Junior Matildas 2

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Junior Matildas 2

Hannah Carlsen (c), Ronisa Lipi, Catherine Bott, Laura Merrin, Meikayla Moore, Emily Jensen, Briar Palmer, Martine Puketapu, Tessa Leong, Jess Innes, Emma Fletcher

Meg McLaughlin, Grace MacIntyre, Alexandra Natoli, Jessie Williams, Ebony Philcox, Emma Checker, Isabel Cootes, Hayley Sheahan, Olivia Price, Eliza Campbell, Alisha Bass (c)

Scoreless Stalemate In Trans-Tasman Tussle

by Jeremy Ruane

New Zealand's Young Ferns and Australia's Junior Matildas fought out a scoreless draw on the North Harbour Stadium Tigerturf on October 5 to leave the host nation in an unassailable position in the three-match series, having won Monday's encounter 2-1 in wet and wild conditions.

Those which both teams encountered in this match were far more clement - there was no sign of rain, for starters! But that irritating downfield wind once again made life challenging for both teams, and it was again the Young Ferns who enjoyed it at their backs during the first spell.

Unlike the same forty-five minutes in the first match, they were nowhere near as dominant in this half, which featured far too much disjointed play from both sides. For Australia, that represented an improvement on their opening night effort, with the Junior Matildas changing all but one member of their starting line-up for this match, and playing with far more confidence accordingly.

It was the Young Ferns who fired the first shot in anger, Emma Fletcher's chip drifting narrowly wide after Laura Merrin's ball forward in the fourth minute. Ten minutes later, an awful back-pass from Emily Jensen was prevented from going out for an Australian corner by Ronisa Lipi, with Jensen making up for her error by producing the timely tackle which thwarted Grace MacIntyre's attempt to open the scoring.

New Zealand contrived a glorious move in the seventeenth minute from which they should have taken the lead. Merrin again sparked it off, releasing Briar Palmer down the flank. The left-winger did Hayley Sheahan a treat before curling an inch-perfect delivery onto the head of Martine Puketapu, six yards out from goal, from where she headed over - a great chance!

After the well-performed Catherine Bott had cleaned out MacIntyre with a punishing tackle - the Australian had been released by a fine Alisha Bass pass, the Young Ferns thrice went close in as many minutes from the 24th minute.

Palmer - an eye-catching first half display - scythed past three opponents as she cut in from the left, then nutmegged Ebony Philcox before lashing a twenty yarder narrowly past the far post.

The resulting goal-kick was poor, and Puketapu was only prevented from capitalising on it by alert goalkeeping from Eliza Campbell, who dashed out to save at the feet of the speedy striker.

The resulting clearance again didn't go as far upfield as the Australians would have liked, and when Alexandra Natoli played a woeful back-pass, Palmer was onto it in an instant. Defender Emma Checker jockeyed her opponent splendidly, denying the Kiwi a clear shot on goal, so when Palmer did let fly, it rebounded off her opponent to Jess Innes, who drilled her effort narrowly across the face of goal.

On the half-hour, it was Palmer's turn to err, her stray pass being pounced on by Olivia Price. She swiftly linked with Philcox, who sprayed the ball wide to the powerfully built Meg McLaughlin.

She powered down the left - Meikayla Moore was definitely second-best in this battle - before lashing in a low cross which Lipi parried well. Jensen was back to clear the loose ball, but only directed it to McLaughlin, who again stung the gloves of Lipi. This time, the ball fell kindly for Philcox, who should have opened the scoring but fired wide with the goal gaping.

It was a let-off for the Young Ferns, but they struggled to manage a response in a half littered with stray passes and, to use gridiron terminology, incomplete plays. Both sides were guilty, but it was the visitors who went closest to breaking the first half deadlock right on the whistle, thanks to McLaughlin's free-kick. Lipi denied Bass the chance to get on the end of it.

Having had a half-time rev-up from coach Paul Temple, the Young Ferns hit the ground running from referee Renee Silvester's first whistle in the second half. Within ninety seconds, Campbell had been forced to deny an Innes shot and prevent Merrin's splendid cross on the run from reaching

the predatory Puketapu. Half-time substitute Lauren Debner was unable to convert the rebound.

Further Kiwi pressure followed in the 53rd minute, with Merrin sending one forward for Puketapu to pursue. Campbell hurtled out of her area to send a booming clearance downfield, one which Lipi initially misjudged before grabbing in front of the chasing Jessie Williams.

Ten minutes later, Australia came desperately close to opening the scoring when Bass' corner was headed goalwards by Natoli. Dabner was perfectly placed to head off the line, her last act of the match as she was withdrawn from the fray seconds later, having only been on the park for nineteen minutes!

Bott was solid throughout proceedings, but was left standing by Allison Clarke in the 66th minute as the Junior Matildas' substitute stormed down the left from half-way. Bott stuck doggedly to the task, however, and was rewarded with the chance to execute a perfectly timed tackle on Clarke deep inside the Young Ferns penalty area, one she fulfilled stylishly.

Dabner's replacement, Jasmine Pereira, was denied by Campbell three minutes later, while the generally subdued Hannah Carlsen lashed a twenty-five yarder narrowly over soon after, before the host nation came desperately close to conceding the opening goal.

Bass whipped in another corner which Bott headed to safety, but the threat remained, this time from a Bass corner, which was met by the head of Checker. Her goalbound effort was directed to safety not by an opponent, but by team-mate and substitute Amy Harrison, much to her frustration.

The Young Ferns finished the match strongly, and produced the best move of the half thirteen minutes from time to justify the fact. Lipi to Megan Lee, who surged forward before linking with Innes. Her lay-off invited Carlsen to thread a pass through for Emma Rolston, who evaded a challenge before playing in Puketapu, who was once again denied by Campbell's anticipation - the Junior Matildas' 'keeper played well.

She was in action again seconds later, with Puketapu again her unwilling victim as Campbell dealt with the danger posed by Innes' languid lob into the goalmouth after Palmer's corner hadn't been cleared.

Six minutes from time, a lapse by Australian substitute Elizabeth Ralston allowed Palmer to pounce and power into the penalty area. Once again, Campbell came to the rescue, her fine smothering save denying both Palmer and Puketapu as they converged on the ball in an effort to snatch a late Kiwi winner.

Either side of this opportunity, Rolston squandered two more through poor option-taking - passing when a shot seemed to be the best choice of action, then shooting when others were better placed to make the most of the opening. She will learn …

Puketapu was prevented from getting on the end of a Palmer cross - following another incisive run - by Natoli's timely headed clearance in the 87th minute, while Bott's stinging drive stung the gloves of Campbell in stoppage time, after both Palmer and Innes had squandered separate set-piece opportunities from just outside the penalty area.

A teasing cross-shot from Clarke prompted Lipi to produce the final save of the night just before the final whistle confirmed a scoreless draw between these U-17 women's teams, who will meet again from 6pm on Friday at this venue to dispute trans-tasman supremacy for a final time in this series.

Young Ferns: Lipi; Moore (Lee, 64), Bott, Jensen, Merrin; Fletcher (Rolston, 64), Carlsen, Innes; Leong (Dabner, 46) (Pereira, 64), Puketapu, Palmer

Junior Matildas: Campbell; Sheahan (Ralston, 81), Checker, Natoli, Cootes; MacIntyre (Sampson, 75), Philcox, Price, McLaughlin (Clarke, 61); Bass, Williams (Harrison, 61)

Referee: Renee Silvester

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