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Samoa
Mother Nature Helps Samoa Restrict Junior Ferns
by Jeremy Ruane
 Saskia Vosper
 Nicole Mettam
 Nadia Olla
 Hannah Blake
 Jacqui Hand
 Michaela Foster
 Emma Main
 Deven Jackson
 Grace Jale's heading technique comes under the watchful eye of Malia Steinmetz
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New Zealand's Junior Ferns became the first team - other than the host nation - to qualify for the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Finals in France on July 21, their 6-0 win over Samoa in highly inclement conditions at Ngahue Reserve, combined with Fiji's 3-2 defeat of Papua New Guinea later in the day, meaning Gareth Turnbull's charges have earned their place with a game to spare.
The underfoot conditions were slushy early on in the contest, with the Junior Ferns piling on the pressure as they sought an early breakthrough against the Samoans, who came into this game with the second-best defensive record in the competition, a status they confirmed in this match.
Goalkeeper Jecky Toma was in inspired form throughout proceedings, first saving from Jacqui Hand in the fifth minute, then diving to her left to keep out a twenty yard snapshot from Hannah Blake three minutes later.
The post came to Samoa's rescue in the twelfth minute, denying Sammi Tawharu the opening goal, while the players who combined to create that opening contrived another one in the eighteenth minute, Malia Steinmetz weaving through three opponents before setting up Grace Jale for a shot which cannoned off a defender.
The Junior Ferns finally made the breakthrough in the 21st minute. Blake's driving run saw her work a one-two with Steinmetz before beating two opponents in the box. Her shot was parried by Toma, who had the misfortune to see Tawharu capitalise on the rebound.
Claudia Bunge saw her header from a Blake cross flash over the bar soon afterwards, while before the half-hour mark Steinmetz and Hand were both frustrated in their bids to build on the Junior Ferns' lead, something which was finally accomplished on the half-hour by Jale, who headed home a pinpoint Sarah Morton corner.
The Samoans restricted the runaway competition leaders to just one effort worthy of note in the next ten minutes, with Toma and Epi Tafili combining to frustrate Blake after Liz Anton and Hand had combined to create the opening.
In the five minutes before half-time, long-range efforts from both Blake and Tawharu were superbly denied by the flying figure of Toma, who flung herself to her right to pull off superb saves on each occasion.
Blake's seemingly personal crusade to get on the scoresheet continued unabated soon after, the striker lashing an eighteen yarder over the bar after concerted pressure from Tawharu, Jale and Hand.
Right on half-time, Toma pulled off a splendid double save to deny both Blake and Tawharu, with the sound of the half-time whistle seconds later greeted with great delight by the Samoans, who were desperately keen to avoid a double-figure defeat by the Kiwis.
Mother Nature assisted their cause in the second spell, rain lashing down with such intensity that water began pooling in various areas of the pitch, rendering the art of dribbling quite challenging, to say the least.
It also meant both teams - and the match officials - were absolutely saturated, while the lack of shelter at Ngahue Reserve meant the vast majority of those watching did so while enduring no little discomfort.
Action-wise, the spotlight was on Hand inside the first four minutes of the second half, during which she was twice denied by Toma, and in between times was thwarted by a splendidly timed tackle from Hunter Malaki. On the hour, Hand was too ponderous when presented with a chance by Jale.
By this time, however, the Junior Ferns were three goals to the good. Morton played a short corner to Blake, whose cross was expertly headed into the net. Unfortunately for Samoa, it was a blue-clad player who was responsible, the own goal making it 3-0 ten minutes into the second spell.
The Junior Ferns made a rarely seen triple substitution just after the hour mark, with Michaela Foster, Deven Jackson and Emma Main the trio who drew the short straw and ended up getting a right royal soaking from the monsoon-like rain, which now had an accompanying soundtrack of thunder to add to the mix.
Main made a notable difference within minutes of entering the fray, lashing home from close range in the 67th minute after being released down the right by Steinmetz in order to try to set up either Tawharu or Blake in the goalmouth.
Two minutes later, Tawharu made it 5-0, drilling home unerringly after Main and Blake had made great in-roads down the right, despite the challenging conditions, to which the Junior Ferns had actually adapted well - there were several instances of smart wet weather play produced by the Kiwis in this rain-soaked half.
Tawharu squandered two good chances to complete her hat-trick inside the next ten minutes, dragging her shot wide from fifteen yards after Blake and Main had prised open Samoa's defence, before executing a wayward header with the goal at her mercy after Steinmetz had teamed up with Main on the right.
Eight minutes before the end, Blake finally got the goal she had been craving throughout proceedings, volleying in from twelve yards after yet more good work by Main - her cross was a gem.
Bids to increase the score to 7-0 foundered on the figure of Toma, who thwarted both Tawharu and Main in quick succession before spilling a cross from Foster in stoppage time, an incident which brought about complete chaos in the goalmouth, with defenders clearing the ball against each other before one of them poked it past her own goal.
It proved suffice to restrict the Junior Ferns to a 6-0 win, however, one which greatly delighted the Samoans, none of whose women's teams had lost to their New Zealand counterparts by a single figure scoreline at any level in the ten previous women's internationals between the countries prior to this encounter.
Tonga, who lost 3-1 to New Caledonia in the day's other encounter, provide the opposition in New Zealand's final group game, from 10am on Monday. The interest will focus on the race for the Golden Boot, for which Tawharu, with nine goals, leads the way from Blake and Main, who've struck seven apiece to date.
Junior Ferns: Olla; Vosper (Foster, 64), Anton, Bunge, Morton; Steinmetz, Mettam (Jackson, 64), Jale; Blake, Tawharu, Hand (Main, 64)
Samoa: Toma; Tafili, Malaki, Ah Ki, Atonio; Mulitalo (Vatu, 89), Fiso, Tagatauli, Soifua, Faleaana; Sekona
Referee: Torika Delai (Fiji)
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 Liz Anton
 Sammi Tawharu
 Sarah Morton
 Malia Steinmetz
 Renee Atonio
 Mariecamilla Ah Ki
 Lianna Soifua
 Jecky Toma
 Shalom Fiso
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 Vineta Faleaana shields from Saskia Vosper
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 Vineta Faleaana
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 Grace Jale surprises Tianna Sekona with a tackle
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 Talaisea Mulitalo
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 Grace Jale gets a pass away
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 Jecky Toma punches clear from Claudia Bunge
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 Michaela Foster shapes to pass in the driving rain, under pressure from Talaisea Mulitalo
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 Hannah Blake flies in to challenge Vineta Faleaana
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 Liz Anton escapes an opponent's clutches
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 Sammi Tawharu shields from Renee Atonio
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 Rachael Tagatauli clears ahead of Sarah Morton
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 Nicole Mettam peers through the rain
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 Claudia Bunge - just after kick-off
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 Claudia Bunge - just before the heavens open.
The light is rather unusual by this time
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 Claudia Bunge - running in the rain,
absolutely saturated
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