New Zealand's Young Ferns got off to a winning start at the OFC U-16 Women's Championships in Suva on 9 September, Laura Bennett leading the way with four goals as they swept aside New Caledonia 8-0 at the HFC Bank Stadium. Alana Gunn's charges were quickly into their work, and were rewarded with the game's first goal just five minutes into the contest. The unmarked Keira Tichbon fired home from eight yards after Pia Vlok, Taylah Byers and Bennett had combined down the left. They were still in celebration mode when New Caledonia fired a shot across their bows in response. Goalkeeper Megan Waayer failed to cleanly gather a routine hopeful ball forward, and Kine Hmaen's eyes lit up at the gift which had befallen her. Waayer was eager to make amends for her blunder, however, and did enough to deflect Hmaen's shot to safety. What would quickly become normal service soon resumed, with the lively Tichbon - this Canadian-born lass is a real find - engineering a great chance for Bennett, who shot straight at New Caledonian 'keeper Elizabeth Aben when scoring seemed the easier option. She got the mix right in the twelfth minute, however, as New Zealand doubled their lead. Grace Duncan's through ball sent Vlok hurtling through on goal, defenders trailing in her wake. Aben blocked her shot, but Bennett, following in, steered the ball home. Although Bennett went on to score four goals in this game, she missed at least four more, some of which were absolute sitters! Take her thirteenth minute opportunity, one carved out by Natalie Young which left the striker clear of all-comers. Aben thwarted her in a one-on-one situation, then saved at her feet two minutes later after Young had released Bennett once more. Finishing is clearly something the Young Ferns need to work on, judging by the glaring miss which materialised in the eighteenth minute. Heidi Draai picked out Vlok, who played in Duncan through the inside-right channel. She got her angles well wrong, unleashing a shot which finished up nearer the corner flag than the far post! New Caledonia fired another warning shot across the Young Ferns' bows in the 21st minute, a twenty-five yard free-kick from Matha Bako which Waayer was right behind. Five minutes later, Hmaen twice went close to finding the target for the French territory, her long-range effort being grabbed by the goalkeeper, who cleared the ball straight back to the striker, Hmaen this time landing a twenty yard chip on the roof of the net. In between these threats, the Young Ferns increased their advantage. Vlok is already shaping up to be an extremely promising playmaker, and on this occasion burned off three opponents before inviting Duncan to let fly with her left foot this time - cue an unerring finish into the bottom corner of the net from the edge of the area in the 22nd minute. After Tichbon had steered a shot past the post upon being played through by Vlok, two goals in four minutes around the half-hour mark put the Young Ferns well in charge of the contest. More fine work by Vlok resulted in Bennett netting via a looping 28th minute header, while Volk sent Duncan away down the right, the latter's measured first-time cross picking out Tichbon, who rounded Aben before making it 5-0. In between these goals, New Caledonia had threatened twice more, Waayer saving from Hmaen and the outstanding Kane Dralu. She was always a danger when in possession - one of the best prospects from the islands this writer has seen in the last four decades. Rare indeed are the occasions when an outfield player from the island nations makes a strong impression against New Zealand, but this lass certainly wouldn't have looked out of place in the Young Ferns' forward line. After Duncan had a goal denied by the offside flag, a ricochet off Vlok fell kindly for Tichbon, who shot straight at Aben when a goal would have been a racing certainty had she targeted the "postage stamps".

Two minutes before half-time, New Caledonia should have scored, and were only denied their moment of joy by a fabulous goal-line clearance from Byers. Waayer's distribution is a major shortcoming in her game, underlined by the dreadful goal kick she executed on this occasion. Hmaen, twenty yards out from goal, said "thanks very much" and promptly played the ball across to Dralu, who fired past the recovering goalkeeper and was about to start celebrating when Byers, racing back and showing a desperation to maintain a clean sheet of which her father, former age-grade international Matt Byers, would have been proud, slid in and managed to divert the ball to safety before ending up in the net herself. Gunn withdrew Tichbon and Vlok from the fray for the second spell, and there was a visible drop in the quality of New Zealand's performance, despite the best efforts of Duncan, who led the way on an absolute pig of a pitch! The ball couldn't roll without bobbling and bouncing, so rough was the playing surface, on which the entire tournament is being played. Pre-match tropical downpours make it impossible for the ground staff to get the roller on it and flatten the thing out, which is what it sorely needs. It's the sort of surface which could well see someone picking up an injury through no fault of their own - hopefully that won't happen, but it won't surprise if it does. Straight from the kick-off, Piper O'Neill played the ball forward, too far in front of her forwards, not so for Aben. Instead of picking it up, however, the burly custodian went for the big heave downfield, only to execute the perfect air-shot as she rushed out of goal. Fortunately for her, the ball rolled just past the post - it would have been highly embarrassing to concede one in this manner! Aben made amends soon after, blocking an O'Neill effort engineered by the efforts of Bennett and Duncan, then saving at the feet of Kya Solomon after the Young Ferns' captain, Mackenzie Bryant, had busted a tackle in midfield. Just on the hour, New Zealand made it six, Bennett completing her hat-trick, stealing in off the left to punish hesitant defending in the face of Duncan's angled through ball. Aben was unable to prevent this chance, but did deny Bennett again soon after, narrowing the angle well after the striker had again been played in by Duncan. Twenty minutes from time, Bennett bagged her fourth goal of the game, and it was a beauty! Byers, Holly Robins, Bryant and O'Neill combined to open up the New Caledonian defence, and the goal-hungry striker curled home a delightful strike in off the far post. The trying conditions - heat, playing surface, and the demands placed on them by their opponents - were taking their toll on the New Caledonian team, who, fifteen minutes from time, temporarily found themselves down to eight players, three having been struck down by cramp. The Young Ferns took full advantage, their eighth goal the best of the game. Duncan thundered home a twenty-five yard free-kick via the underside of the crossbar in the 77th minute to put an emphatic exclamation mark on the scoreline - a terrific set-piece strike. Before the final whistle, Aben kept out efforts from Draai - a rising drive - and, on two occasions, Bennett, who followed up a strike from twenty yards with a thumping eight yard stoppage time volley from a Duncan corner, both shots being directed straight at the overworked goalkeeper. Despite what the scoreline suggests, there's plenty for the Young Ferns to work on on the evidence of this display, but they should still prove too strong for their island rivals and qualify for the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Finals in Morocco New Cal.:     Aben; Marchandeau, Ngazo, Hmae (Taine, 76), Waia; Hace (Nemoinon, 88), Bako, Buama (Gondou, 66), Naaoutchoue (Nyikeine, 76); Dralu, Hmaen (Ijelipa, 77) Young Ferns:      Waayer; Draai, Bryant, March, Byers; Duncan, O'Neill, Young (McGillivray, 76), Bennett; Vlok (Robins, 46), Tichbon (Solomon, 46) Referee:     Torika Delai (Fiji)