New Zealand's Junior Ferns retained their OFC U-19 Women's Championship title at Stade Paea in Papeete on October 4, a 3-0 win in the final against New Caledonia securing the silverware for the ninth time in as many attempts since Australia switched to the Asian Confederation in 2006.
Callum Holmes' charges were far from convincing in this encounter, however, particularly so in the second half following the half-time substitutions of captain Daisy Brazendale and the winner of the OFC Golden Ball, Zoe Benson, who was hugely influential throughout the past fortnight and fully merited her Player of the Tournament honour.
The Junior Ferns dominated proceedings early doors, Alyssha Eglinton heading an Emily Lyon corner over the bar in the fourth minute. Three minutes later, another Lyon corner prompted a shot from Benson which was blocked to safety by New Caledonian captain Kenza Kenon, who had a fine game at the heart of her team's rearguard.
Kenon's efforts, and those of Shirley Wenessia, inspired a solid New Caledonian display, for while New Zealand enjoyed, as usual, the lion's share of possession, they encountered strong resistance from their opponents, who gently reminded the Junior Ferns that another New Zealand title wasn't guaranteed in the thirteenth minute.
That's when Brooke Neary had to dash off her line and grab the ball to prevent Caenah Bati's pursuit of a raking ball over the top from proving fruitful for New Caledonia, a threat to which the Junior Ferns responded by opening the scoring in the seventeenth minute.
Grace Bartlett, Charlotte Mortlock and Lily Brazendale combined on the right, with the last-mentioned bursting to the by-line before picking out Benson at the near post. Her first shot was blocked, but she calmly steered the rebound into the far corner of the net to send New Zealand on their way to victory.
Two minutes later, Lily Brazendale was the width of a post away from doubling that hard-earned advantage. Lyon pounced on a defensive error and fed the striker, whose shot fizzed past the diving Muneiko Waheo but rebounded off the base of the upright.
The Junior Ferns continued to dominate proceedings without much reward for their efforts for the next fifteen minutes or so, and their persistence paid off nine minutes before half-time. Penny Brill combined with Benson on the left, and her searching cross from near the by-line picked out Lyon who promptly thrashed the ball beyond Waheo to double New Zealand's lead.
Five minutes later, Lily Brazendale was unable to capitalise upon the confusion Lyon's through ball caused both Waheo and Wenessia, to which the New Caledonians responded through first half substitute Julia Honakoko. She outmuscled Mackenzie Greene when first disputing possession, but the fullback responded in kind seconds later in the penalty area, a challenge which Fijian referee Torika Delai allowed to go unchecked.
New Zealand went straight up the other end and
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made it 3-0, with Brill, Lyon and Benson combining for the benefit of Bartlett. Her low cross picked out Lyon, who gleefully steered home her eleventh goal of the tournament, a tally which earned her the Golden Boot as top scorer.
The Junior Ferns met far greater resistance in the second spell, with first half substitute Cina Kourevi proving herself the best player on the park during the second forty-five minutes - New Caledonia's number ten had an outstanding half.
The champions-elect started the half well enough, with Lyon taking over Benson's mantle as chief instigator in attack. She released Bartlett down the right in the 47th minute, from where she sent a cross beyond the far post to Brill, who was unable to direct the ball goalwards.
Seven minutes later, an Eglinton header from a Lyon corner landed on the roof of the net, while Bartlett somehow spurned the chance to score from three yards when Lyon cut a swathe along the by-line before picking her out two minutes later.
Just after the hour mark, Isla Cleall-Harding's header was kept out by Waheo after Amber De Wit, Lyon and Poppy O'Brien had combined on the right. Soon after, Lyon hit the crossbar direct from a corner, but after this, the chances mostly materialised at the other end of the park.
Kourevi and Honakoko combined in the 68th minute, with Cecilia Waheo going close as a result of their creativity. New Caledonia continued to cause the Junior Ferns issues thereafter, Kourevi often leading the charge. She came desperately close to getting the goal the crowd coveted thirteen minutes from time, when intercepting a Charli Dunn pass intended for Mackenzie Longmuir.
Thankfully, from the Junior Ferns' perspective, that goal never materialised. They would have added a fourth through Mary Brown three minutes from time had the offside flag not been raised aloft, while Lyon should have made it 4-0 in stoppage time, steering past the far post after Cleall-Harding and Brown had combined to play her in with just the goalkeeper to beat.
But New Caledonia nearly had the last say. Neary had denied Kourevi from twenty-five yards in the 89th minute, but in stoppage time, she made a real meal of a Honakoko free-kick, presenting Kourevi with a terrific chance to score. In her eagerness to do so, however, the substitute took out the goalkeeper, a note on which Fijian referee Torika Delai ended proceedings, allowing New Zealand to once again celebrate winning the OFC U-19 Women's Championship.
New Caledonia: M. Waheo; Adjou (Hmae, 45), Wenessia, Geihaze (Golitin, 45), Kenon, Pocoue-Kasouemi (Kourevi, 34); Ngazo, Gondou, C. Waheo, Bati (booked, 51 (Taine, 52)); Angexetine (Honakoko, 34)
Junior Ferns: Neary; Dunn (booked, 90), Eglinton, Greene; Bartlett (O'Brien, 61), Mortlock (Brown, 61), D. Brazendale (booked, 43 (Longmuir, 46)), Brill; Lyon, Benson (De Wit, 46), L. Brazendale (Cleall-Harding, 46)
Referee: Torika Delai (Fiji)
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