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Solomon Islands
Young Ferns Off To Flying Start In World Cup Bid
by Jeremy Ruane
Katie Bowen, Chloe May Geurts, Rachel Head, Tessa McPherson, Olivia Chance, Evie Millynn, Holly Patterson, Kate Loye, Hannah Carlsen, Hannah Wong, Sivitha Boyce
photo courtesy Shane Wenzlick / Phototek
At North Harbour Stadium on April 12, New Zealand’s Young Ferns made a blistering start to their qualification bid for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Finals later this year, blitzing the Solomon Islands 10-0 to leave themselves well in charge of the inaugural Oceania U-17 Women’s Championship at the conclusion of Matchday One.
The Young Ferns’ next opponents, Papua New Guinea, comfortably accounted for Tonga 4-0 in the day’s other encounter, with the Tongans barely getting out of their half of the pitch in the first 45 minutes, and failing to draw a save out of PNG custodian Wena Laka throughout the entire match.
Two goals in seven first half minutes from Georgina Kaikas set up PNG’s victory, with a tracer bullet from Grace Steven on the stroke of half-time making the game safe. Bianka ToRobert struck just after the hour mark to complete the scoring for a team made up of players aged in the thirteen-to-fifteen bracket.
It was the host nation’s performance which commanded the attention of all present, however, and there was much to like about their double-figure victory, which, but for some desperate defensive work by, in particular, the Solomons’ Janise Onika, could well have been at least half as much again.
As it was, it was a record victory for New Zealand at U-17 women’s level, one which looked on the cards from the outset, with the Young Ferns piling on the pressure in pursuit of an early goal to ease their nerves.
Onika headed a free-kick from Olivia Chance off the line in the ninth minute before those nerves were eased considerably four minutes later, after a Rachel Head-inspired raid culminated in a poorly taken goal-kick by the Solomons.
Chance was the beneficiary, and after evading a challenge, slipped the ball to Kate Loye, who crowned what was an impressive individual display with the game’s opening goal, steering the ball wide of Solomons’ goalkeeper, Alice Patrick, to give the Young Ferns a thirteenth minute lead.
Once they had a foot in the door, there was no stopping the Young Ferns. Loye and captain Katie Bowen drove them on incessantly in their pursuit of goals, but at times they encountered stubborn resistance from their inexperienced opponents.
Onika headed an inswinging corner from Chance off the line in the seventeenth minute before Patrick saved at the feet of Hannah Wong seconds later, the opportunity having arisen thanks to Bowen’s successful pursuit of a lost cause down the right flank.
Loye headed a Chance corner narrowly past the post two minutes later before the latter’s fine pass released the former down the left in the 21st minute. Chance, with Wong in support, cut inside but opted to go it alone, only to shoot wastefully at Patrick - a golden chance spurned, in more ways than one!
Chance didn’t let her ill-fortune affect her form, however. Within two minutes, she had whipped in a free-kick from the right which parted Wong’s hair, only for the ever-vigilant Onika to position her perfectly and block the ball. It was cleared to Sivitha Boyce, whose twenty-yard drive was well saved by Patrick, low to her right.
Holly Patterson - she had a super game on the right flank - was next to threaten with a splendid free-kick which curled towards the target and just missed the far post. While all in white admired their team-mate’s delivery, none thought to attack it - another opening which went begging …
With New Zealand’s final ball all too often disappointing, Bowen decided enough was enough, and that it was time to lift the standard of her team’s display by showing her team-mates what was
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expected of them. "This is the ball. That is the goal. Put this in that - let’s celebrate!" was the message.
It was the manner in which it was executed that captured everyone’s attention - a screamer struck with no little amount of venom from fully thirty yards, the ball ripping into the net beyond the powerless figure of Patrick on the half-hour. 2-0, and how!
The goal served its purpose, and got the Young Ferns back in the groove big-time, to such an extent that they were almost queuing up to score in the minutes before the half-time whistle.
Evie Millynn, Patterson and Chance all had efforts blocked on the line in quick succession in the 39th minute, after Head, Chance and Loye had prised open the Solomons’ right flank, while seconds later a searching far post cross by Bowen found Chance successfully stretching to meet the ball and direct it goalwards. Had she been able to get any power on the attempt, it would have been a spectacular strike.
As it was, Patrick smothered the effort, and the ‘keeper was soon in action again, diving in vain as a twenty-five yarder from Loye careered narrowly past her right-hand post. The same player then hit the crossbar from the edge of the area as the Solomons looked to hold out until the interval with just two goals against them.
Their efforts were fruitless. For after Patrick had smothered a stabbed effort from Bowen - Millynn and Loye were the architects of the opening, the Young Ferns scored twice in ninety seconds to go into the dressing rooms four goals to the good.
Boyce made the third goal, creating space via intelligent positioning which provided the Young Ferns with an outlet to use upon finding all conceivable avenues to goal blocked by their blue-clad opponents.
