrows’ angled cross. Japan pulled a goal back in the 37th minute, a result of some ponderous defensive play by Nadia Pearl. Nishigawa got the better of Ward on the right and

Erin Nayler - super saver Rebecca Burrows - solidity personified Hannah Wilkinson - big role in both goals (photo courtesy Getty Images) Rosie White - 100th career goal (photo courtesy Getty Images) Ashleigh Ward - tough day at the office Holly Patterson - vital goal-line clearance Nadia Pearl - ponderous defensive play Katie Bowen, Evie Millynn and Steph Skilton Olivia Chance - could have pinched it at death

whipped in a cross to the near post which the defensive midfielder intercepted, then hesitated over clearing. By the time she turned to do so, Tanaka was on top of her like the proverbial ton of bricks, and stripped Pearl of possession before lashing a shot from the edge of the goal area which ricocheted into the net off the outstretched leg of Armstrong, as she tried in vain to block the ball. 2-1, and suddenly Japan had their tails up. They laid siege to the New Zealand goal in the minutes before half-time, and were very unfortunate not to draw level on at least two occasions. Haruka Hamada’s shot on the turn grazed the crossbar in the 39th minute, while her angled cross, which targeted the head of the flying figure of fellow fullback Hikari Takagi, was tipped round the post by Nayler three minutes later. From the resulting corner, Takagi saw her twenty yarder deflected narrowly past the post by Millynn, before another Hamada raid resulted in Nayler punching her cross off the head of Yokoyama. The ball landed at the feet of Naomoto, who sprayed it wide for Nishikawa to drive in another cross, this one ricocheting to safety off Burrows for the final corner of the half, which was played short to Hamada, who rattled the crossbar with a fifteen yarder before Armstrong cleared the danger, much to the relief of her team-mates. The half-time whistle offered the Junior Ferns a brief respite from the growing storm of Japan’s attacking endeavour, because they were straight back into it with a vengeance as soon as the second half began. Within two minutes of the resumption, Nayler’s growing reputation, already formidable following her exploits at the last FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Finals, was further enhanced by two fine saves. She initially plunged to her right to smother a Nishikawa shot after the substitute had played a one-two with the overlapping figure of Takagi, but the 47th minute save she produced to keep out a curling effort from the same player which was bound for the top far corner of the net was right out of the top drawer - a superlative stop. Japan were nigh on relentless, however, their plan seemingly to set up camp in the Junior Ferns’ half of the field until they had secured the victory they desired. The sight of Bowen sending a twenty-five yarder skidding past the post six minutes into the second spell was a rare moment of attacking resistance from the Kiwis, whose defensive skills were being given an extremely thorough examination. But when the host nation did penetrate New Zealand’s rearguard, they couldn’t find a way past the formidable figure of Nayler, who plunged to her right to tip a Yokoyama effort round her near post in the 55th minute, and looked on with relief eight minutes later as Takagi’s driving run and shot flew narrowly past her right-hand upright. Burrows produced a timely clearance in the 66th minute to clear the danger posed by Takagi’s low cross into the goalmouth, after Nishikawa and fellow substitute Hanae Shibata had combined with the overlapping fullback, while a Michigami effort narrowly cleared the crossbar four minutes later. Nishigawa was denied by another wonder save from Nayler seconds later, but from the resulting corner, Japan finally found a way through their opponents’ stubborn resistance. Tanaka’s outswinging corner was the key, her delivery picking out the head of Michigami, whose angled effort from eight yards found the gap between the diving figure of Nayler and Ward, who was covering the far post. 2-2, with nineteen minutes remaining for Japan to secure the winner they coveted. Four of those minutes had passed when Shibata picked out Tanaka with a cross. The midfielder shaped to shoot, then feinted, a move which took both Burrows and Holly Patterson out of the equation instantly. She couldn’t fool Nayler, however, who routinely smothered the resulting shot low to her left. Newcomer Mina Tanaka’s splendid solo run past four players, as she cut in off the right flank seconds later, only came to grief when Burrows stepped in in timely fashion, while six minutes from time came the chance on which the game’s outcome ultimately hinged. Nishikawa had switched to the left flank to accommodate Japan’s last substitute, but it was overlapping fullback Takagi who was the beneficiary of her pinpoint far post cross in the 84th minute. She evaded the challenge of Armstrong before whipping in a low cross from the by-line which deflected off the arm of the diving figure of Nayler towards the net behind her as she protected her near post area. It would have been cruelty personified had the goalkeeper’s outstanding display been marred by conceding an own goal, but her guardian angel appeared on the scene to save the day, in the form of Patterson. The fullback flew in to hook the ball out from beneath the shadows of the crossbar, much to the disappointment of Shibata, who had headlines acknowledging her as the heroine of a come-from-behind victory snatched away by Patterson’s desire to ensure her team would retain the point for which they had battled so tenaciously. They survived a couple more scares, with Armstrong forced to volley past her own post as Takagi looked to pick out Michigami with a cross in the 87th minute, Takagi herself going close from Yoko Tanaka’s resulting corner. That was Japan’s last chance to win the game, but would it have a twist in the tale? The Junior Ferns certainly hoped so, and when Wilkinson led the charge downfield once more in the final minute, she had White and substitute Olivia Chance surging forward in support. She opted to use her captain, roaming down the right flank, from where White whipped in a wicked angled cross towards the edge of the penalty area. It was just too far in front of Chance for the untracked winger to control and clinch an unlikely victory, however, and by the time she’d retrieved the ball, Japan’s hasty defensive retreat ensured there would be no way through for New Zealand. Recording at least a draw in their final group game against Mexico, in Kobe in four days’ time, however, will ensure there is a way through - to the quarter-finals of a FIFA age-grade women’s tournament for the first time in the forty-year history of women’s football in New Zealand. Thanks to the efforts of many in this match, super saver Nayler in particular, the Junior Ferns’ destiny is theirs to define. And on their showings so far, dare we start to dream about where they could go post-Mexico? Japan: Ikeda; Takagi, Doko, Kinoshita, Hamada; Y. Tanaka, Fujita (booked, 50) (M. Tanaka, 77), Naomoto, Nakada (Nishikawa, 29); Yokoyama (Shibata, 60), Michigami Junior Ferns: Nayler; Patterson, Burrows, Armstrong, Ward (booked, 83); Millynn, Pearl (Loye, 63), Bowen; Wilkinson (Rood, 90), White, Skilton (Chance, 68) Referee: Silvia Spinelli (Italy)