New Zealand cruised into the semi-finals of the Oceania Under-20 Women's World Cup qualifying tournament on Sunday, New Zealand time, by thumping Vanuatu 11-0 at the Toleafoa J.S. Blatter Football Fields in Apia in 32C heat. They are joined in the last four by Tonga, Papua New Guinea and host nation Samoa, all three of whom, like New Zealand, have won their two games to date. The Kiwis initially found the Vanuatu defence as stubborn as the Solomon Islands rearguard had proved to be two days earlier, managing just five noteworthy efforts on goal inside the opening half-hour. Kirsty Yallop, with a delicate twenty-five yard chip, and Annalie Longo, with a rasping twenty-yard drive, saw their efforts flash narrowly past the uprights inside the first five minutes, while in the twelfth minute, Sarah Gregorius was thwarted by Vanuatu's goalkeeper, Haia Taiwia, after being put through by Emma Humphries. Renee Leota, following in, was unable to turn home the rebound. She hit the sidenetting four minutes later after working a good opening with Ali Riley on the left, and just shy of the half-hour mark, Humphries hit the far post with a thumping volley from the edge of the penalty area. It signalled an upturn in New Zealand's fortunes in front of goal, for on the half-hour, they opened the scoring. It was a near replica of their opening goal against the Solomons, with Ria Percival's corner to the near post this time being headed home expertly by Abby Erceg. Once they found themselves a goal to the good, the Kiwis began to turn the screw, and in the 34th minute, Leota found herself through on goal with just Taiwia to beat. The 'keeper clattered into the striker as she lobbed the ball over her, but the bounce of the ball didn't favour Leota on this occasion, her effort creeping past the untended goal. After Humphries had sent another volley careering past the far post, the floodgates opened, with New Zealand netting nine goals in the next twenty-one minutes. The onslaught commenced in the 39th minute, Taiwia fumbling a Percival cross. Gregorius, who had such a horror run in front of goal two days earlier, was following in, and hitting the back of an empty net from three yards out was akin to a weight being lifted off her shoulders - an overdue and deserved strike. Vanuatu suddenly white shirts converging on them from every direction, and swiftly conceded three goals in as many minutes. The first of the trio, in the 41st minute, was a screamer. Leota loomed on the right and drilled in a low cross intended for Gregorius. Taiwia pawed the ball off her foot, and Saina Sileye completed the clearance, but only as far as Percival, some twenty-five yards out from goal. As soon as the ball left her boot, there was only one place it was going - top far corner. Pick that one out!! 3-0 swiftly became 4-0, Hannah Bromley scrambling home from a Percival corner, and Vanuatu scarcely had time to draw breath before a fifth goal breached their line. It was a beauty, too, with Riley, Erceg, Yallop and the hard-working Katie Hoyle combining to put Leota in behind the defence on the right. An accomplished finish brought about the 5-0 half-time scoreline. The challenge New Zealand faced now was self-imposed - double your tally! Fifteen minutes later, job done!! Helen Collins needed just forty-eight seconds to make her mark after coming on as a half-time substitute, thumping home after her attempted lay-off to Riley had been blocked. Four minutes later, the Kiwis went seven-up, and Percival was again central to the move. She it was who buccaneered down the right and attempted to pull the ball back from the by-line, only to see the effort blocked. She was onto the rebound in a flash, however, and gave Yallop an easy finish.

Abby Erceg in the thick of the action    Emma Harrison and Hannah Bromley Renee Leota gets clattered by the 'keeper Ali Riley swerves past an opponent Helen Collins and Julia Baldwin

After Taiwia had saved from Longo, and Humphries had sent a volley thundering wide of the mark after neat link-up play featuring herself, Percival and Riley, New Zealand embarked on another three-goal blitz to crank up double-figures by the hour mark. Longo latched onto a poor goal-kick in the 57th minute, and fed Yallop, who swept past two opponents before battering home from fifteen yards. The captain was then played through by Julia Baldwin - a solid second half from the substitute - two minutes later, Yallop taking the ball to the byline before crossing. The ball spun off a defender and around the totally bemused figure of Taiwia, much to the delight of Collins, who couldn't miss from a yard out. 10-0 became a reality on the hour, with Yallop the provider once more. Riley did justice to a peach of a pass with a cool finish, placing the ball wide of Taiwia into the far corner of the net after shrugging off two challenges. Having realised the target they had set themselves, New Zealand appeared to lose their way a little after the tenth goal, and it was a full eleven minutes before they truly threatened again. Baldwin went close after a surging run past three opponents, then Collins was thwarted by Taiwia as she looked to capitalise on a lovely through ball from substitute Emma Harrison. Some sloppy defensive work by the Kiwis prompted Ashleigh Cox to race off her line and block well at the feet of Vanuatu striker Fabrina Serveux fifteen minutes from time, an action which prompted a redoubling of efforts by the tournament favourites, who, it must be said, are far and away the best-prepared and best-performed team at this event - should they play to their potential for a full ninety minutes at this tournament, and finish off the majority of the chances they create, an abacus will be necessary!! The overworked Taiwia was kept busy by Harrison, Collins - twice - and Humphries as New Zealand piled on the pressure in a five-minute spell from the 78th minute, the last-mentioned's effort forcing a spectacular fingertip save from the Vanuatu custodian, after Humphries had got the better of two opponents. The best goal of the game - and quite possibly the tournament thus far - was still to come, however, and in the 83rd minute, Yallop treated the growing gathering of Kiwi supporters - mainly parents - and those watching to a quite outstanding individual goal. Half the Vanuatu team fell victim to the Kiwi captain's mesmerising close control inside the penalty area, Yallop even managing to regain possession after briefly losing the ball on her personal slalom course, before slamming home high past Taiwia to complete her hat-trick in stunning fashion. Collins and Percival both squandered gilt-edged chances to increase New Zealand's margin of victory before the final whistle, but 11-0 was their lot, a scoreline with which coach John Herdman was quite happy. "In our first game, we wanted to make a statement, and while the performance was good enough, there weren't enough goals to back that up. Today, the goals came as well, and we've let Oceania know that we've got a well-disciplined, well-organised team who are taking this tournament very seriously. "Although we scored eleven goals, there could have been more, so we still need to learn to be more clinical. The strikers recognise this, and want to do some extra work towards resolving it. Injury-wise, our only worry is Aroon Clansey's finger injury - everyone has come through today's match unscathed". New Zealand:  Cox; Percival, Bromley, Erceg, Riley; Hoyle, Yallop, Longo (Harrison, 68); Gregorius (Collins, 46), Humphries, Leota (Baldwin, 46) Vanuatu:  Taiwia; Gwero (Namri, 48), Nawen, Sileye, Michel (Kalmary, 61); Lulu, Wilber, Masauvakalo, Sope; Vira (Maltape, 84), Serveux Referee:  Nelson Sogo