New Zealand Universities kicked off their truncated four-match training programme on the North Harbour Stadium Tigerturf on Tuesday evening with a solid 3-0 win over a New Zealand U-17 selection. With their first match against Glenfield Rovers on Monday night having fallen victim to the rain, NZU were keen to hit the ground running in this encounter, and had amassed their winning scoreline inside the first twenty-one minutes. Indeed, they were one up inside the first four minutes, Nicole Stratford pouncing on a Bryony Fisher error on the edge of the penalty area before surging to the byline, from where she pulled the ball back into Jaime Hackett's path. She fair thrashed the ball home from ten yards. Three minutes later, NZU captain Jen Kendall provided Hackett with a pass which allowed the striker to turn into space and let fly from twenty yards. This curling effort was grabbed by Olivia Jefferies, the U-17s `keeper then dealing capably with a shot on the turn from Emma Boyack, as her young team-mates showed their older opponents too much respect and gave them time and space in which to turn and run at their younger counterparts. The largely non-Auckland-based U-17 combination were being given the chance to catch the eye of coach Paul Temple in this match, and one player who certainly grabbed the opportunity with both hands was striker Sarah McLaughlin. Beginning with her fourteenth minute foray, she ran at the NZU rearguard at every opportunity, and on this occasion forced Mariah Meagher to dive in at the death and divert her shot for a corner. Kim-e Maguire's delivery found its way to Aimee Phillips, whose shot was blocked on the line by Kimberley Lewis. The quick-witted striker reacted first to the rebound, but was unable to direct it on target. From the resulting goal kick, NZU hit the youngsters with a sucker punch which knocked the wind clean out of their sails. Boyack and Hackett were already combining well in attack, and the former's through ball sent the latter scurrying through the inside right channel in the sixteenth minute. As Boyack raced forward in anticipation of a cross, Hackett drilled in a tight-angled shot which Jefferies should have held, but spilled. Boyack was following in - 2-0. Unperturbed, the youngsters kept coming. Fisher's scuffed shot turned into a neat pass for Maguire, who worked a slick one-two with Phillips on the edge of the penalty area. A rushed shot by Maguire put paid to all this good work, the ball careering well past the far post when the midfielder had time to lure Noran Abaza out of goal and slip the ball beyond her. In the 21st minute, NZU made it 3-0, courtesy another goalkeeping blunder by Jefferies. Boyack

weaved her way through heavy traffic into the penalty area, and chipped a cross right into the heart of the goal area. Jefferies was back-pedalling, and fumbled the ball in her attempts to catch it, looking on in horror as the sphere dropped right in front of Hackett - 3-0. From the kick-off, the U-17s surged downfield, Phillips leading the charge. Her shot was blocked by Alex Hepburn, but Maguire was following up, and cheekily lobbed the ball over the defender's head before dashing round her to gather the rebound. The bounce of the Tigerturf deceived the enterprising midfielder, however, allowing Abaza to save at her feet. Over the course of the next fifteen minutes, the game entered a spell where chances were few and far between, although NZU enjoyed the better of the exchanges. A header from Ashlee Delahunty and efforts from Kendall and Boyack troubled Jefferies little, but a long-range effort from Hepburn in the 38th minute put the `keeper's aerial prowess under the spotlight - she held on, just! Two minutes prior, it was Abaza's turn to have her gloves warmed, a result of another rampaging run from McLaughlin which scattered defenders asunder. She swept past three before letting fly, straight at the goalkeeper. Abaza was left to look on five minutes before half-time as Meagher gifted possession to Phillips on the edge of the NZU penalty area. Via Briana Watson and Maguire the ball was ferried to Yumi Nguyen, whose twenty-yarder wasn't far away. On the stroke of referee Harold Duimstra's half-time whistle, Watson produced a delightful cameo as enchanting to spectators as it was bamboozling to defenders. Gathering the ball twenty-five yards out from goal, and spurning the chance to volley, she burst between two challenges and took on another defender before letting fly. Abaza parried the effort at close quarters, but Watson wasn't perturbed, reacting first to race back and gather the rebound on the edge of the penalty area, from where she fired wide - her inventiveness deserved better reward. The U-17s rang the changes at half-time, and it was their replacement custodian, Charlotte Wood, who was called upon to save in the 49th minute, pawing away Hackett's shot on the turn. The youngsters were soon on top, however, the not insignificant presence of Caitlin Campbell in midfield doing much to change the pattern of the first half. It freed up Nguyen in particularly, allowing her to take the game by the scruff of the neck and give it a damn good shake! Her super 51st minute pass sent Claudia Crasborn scooting through, and she held off a challenge well before being thwarted at close quarters by Abaza. The goalkeeper was called upon again soon after to foil another Crasborn raid, after a McLaughlin snapshot had sizzled past the post. Abaza was soon looking on with relief as a result of Nguyen

clipping the ball over both herself and the crossbar, the midfielder having caught Sally Chetwin in possession as the defender attempted to dribble out of defence. NZU got their act together again after this, and the ball was down the other end of the park from the resulting goal-kick. Wood was forced to race out to the edge of her penalty area to clean up matters, as both Amy Collins and Victoria Esson were under pressure with Boyack hard on their heels. Wood duly dealt with that threat, but succeeded in putting herself under more pressure - she directed her clearance straight to Hackett, who scythed inside before letting fly from out in front. Her dipping effort clipped the top of the crossbar, much to Wood's relief. Campbell chanced her arm from forty yards just after the hour mark, and nearly caught out newcomer Chelsea Aim, Abaza's replacement twixt the sticks. The next action was at the other end of the park, Esson's superb block tackle in the penalty area thwarting Boyack as she looked to exploit Kendall's pass down the left. Kendall then linked slickly with Hackett, who brought newcomer Georgia Goulding into the game from the left flank. Wood saved her shot well, and, after Nguyen had gone close following a solo raid at the other end, foiled another shot from Hackett, who had taken on the retreating U-17 rearguard. The resulting corner wasn't adequately cleared, and presented Allena Hill with a shooting chance from twenty yards. Wood produced the best save of the night to keep this 74th minute effort out, then foiled a Kate Trebilcock attempt, in between saves by Aim which denied Campbell from thirty yards, and McLaughlin at her feet after Crasborn had done the donkey work. Seconds before this, Wood found herself in the wars, colliding with Amy Collins, who was responsible for timely interceptions throughout this encounter. The sound of the `keeper's head hitting the defender's shin guard as she dived at the feet of both Collins and the hat-trick hunting Hackett was clearly audible from the stand, and after treatment, Wood opted not to continue, Jefferies returning to the fray. She had one save to make before the end, swatting away a curling effort from Goulding, another substitute who had to hobble off before the finish of a match which proved a worthwhile exercise for the respective purposes of both teams. NZU:          Abaza (Aim (57) (Abaza (85)); Lewis (N. Campbell, 34), Hepburn, Chetwin, Meagher; Delahunty, Kendall (Trebilcock, 73), Vincent (Thompson, 57), Stratford (Hill, 46); Hackett, Boyack (Goulding, 68) (Boyack, 87) NZ U-17s:     Jefferies (Wood, 46) (Jefferies, 84); Fisher, Collins, Vink (Esson, 46), Fullerton (Saito, 46); Nguyen, Maguire (C. Campbell, 46), Watson; Phillips (Gallie, 46), McLaughlin, Crasborn Referee:     Harold Duimstra