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Ton 15/03/06
New Zealand Trounce Oceania Qualifying Rivals
by Jeremy Ruane
 Standing: Ashleigh Cox, Sam Selwyn, Julia Baldwin, Helen Collins, Caitlin Campbell, Maggie Lankshear, Hannah Rishworth, Grace Vincent, Aroon Clansey
Kneeling: Emma Harrison, Emma Kete, Annalie Longo, Katie Hoyle (vc), Kirsty Yallop (c), Ria Percival, Petria Rennie, Sarah Gregorius
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New Zealand eased off the pressure in the second half of their Under-20 women's international against Tonga on March 15, but were still far too good for their fellow Oceania U-20 Women's World Cup qualifying group rivals on North Harbour Stadium's outer oval.
The locals romped to a 16-0 rout, eleven of the goals coming in the first spell, and eight of these in a twenty-one minute burst. There could have been a fair few more goals hitting Tonga's net before the finish, too - but for the woodwork, some profligate finishing, a drop in intensity and a resulting drop in the quality of their play, a score nearer thirty than twenty wouldn't have been out of New Zealand's reach.
With captain Kirsty Yallop back at the helm after an injury-enforced absence, the New Zealanders quickly set about imposing themselves on the match, with Annalie Longo, Sarah Gregorius and Yallop all going close inside the first two minutes, the last-mentioned forcing a save from busy Tongan goalkeeper Sialia La'akulu.
She foiled Helen Collins in the fifth minute, after Caitlin Campbell had caught Karen Uta'atu in possession on the left, and a further four minutes elapsed before the Kiwis finally found the net.
Yallop was fouled some twenty-five yards out, and Ria Percival's resulting free-kick was fumbled by La'akulu. Gregorius was onto the rebound in an instant, and headed home the opening goal.
The goalscorer rattled the crossbar seconds later, with Yallop lashing the rebound over the crossbar, before a second goal was scored in the thirteenth minute. A raking Aroon Clansey clearance was miscued by Naseleti Kalani into the path of Campbell, who scampered through before unselfishly slipping the ball to Collins to steer home.
Some fine work by Katie Hoyle - she somehow evaded half the Tongan team in this solo sojourn - deserved better fate than to see Gregorius' delicate lob creep inches over the crossbar, but the resulting goal-kick produced the game's third goal, a rasping twenty yard drive from Yallop taking a deflection which left the luckless La'akulu completely flummoxed in the eighteenth minute.
Yallop, Campbell and Petria Rennie all went close in the next four minutes, the second-mentioned's twenty-five yard chip clipping the top of the crossbar. Then, in the 24th minute, and despite the glorious sunshine in which the match was played, a dark cloud materialised over the Tongan half of the pitch, and it proceeded to rain goals!!
Hoyle and Longo combined to put Campbell in on the left, and the fifteen-year-old coolly nutmegged La'akulu after scything in off the flank to score the game's fourth goal.
A brilliant move deserving of a goal came to nought in the 27th minute. Yallop and Rennie worked a cross-over in midfield, with the overlapping fullback directing the ball back to Hannah Rishworth. First-time passes brought Longo and the surging figure of Percival into play, and her near post cross picked out Campbell, whose shot on the turn was pawed round the post by the overworked Tongan custodian.
Yallop then confirmed that she was back in no uncertain terms, scoring twice in as many minutes to complete the first of the game's four hat-tricks. After working a one-two with Collins, she unleashed a twenty-yard screamer which fair ripped into the top left-hand corner of the net for New Zealand's fifth.
The captain then completed her twelve-minute hat-trick in style. Again, Rishworth ignited the move with a pass which exploited Percival's pace to perfection, and the overlapping fullback picked out Yallop with an angled cross. From the edge of the penalty area, the captain powered a header into the net via the post - La'akulu barely moved.
Luck wasn't going Collins' way, either. Picked out by the hard-working Rennie, the striker beat La'akulu all ends up with her header, only for the post to intervene in the 34th minute. But within sixty seconds, New Zealand went seven-up courtesy another well-worked goal.
The architect of this strike was Gregorius, her off-the-ball movement bamboozling her Tongan markers. Rishworth rewarded her efforts with a pass which the striker instantly swept into the path of the surging figure of Hoyle. The midfielder picked her spot and placed the ball perfectly in the bottom far corner.
Cue a flurry of goals which kept the note-takers on their toes! Yallop, Hoyle, Longo and Gregorius combined to slip Collins through in the 38th minute, and after blasting home this particular opportunity, the scorer turned provider two minutes later for Campbell to steal in and provide a neat finish for the game's ninth goal.
