The New Zealand Secondary Schoolgirls extracted some revenge over their NZ Under-17 counterparts in the final game of their three-match series on the North Harbour Stadium Tigerturf on December 18, overcoming the series winners by a 4-3 margin which was far more comfortable than the scoreline suggests. The Young Ferns enjoyed the better of the early exchanges, with a poor back-pass by Emily Cooper putting Erin Nayler under all sorts of pressure, the schoolgirls’ goalkeeper clearing against the fast-closing Mary Fraser and getting the benefit of the resulting ricochet in the fourth minute. Seconds later, Nayler grabbed a shot from Hannah Wong at the second attempt, after the tall figure of Fraser had got the better of the statuesque Hannah Wilkinson, one of only two players on the pitch still in with the chance of scoring in all three games in the series. Nayler then saved a couple of long-range efforts from Evie Millynn, but by the time she fired her second attempt, on the quarter-hour, the Secondary Schoolgirls had taken the lead. It was a goal Bernadette Anderson will want to forget quickly. The Young Ferns ‘keeper allowed a twenty-five yarder from Sarah McLaughlin to sail over her head high into the net - a goal which was easily preventable. The Young Ferns were still reeling from this blow when they found themselves two goals down. Referee Pat Zhang - not his finest hour-and-a-half by any stretch of the imagination - ignored a clear foul on the tireless Tessa McPherson on the half-way line, and while the Young Ferns awaited the whistle, the Secondary Schoolgirls played to it, the ball quickly being transited to Emily Cooper. Her slide-rule ball through the middle rewarded the run of the jet-heeled Katie Rood, who showed how much she appreciated such service by rounding the advancing Anderson and rolling the ball home into the untended net. 2-0 down, the Young Ferns were still recovering from this double whammy when they came close to conceding a third goal in five minutes. Cooper smashed a twenty-five yarder goal-wards which Anderson saved at the second attempt as Rood looked to pounce on her initial fumble. The goalkeeper’s raking clearance put the pressure back on the schoolgirls’ defence, with Nayler only just plucking the ball off the toes of the fast-chasing Fraser as the striker pursued an ultimately lost cause. And a lost cause was what the Young Ferns’ pursuit of a series clean sweep appeared to be in the 22nd minute, as they fell further behind. McLaughlin and Lauren Mathis worked a one-two just outside the penalty area, and the defence stood off the Waikato Secondary Schools Supreme Award winner. "Macca" didn’t hesitate to punish such negligence, and duly let fly, straight through Anderson’s hands and into the net at chest height - an embarrassing goal to concede, both from the goalkeeper’s perspective, and that of the defenders in front of her. Having grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck, the schoolgirls were keen to further enhance their lead, with twenty-five yarders from McLaughlin and Cooper giving Anderson cause aplenty for concern inside the next three minutes. The goalscorer’s attempt fizzed over the bar, while the ‘keeper smothered the midfielder’s effort. Millynn was one of very few players in the Young Ferns’ starting line-up in this match who was playing with the passion, spunk and desire one expects of those charged with wearing the silver fern, regardless of the status of the fixture. In the 28th minute, she almost got the reward her spirited display deserved when she caught Wilkinson in possession as the defender fielded a pass Nayler should never have played towards her - the ‘keeper’s judgement in this match was very poor! Millynn promptly let fly, and deserved better fate than to see her shot cannon to safety off the post. Three minutes later, Nayler directed a pass straight to Millynn, who instantly clipped the ball through the inside right channel. Wong’s anticipation gave her the edge as the schoolgirls’ reacted to the blunder, and her deft volleyed lob over the stranded goalkeeper bounced into the unguarded goal - 3-1. And very nearly 3-2 eight minutes later. The introduction of tenacious fullback Rachel Head added some much-needed energy into the Young Ferns’ game, and it was fitting that the substitute provided this opening, her ball forward picking out Fraser. The striker met the bouncing ball on the volley, only to see the sphere career to safety off the bar. Heeding these warnings, the Secondary Schoolgirls regained their grip on proceedings, and came close to adding a fourth goal before half-time - Anderson saved at the feet of Rood as she dashed after a Mathis pass. A change of goalkeeper at half-time - Chloe-May Geurts entered the fray for the first time in the series, and the additions of the likes of Brittany Dudley-Smith and Sivitha Boyce throughout the second half, aided the cause of a Young Ferns team which sorely missed its midfield dynamos, Katie Bowen and Kate

