Rosie White - denied in one-on-one situation Vic Esson - super-saver Nadia Pearl - first game booking Renee Leota - back on the world stage again Hannah Wall - crossbar rattler Hannah Wilkinson - shook the woodwork Erin Nayler - international debut

The Junior Ferns return home from their two-match series with their U-20 counterparts from Team USA with plenty to contemplate, after suffering defeats in both games, albeit by a flattering margin in the second encounter. The first match of the series - both games were played at the Home Depot Centre - saw Team USA score a 2-0 win over the Junior Ferns, who had chances to score themselves in the May 13 encounter, most notably a one-on-one opportunity for Rosie White which was well saved by US goalkeeper Bianca Henninger. The Americans were a goal to the good by that stage of the match, having taken the lead in the eleventh minute. Junior Ferns ‘keeper Victoria Esson turned away a long-range effort from Christine Nairn, but Sydney Leroux picked up the pieces and put them away in emphatic fashion, pivoting to smash the ball into the roof of the net for her 21st goal in 26 U-20 internationals. Leroux was the match-winner for the USA in the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Final, a tournament in which she claimed the Golden Boot, as well as a winners’ medal, an honour which a few of her team-mates in this match can also point to. All but one of the Junior Ferns’ starting line-up were also on deck at Chile ‘08, and they were disappointed by the final outcome, with the second goal coming just shy of the hour mark. Two of the stars of Team USA’s U-17 campaign in 2008 played pivotal roles in the goal, with Vicki DiMartino’s shot being parried by Esson into the path of half-time substitute Courtney Verloo, whose classy curling finish marked her maiden goal in this age-grade, having struck twelve in thirteen U-17 internationals. Junior Ferns’ coach, Tony Readings, didn’t hide his disappointment afterwards. "I believe we are a good enough team to get something out this game, but the upside is that I know there is a lot more to come from our team and we still managed to defend pretty well for most of the game and create chances against a very good side". His counterpart, Team USA’s Jill Ellis, was pleased with various aspects of her charges’ efforts. "During our pre-game meeting, we talked about getting a good start, so I was pleased with our pressure in the first 15 minutes and we were rewarded with the goal. At this point, it’s about putting all the pieces together so we can play a good ninety minutes. "There were some good spells in the game, but I saw some things we can get better at. Runs in the box, service in the box, our shape at times, but these are things we are addressing and the game against New Zealand was very valuable. They are a good opponent, very athletic and gave us a strong challenge". Game One details: USA:     Bianca Henninger; Rachel Quon (Casey Short, 46), Crystal Dunn, Toni Pressley, Kendall Johnson; Zakiya Bywaters (Courtney Verloo, 46), Amber Brooks, Christine Nairn, Kristie Mewis (Tiffany McCarty, 77); Vicki DiMartino (Jenna Richmond, 73), Sydney Leroux (Maya Hayes, 73; Teresa Noyola, 79) NZ:      Esson; Campbell (Milne, 58), Armstrong, Fisher, Green; Wall, McLaughlin (Crasborn, 46), Pearl (booked, 79), Longo; White, Leota (Wilkinson, 74) So to match two, which saw everyone bar Esson sporting the silver fern in active combat. And despite what the final 4-0 scoreline in Team USA’s favour would have you believe, it could have been a great deal closer had the Junior Ferns taken their chances. Instead, just as it was for Chelsea during the first half of the FA Cup Final, the crossbar was New Zealand’s nemesis throughout this May 15 fixture. Thrice they thrashed it, and on each occasion Renee Leota, Hannah Wilkinson and Hannah Wall were left to rue their misfortune, the last-mentioned’s effort bouncing down onto the line and out. By the time Leota and Wilkinson rattled the bar, either side of half-time, the Junior Ferns found themselves trailing by another goal from Sydney Leroux, this time a 25th minute counter-attacking strike. Sam Mewis doubled Team USA’s lead in the 66th minute, just prior to Wall’s crossbar-shaker, before goals in the final fifteen minutes from Tiffany McCarthy and Sade Ayinde blew out the scoreline as the Junior Ferns’ fitness levels were exposed by their all-conquering American opponents, who now face Mexico in a two-match series. Junior Ferns coach Tony Readings was frustrated with the result, as the scoreline did scant justice to the travelling team’s efforts. "We’ve learnt that we can match it against the world’s best teams but we can’t do it for 90 minutes. "In and out of possession we have enough in our locker to hurt teams, but we have a lot of work to do on our fitness because on the world stage the best teams will get stronger at the end of games". Both teams were using this series to aid their respective preparations for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Finals in Germany in July. The Junior Ferns have been drawn against Brazil, North Korea and Sweden, while Team USA are favoured to progress from a group which also features Ghana, Korea Republic and Switzerland. Game Two details: NZ:     Nayler; Milne (Campbell, 75), Fisher (Wood, 63), Armstrong, Green; Longo (Cooper, 68), Pearl, Wall (McLaughlin, 75); Leota (Crasborn, 78), White, Wilkinson (Rood, 46) No USA line-up details available