Emily Lyon grabbed the headlines as New Zealand's Junior Ferns vanquished Vanuatu at Stade Paea on September 28, her five-goal haul spearheading an 11-0 triumph in their final group game at the OFC U-19 Women's Championships in Papeete.
Callum Holmes' charges were restricted early doors by Vanuatu's swarming defensive efforts - in their yellow and black attire, they looked like bees protecting their hive! Behind them stood Jineth Vanva, who produced a superb flying save to her left to deny Zoe Benson, the beneficiary of Penny Brill's incisive fifth minute pass.
Five minutes later, Vanva plucked a Poppy O'Brien cross off the head of Lyon, then looked on with relief as the winger - whose dominance of Clodia Daniel and Lina Taga was such that both were withdrawn halfway through the first half - combined with Daisy Brazendale and Mary Brown before cutting inside and unleashing a shot narrowly past the far post.
Within seconds, O'Brien was causing more mayhem on the right - hers was a licence to thrill, and she was very much in her element. Picked out by Benson, O'Brien left two opponents in her wake before delivering another inch-perfect cross for Lyon, whose header was tipped round the post by Vanva.
The pressure had to tell, and from Lyon's resulting corner, Amber De Wit steered home the opening goal on the far post in the thirteenth minute, a lead which the Junior Ferns swiftly looked to build upon.
Vanuatu started resorting to violent means to curtail O'Brien's progress, but not even a waist-high challenge could stop her in the fourteenth minute, the winger still managing to deliver a cross which invited Brown to direct a volley goalwards.
Vanva parried this to safety, then cut out a cross intended for Brown after Lyon, Brill and Benson had combined on the left. But the goalkeeper was powerless to prevent O'Brien from doubling New Zealand's lead in the eighteenth minute, the winger racing clear of the defence upon being released by Lyon, then picking her spot with aplomb - 2-0.
Brown was once again denied by Vanva before Grace Javelier - tireless in defence for Vanuatu - blocked a volley from Lyon, but neither could deny Brill in the 23rd minute, the midfielder timing her run to perfection to latch onto Benson's through ball and beat the 'keeper all ends up.
Quite how Solomon Islands referee Jovita Ambrose failed to award the Junior Ferns a penalty in the 28th minute defies logic. She booked players of both teams for far lesser offences than this one, which saw Herveline Kavick haul down O'Brien from behind as she was poised to shoot. Not only was nothing awarded, play continued, and the offender got away scot-free! Unbelievable!
Unperturbed, the Junior Ferns made it 4-0 three minutes later. Benson evaded two challenges before inviting Brill to beat another opponents, after which she picked out Lyon. She hit the post with her shot, but recovered quickly to emphatically volley home the rebound.
Vanva and Javelier combined to thwart Brown soon afterwards, while the forward skied one from six yards after Brill had picked her out. But come the 41st minute, the Kiwis were celebrating again after Brown sent Lyon hurtling through the inside left channel. There was only ever going to be one outcome in that situation - 5-0.
On the stroke of half-time, Vanuatu very nearly reduced the deficit. A steepling cross from Raymond Toa Tenene found Brooke Neary wanting, the goalkeeper spilling the sphere before recovering to prevent Esther Siaban from earning what would almost certainly have been the biggest cheer of the
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day.
The early stages of the second half were punctuated by a collision between Lyon and Vanva, as both contested a Benson free-kick. The 'keeper recovered, and while she was receiving treatment Lyon received a yellow card from referee Ambrose.
'Twas a somewhat harsh call, although perhaps making up for the booking New Zealand's captain for the day should have received early in the match when taking matters into her own hands to repel a Vanuatu defender - an unnecessarily aggressive streak in Lyon's make-up which serves only to undermine her undoubted talent.
After Brown had shot straight at Vanda, and Lyon had hooked a volley over the bar after Benson had beaten three opponents before bringing Brill into play, half-time substitute Grace Bartlett won the ball on the edge of the penalty area in the 56th minute and picked out Benson, who picked out the back of the net with a shot which took a wicked deflection past the diving figure of Vanva.
6-0 became 7-0 on the hour, Brown volleying home Lyon's corner to the far post, but not before Neary had survived another self-inflicted scare, the goalkeeper miscuing an attempted clearance with Vanuatu captain Angeline Poida bearing down on her.
To say Neary doesn't fill this observer with confidence at this stage of her career is something of an understatement. While she satisfies many of the attributes her position requires - a fine save to tip over a free-kick from talented Vanuatu playmaker Elina Aruvuha later in the contest is a good example - her shortcomings under the high ball and errors such as the aforementioned close call are not things one wants to see a potential future Football Fern producing on international duty.
Two goals in as many minutes halfway through the second spell added further to Vanuatu's dismay. De Wit and Benson combined to send Bartlett buccaneering down the right, from where she picked out Lyon to ram home her hat-trick strike.
Within a minute, it was 9-0, Lyon's stooping 68th minute header rewarding the industry of Isla Cleall-Harding and De Wit. And nine minutes later, Lyon thumped home her fifth, New Zealand's tenth, again courtesy Cleall-Harding's creativity.
The substitute was denied a goal soon after, Vanva dashing out to prevent Lily Brazendale's cross from reaching Cleall-Harding. And Brazendale, after heading the ball across the face of goal on receipt of a Benson cross, wrapped up the scoring in the 88th minute, sweeping home on receipt of Charli Dunn's through ball.
There was still time for Benson to go close to making it a dozen, but 11-0 was the Junior Ferns' lot, the third time they've recorded this scoreline in five internationals against Vanuatu, for whom this was their final involvement in the tournament.
New Zealand now faces the Cook Islands in three days' time, with the winner of that semi-final qualifying for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Finals in Poland next year. The same reward is at stake for Fiji and New Caledonia, who clash in the other semi-final, also on October 1 at Stade Paea in Papeete.
Vanuatu: Vanva; Javelier, Kavick, Daniel (Wanemut, 22); Samson (Iopa, 52), Aruvuha, Tronquet (Moses, 52), Taga (Banga, 22); Siaban, Poida (booked, 44), Toa Tenene
Junior Ferns: Neary; Dunn, Eglinton (Longmuir, 46), Greene (booked, 70); O'Brien (Bartlett, 46), De Wit, D. Brazendale, Brill (L. Brazendale, 63); Lyon (booked, 51 (Mortlock, 78)), Benson, Brown (booked, 16 (Cleall-Harding, 63))
Referee: Jovita Ambrose (Solomon Islands)
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