New Zealand's Young Ferns confirmed themselves as the eleventh country to qualify for the 2012 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Finals in Azerbaijan later this year with a solid 9-0 rout of Papua New Guinea at Mangere Centre Park on April 13. The eventual winners of the OFC U-17 Women's Championship were given a scare straight from the kick-off, when Georgina Kaikas raced downfield before unleashing a shot which forced Ronisa Lipi into producing a save before any of her team-mates had touched the ball. But the Young Ferns' response was perfection personified, Megan Lee tapping home just 55 seconds into the contest after Jasmine Pereira had stormed down the right and picked out her team-mate with a made-to-measure cross. Two minutes later, Martine Puketapu powered down the same flank and unleashed a cross-shot which cannoned off the far post. And three minutes later, Hannah Carlsen and Laura Merrin combined on the left, with the latter's angled cross to the far post finding Pereira flying in to meet it. PNG goalkeeper Biangka Gubag did well to deny her diving header. Kaikas then scooped another chance over the bar as the Papuans, who went into the match level on points with the Kiwis, sought an equaliser, while Briar Palmer responded with a tame twenty-yarder which Gubag saved, Lee having made in-roads down the left. After the Papuans' early threats, the Young Ferns gradually asserted their authority, with Carlsen and Daisy Cleverley taking charge of the midfield engine room. Alongside them, Palmer was looking to make in-roads further forward, and forced another save from Gubag in the fourteenth minute at the end of another attack featuring New Zealand's "Three Ps". Another feature of the Young Ferns' first half efforts was the overlapping runs of Meikayla Moore down the right. Her eighteenth minute raid culminated in Puketapu heading the ball goalwards. Gubag parried the effort, then ended up in the net with the ball as Lee looked to scramble home the rebound. The goal was ruled out by Fijian referee Finau Vulivuli. Cleverley and Moore then combined for Lee to force another save by Gubag, this one resulting in a corner, which Moore whipped in to the far post. Puketapu's header was parried by the Papuan custodian, but Cleverley was on hand to smash the ball into the roof of the net - 2-0 to the Young Ferns after twenty-two minutes. Within seconds, Puketapu had headed narrowly wide after Carlsen had sent Moore marauding down the right once more, while a delightful interchange between Merrin, Catherine Bott, Emily Jensen and Palmer saw Moore racing away once more before crossing to Pereira. Her header was grabbed by Gubag, who was relieved to see Puketapu's glancing header graze the far post in the 28th minute, after Palmer had expertly rode a lunging tackle - a fair few more of them were forthcoming long before the final whistle - then invited Lee to deliver a perfectly flighted cross onto the head of the striker. Nine minutes before half-time, Carlsen stripped

Carolyn Obi of possession in PNG's penalty area and had no hesitation in promptly despatching the ball past Gubag, who was to fish it out of her net twice more in the next five minutes. After Palmer had fired over after jinking past two opponents, she was the fulcrum in a one-two with Cleverley which the fourteen-year-old despatched crisply and clinically past Gubag from twenty yards in the 39th minute. Straight from the kick-off, the Young Ferns swiftly regained possession, with Pereira racing down the right before crossing to find Emma Rolston, who had just replaced Puketapu, the victim of a head injury. The newcomer found her path to goal blocked, but not so Carlsen, who ranged up behind her team-mate and fair battered the ball into the bottom corner of the net - 5-0. Before half-time, Rolston rattled the bar with a twenty-yarder and Jensen saw her header, from a Palmer corner, hooked off the line as the Young Ferns looked to press home their advantage, which they did just 56 seconds into the second half. Moore scythed in off the right flank past four players before setting up Palmer, who evaded a challenge before lashing her shot against the bar from fifteen yards. The rebound was swiftly worked wide to Merrin, whose pinpoint cross was flicked on by Bott to Pereira, who gleefully steered the ball home to afford the Young Ferns the perfect start to the half. It proved to be a signal to ease off the throttle, so much so that the Young Ferns fired just two shots in anger over the course of the next half-hour. Cleverley stung Gubag's gloves with a twenty-five yarder