The central defender gathered possession, before setting off a one-touch interchange of passes between Millynn, Bowen and Patterson, who chipped a delightful cross to the near post. Arriving on cue was Wong, who guided a header inside Patrick’s left-hand upright.
3-0 swiftly became 4-0, with Patterson, Millynn and Wong combining to put Chance in on the left. The flank player fair buried the ball beyond the exposed custodian, who was relieved to see Head’s teasing cross-shot clear her crossbar as the half drew to a close.
There was no respite for the Solomon Islanders in the second spell, which was just ninety seconds old when the Young Ferns expressed their intentions for the half. Hannah Carlsen, Tessa McPherson and Loye combined to spread play wide to Patterson, whose well-flighted cross to the far post was steered straight at Patrick by Chance.
Five minutes into the half came goal number five. Loye and Patterson worked an opening on the right which culminated in the lively number seven picking out Wong with a telling cross. The striker scuffed her first attempt, but the ball spun back to her off the Tigerturf, and no such mistakes were made second time around.
Wong, who was now in hat-trick-hunting mode, failed to do justice to a gorgeous move which featured Carlsen, Loye and Patterson seconds later, but a short corner routine between Patterson and Chance worked a treat in the 57th minute, the latter rattling home the game’s sixth goal from the edge of the penalty area.
Loye, who had bossed the midfield throughout the game to this point, had been removed from the fray just prior to this goal, and for a few minutes the Young Ferns lacked a wee bit of direction. Bowen took charge of the situation and assumed the midfield duties vacated by her team-mate - cue a resumption of what had come to be regarded as normal service.
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A clumsy foul by Joy Timo on Boyce earned the Solomons striker a booking, and the Young Ferns a quick free-kick, which Chance swiftly took. Head was the beneficiary, and quickly curled a measured cross to the far post, where Patterson was arriving to head the ball goalwards.
Solomons captain Veronica Tolivaka was perfectly placed to head off the line, but only as far as Boyce, who thrashed the rebound wide of a target which was peppered by efforts from Carlsen and Millynn soon after, only for both to be denied by the exploits of Patrick.
Patterson, Millynn and Bowen then fizzed the ball about between them to release Loye’s replacement, Brittany Dudley-Smith, down the right. The striker powered past Tolivaka before whipping in a cross which skimmed Wong’s head.
The Solomons’ relief was short-lived. For in the seventieth minute, a Patterson corner gave them cause for concern. It was cleared as far as Boyce, who sent it thundering right back into the zone with interest - a fifteen yard screamer which smashed into the top corner of the net to make it 7-0.
Cue the introduction of Ashleigh Ward, who made an almost instant impact upon taking over from Chance. McPherson sent Patterson away down the right once more, and her tantalising cross to the near post was flicked on by Bowen, with the newcomer just failing to make contact in the shadows of the crossbar in the 73rd minute.
Two goals in sixty seconds five minutes later edged the Young Ferns closer to double figures. McPherson sprayed the ball wide to Ward, whose sumptuous cross to the far post found Patterson in acres of space with the goal at her mercy - 8-0, and a deserved goal to mark an impressive individual display.
Straight from the kick-off, Dudley-Smith unleashed the old "fox in a henhouse" routine on the unsuspecting Solomon Islanders. Still reeling from having conceded, the beaten side kicked off, only for the Young Ferns substitute to instantly strip an opponent of possession before setting off on a swashbuckling run right through the middle of the park.
The resulting drive careered under Patrick’s dive and into the net - 9-0, emphatically so! And the scorer instantly pointed to her delighted father watching behind the goal - "That one’s for you, Dad!"
But would she get another? Headed efforts from crosses supplied by Head and Patterson flew narrowly around the goal frame over the course of the next few minutes, but three minutes from time, dad and daughter were celebrating again, Dudley-Smith prodding home the Young Ferns’ tenth goal from close range after Wong had done all the hard work on the left.
Bowen sought a second goal seconds later, only for Patrick to grab the Young Ferns’ captain’s twenty-yarder under her crossbar. She had already conceded ten, and as far as the ‘keeper was concerned, that was more than enough.
Cook Islands referee Tupou Patia agreed ninety seconds later, bringing to a close the opening Matchday of the inaugural OFC U-17 Women’s Championship, with host nation New Zealand having made an emphatic statement to their rivals in their bid to become the tenth qualifier for Trinidad & Tobago 2010.
Young Ferns: Geurts; Bowen, Boyce, McPherson, Head; Millynn. Loye (Dudley-Smith, 55), Carlsen (Carlton, 81); Patterson, Wong, Chance (Ward, 70)
Solomons: Patrick; Onika, Aihunu (Wapuhanta, 35), Vakatao, Alick; Malau, Maefiti, Tolivaka, Philip Joe; Saeni (Oneasi, 59), Timo (booked, 64) (Hasi, 68 (booked, 89))
Referee: Tupou Patia (Cook Islands)
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