Double-figures were reached in the 42nd minute, a thrashed effort from ten yards due reward for Rennie's frequent forward forays, while on the stroke of half-
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 Helen Collins
 Ria Percival
 Emma Kete
 Kirsty Yallop
 Julia Baldwin
 Petria Rennie
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time, Percival powered in off the left flank and let fly, only to be denied by the post. The rebound fell to Campbell, who completed her hat-trick by firing in via the other upright.
In the initial stages of the second half, New Zealand carried on from where they left off at the half-time whistle. Three of the substitutes combined in the first raid, birthday girl Grace Vincent releasing Emma Kete to provide a cross which La'akulu pawed into Maggie Lankshear's path.
She volleyed over on this occasion, but Collins showed her how to finish with a flourish in the 48th minute. Percival stormed down the left and fired in a cross which Gregorius flicked into Collins' path. The striker's thunderous finish made it 12-0.
The pair combined again two minutes later, Gregorius' quick feet seeing her evade a challenge and thread a pass through for Collins to pursue in the one movement. Initially thwarted by La'akulu, Collins then rattled the post, the fourth time the woodwork had denied the Kiwis a goal.
Not long after this, the locals eased off the throttle a touch - there was a drop in their intensity which, while understandable given their twelve-goal advantage, was also to their own detriment, an indication that, despite their favouritism for the upcoming Oceania qualifiers, the New Zealanders remain some way from realising their full potential, no matter how impressive this result may look on paper.
The drop in intensity was emphasised in the 54th minute when a defensive blunder resulted in Tonga's captain and star turn, Penateti Feke, powering through on a thirty yard run which forced the visitors' lone corner of the match.
Nothing came of it, and New Zealand responded by going 13-0 up three minutes later. Yallop released Percival on the left, but Tonga's defence managed to block her cross. Collins picked up the pieces and pinged in a low cross-shot which cannoned into the net off the unfortunate Kaati Malua.
Five minutes later, another goal graced the game, this one superbly crafted by Yallop. Latching onto a loose ball in midfield, the Kiwi captain surged forward before delivering a beautifully weighted pass right into the path of the charging Gregorius. The striker didn't even have to break stride, such was the quality of the pass, and she wasted little time in sweeping the ball home past La'akulu.
A flurry of efforts followed, with Collins, Vincent, Yallop and Gregorius all going close, before Vincent slipped the last-mentioned in on goal with a delicious through ball.
How she contrived to shoot straight at the grateful La'akulu only she will know, but Gregorius had mere seconds to wait before a similar opportunity arrived, Yallop the supplier this time round. The goalkeeper raced off her line to block at the striker's feet.
After Collins had hit the post yet again on receipt of a Vincent pass, a looping Lankshear header from a Kete cross was gleefully grabbed by La'akulu. The `keeper was clutching at air in the 79th minute, however, as a poor goal-kick was smashed into the top corner by a delighted Gregorius, this her hat-trick strike.
Not to be outdone, Collins, who had hit the net as often as she had hit the post in this match, finally got in front on the net-bulging side of the ledger when potting her fourth goal of the game. Lankshear and Yallop teamed up to present the striker with the chance, and the number nine slotted home with some ease.
With ten minutes still to play, New Zealand sought to add to their sixteen goals, but near misses were the order of the remainder of the day, those of Gregorius and Yallop the most noteworthy.
“That was a very positive step forward ahead of the qualifiers”, said New Zealand's coach, John Herdman, afterwards. “The girls have sent out a message to Oceania today. Overall, I'm quite happy, but it could have been more - we need to be more clinical in front of goal”.
New Zealand's next match in their preparations for Oceania sees them taking on the newly-formed North Force women's team in Whangarei on Saturday at 5.30pm, while the Kiwis are currently scheduled to meet the Tongans again in a week's time before going into camp on March 24, four days prior to their departure for Apia and the qualifying tournament for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Finals.
NZ: Clansey (Cox, 46); Rennie (Harrison, 46), Baldwin, Rishworth, Percival (Selwyn, 58); Yallop, Hoyle (Vincent, 46), Longo (Lankshear, 46); Gregorius, Collins, Campbell (Kete, 46)
Tonga: La'akulu; Uta'atu (Liti, 67), Lave, Malua, Kalani (Aleamotua, 60); Vainuku, Tuipulotu (Koaneti, 46), Lolohea (Veamatahau, 64), Manumea (Falesiva, 56); Fulaumoetao, Feke
Referee: Harold Diumstra
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