Grace Parkinson shields from Elise Mamanu-Gray Jesse Mathews shields from Tessa McPherson Lauren Mathis takes on Rachel Head Rosie White controls the ball ahead of Sivitha Boyce Sarah McLaughlin gives Sivitha Boyce the slip Michelle Windsor steals the ball off Lauren Mathis

Loye, in this encounter. Without them, the youngsters lacked a genuine presence in the centre of the park, which allowed the schoolgirls to maintain their grip on the game throughout the bulk of the second spell. A delightful interchange between Mathis, Elise Mamanu-Gray, half-time substitute Rosie White and Rood across the penalty area three minutes into the second half culminated in the last-mentioned thrashing a drive inches past the near post. Five minutes later, McLaughlin picked out Rood with an inch-perfect pass from the left, the striker swivelling to unleash a drive which Geurts tipped round the post at full stretch. Rood was like a fox in a henhouse in this match, and caught Boyce and Kate Carlton napping in the 64th minute when intercepting the former’s pass to the latter across the edge of the penalty area. Thankfully for the Young Ferns, Carlton was able to avert the danger on this occasion, but not even she could prevent the schoolgirls from netting a fourth goal, in the 67th minute. Geurts blocked a McLaughlin shot at close quarters, and Wilkinson, who had been moved into the attack, deftly volleyed home the rebound to score for the third successive match. How the scoreline didn’t increase to 5-1 in the 76th minute defies logic. Rebecca Brown picked out White with a probing pass which the striker seized on, and promptly let fly. The ball cannoned skywards off Carlton’s head and arced onto the crossbar, off which it dropped into Rood’s stride. The striker hooked another shot goalwards, and again the crossbar intervened. This time the ball made its way to Wilkinson, whose shot flashed narrowly wide of the post - a real let-off for the Young Ferns. They enjoyed another two minutes later, after a White corner saw Boyce’s header land at Lucy Carter’s feet. Her shot was covered by Geurts, but before the ‘keeper could save, Rood stole in and kept the opportunity alive for the schoolgirls, steering the ball back to Mamanu-Gray. Her low drive through the crowd looked a goal all over, until the recovering figure of Geurts appeared and smothered the shot. The students, the game seemingly won, effectively switched off inside the last ten minutes, content to coast home having won this battle, if not the three-match war. Their young opponents promptly picked up their game, led by Grace Parkinson, like Millynn a starting player who gave her all throughout. This duo combined in the 81st minute to set up a chance for Hannah Carlsen which she steered over the bar under pressure from Danielle Hareb. Seconds later, Parkinson, after a rapier-like run which left three schoolgirls trailing in her wake as she reached the penalty area, wrong-footed a fourth challenger before letting fly with a drive which fizzed a foot over the bar. Nayler hadn’t had a great deal to do in the second half, but was twice found wanting in stoppage time, much to Dudley-Smith’s delight on both occasions. A Carlton clearance was running through to the goalkeeper on the first occasion when the substitute appeared on the scene, dispossessed her opponent - Nayler was outside her penalty area - and promptly rolled the ball into the empty net. 4-2 promptly became 4-3 virtually straight from the kick-off. Tiffany Paterson pumped a hopeful ball forward, and Nayler’s misjudgement allowed Dudley-Smith in again, again in stoppage time. Surely they weren’t going to score again? The Young Ferns certainly tried, but the final whistle came too soon for them to snatch an unlikely draw at the expense of a Secondary Schoolgirls team which played well in all three matches in the series, but only got their rewards in the final encounter. It was a match which served its purpose, particularly for the Young Ferns, whose coach, Dave Edmondson, has an interesting few weeks ahead, particularly with the opportunity to assess prospective Young Ferns at the trials which are taking place in the main centres in the new year. The eight games they have played to date have revealed the nucleus of a squad well capable of qualifying for and being competitive at Trinidad & Tobago 2010, among them Rebecca Burrows and Holly Patterson, both of whom were unavailable for this series. But having seen seven of those eight games, this writer knows full well that there are certainly some gaps which require filling. So the door is wide open for players with the potential, the passion and the desire to both wear and do justice to the silver fern when these training days take place in January. NZ U-17s:     Anderson (Geurts, 46); Lovrich (Head, 29), Windsor (Boyce, 62), Carlton, Lee (Oulaghan, 62); Millynn (Dudley-Smith, 41), Carlsen, McPherson, Parkinson; Fraser (Millynn, 46), H. Wong (Paterson, 73) NZSS:          Nayler; E. Wong (Hareb, 66), Wilkinson (McLaughlin, 83), Gottgtroy, Brown; Mamanu-Gray, Cooper (White, 46), Mathews, McLaughlin (Carter, 70); Rood, Mathis, (Morris, 62) Referee:     Pat Zhang