in the 52nd minute, while twelve minutes later, some lovely control by Carlsen culminated in Rolston linking with debutant Jolene Muir, whose first shot in international football flashed a foot over the bar. All the while, the Papuans were getting increasingly frustrated, and this frustration began to translate into indiscipline, particularly in the form of reckless challenges. Eventually, referee Vulivuli lost patience with their tactics, and the beaten team finished with ten players on the park following the late dismissal of Talitha Irakau for two bookable offences in twelve minutes. The first of these resulted in a free-kick which led to the Young Ferns' seventh goal. Palmer, soon to be named Player of the Tournament and winner of the Golden Ball, evaded two opponents on the left before picking out Rolston with a peach of a cross. From six yards, her bullet header was unstoppable. Sixty seconds later, Palmer probed down the left again before linking with Carlsen inside her. New Zealand's vice-captain was runner-up in the Golden Ball stakes, but after beating an opponent and seeing her deflected fifteen yarder crash into the net to complete her hat-trick, a share of the Golden Boot - this was her sixth goal of the tournament - was more than adequate compensation for the lively midfielder. Both Rolston and Pereira forced saves from Gubag soon after, while the reflex save the 'keeper made to deny Muir from point-blank range in the 85th minute was simply stunning - a stop she had no right to make! Following Irakau's dismissal, Rolston and Pereira

both went close with headed efforts, but with the final whistle mere seconds away, the Young Ferns stamped their tickets to Azerbaijan with the final goal of their 9-0 triumph. Bott bucaneered down the right before picking out Rolston with her cross. The striker's shot was goalbound, but Pereira ensured it would hit the net with an audacious flick which was enough to see the striker draw level with Carlsen in the Golden Boot stakes on a day the FIFA Fair Play Award winners also got their hands on the silverware they most prized - the OFC U-17 Women's Championship trophy. New Zealand now join Brazil, China, Columbia, Gambia, Ghana, Japan, Nigeria, North Korea, Uruguay and host nation Azerbaijan in qualifying for the 2012 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Finals in September. The CONCACAF qualifiers will be known in mid-May, while the European qualifiers will be determined following their tournament in late June. Young Ferns:          Lipi; Moore (Muir, 60), Bott, Jensen, Merrin; Carlsen, Cleverley (Innes, 79), Palmer; Pereira, Puketapu (Rolston, 39), Lee Papua New Guinea:     Gubag; Hola (Gabong, 26), Obi, Kadu, Irakau (booked, 76 & 88 - sent off); Agibe (Yakuc, 82), Stephen (booked, 90), Morris, Weva (F. Vulia, 88); Kaikas, Lorenz Referee:          Finau Vulivuli (Fiji) In the day's earlier encounter, the Cook Islands scored their maiden win at U-17 level by trouncing New Caledonia 3-0, a result which earned Angela Valamaka's young charges a third-placed finish at the tournament. Ahead thanks to Mona Taio's eighth minute speculator which slipped through the gloves of Cinthia Paita, the Cook Islands doubled their advantage eighteen minutes from time following a twice-taken penalty. Tepaeru Toka's initial attempt was saved by Paita, but referee Gerald Oiaka ordered it be retaken due to encroachment. Lee Maoate-Cox stepped up this time and made no mistake, as did Toka six minutes later, her twenty-five yard screamer soaring into the top far corner of the net to ignite the celebrations in the Cooks' camp, which were further bolstered when goalkeeper Moeroa Nootai was named Golden Gloves winner. The final action in the OFC U-20 Women's Championship takes place on Saturday, with Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia locking horns at 1pm, before New Zealand's Junior Ferns look to produce a performance fully befitting their prodigious talent when taking on Samoa at 3pm, with a point enough to book them a spot at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Finals in Japan in August. Matchday Three details: Cook Islands 3 (M. Taio (14), L. Maoate-Cox (72 pen), T. Toka (78)), New Caledonia 0  HT 1-0 New Zealand 9 (M. Lee (1), D. Cleverley (22, 39), H. Carlsen (36, 40, 78), J. Pereira (46, 90), E. Rolston (77)), Papua New Guinea 0  HT 5-0 Tournament Honours: Golden Ball:          Briar Palmer (New Zealand) Golden Boot:          Hannah Carlsen & Jasmine Pereira (New Zealand, 6 goals) Golden Gloves:     Moeroa Nootai (Cook Islands) Fair Play award:     New Zealand