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Rds 02-05
Rangers Well On Course For National League Spot
by Jeremy Ruane
West Coast Rangers and newly promoted Fencibles United maintained their perfect starts to the 2024 Lotto Northern Premier Women's League season on Easter weekend, both scoring solid away wins to build on their opening round victories.
"Fencies"' share of top spot came about thanks to a 3-0 win at Hamilton Wanderers, where Hayley Miller, captain Rosie Missen and Kate Berry all found the net in a fifteen-minute spell either side of half-time, as "The Blue Army" slumped to a second successive reversal.
Rangers, meanwhile, also scored a road win, theirs a come-from-behind 3-1 victory over Hibiscus Coast on Good Friday night. Lauren Henry gave "The Coasters" early hope, but just like Fencibles, Rangers scored three in a fifteen-minute spell either side of the half-time whistle, Cat Smith, Shannon Henson and Maisy Dewell responsible for their victory.
Reigning champions Auckland United began their bid for back-to-back titles with a comfortable 4-0 win at Ellerslie, where Alexis Cook had the visitors in charge after just four minutes.
Further goals from Rene Wasi, Talisha Green and Charlotte Roche followed for a team fielding a new goalkeeper in Isabelle O'Connell after OFC Women's Champions League goalkeeper Amberley Hollis found herself unable to resist the attraction of playing for Western Springs.
"The Hoops" celebrated their transfer coup by stunning Eastern Suburbs 1-0 at Seddon Fields, substitute Anya Stephan scoring just after the hour to the dismay of former club-mates Sofia Garcia, Jess Innes and Sammi Tawharu, who transferred to "The Lilywhites" during the close-season.
The first weekend in April saw the goals flowing in fine fashion, 21 being struck in third round action. Having stunned Suburbs a week ago, Springs themselves found themselves staring down the barrel of an upset as they were twice headed by "The Coasters" before battling back to earn a 2-2 draw at Seddon Fields.
Captain Stacey Martin put the visitors in front, but her effort was swiftly countered by Kitty Jacob. Parity didn't last long, however, as the promising Danica Urlich-Beech restored "The Coasters"' advantage, one they held until Megan Lee levelled the scores again in the shadows of the half-time whistle.
Neither side could rummage up a second half goal on a night West Coast Rangers romped to a 5-1 win over Ellerslie under the Fred Taylor Park floodlights, a venue this writer would happily visit on a Friday night but for the fact that the last bus servicing the ground leaves at half-time.
By that stage in this encounter, "The Ponies" were on the ropes, with Henson well on course for her hat-trick. Kailey Short and Dewell added the extras for Rangers, with Hollie Leona's late penalty of consolation value only to the beaten side.
There was no such consolation for East Auckland rivals Fencibles, who were handed a footballing lesson by "The Lilywhites" as Suburbs prevailed 6-0 at Riverhills Park, with Zoe Benson helping herself to a hat-trick. Garcia began repaying her transfer fee with a brace of goals, all this after Kenya Brooke opened the scoring halfway through the first half.
At Keith Hay Park, Auckland were far too strong for a Hamilton side which looks like a long season may be in store for them. The title-holders eased to a 5-0 win over the cellar-dwellers, Bree Johnson hitting the bar before fellow speed merchants Rene Wasi and Alexis Cook had the home team in charge on the scoreboard with two goals in three minutes before the half-hour mark had passed.
Danielle Canham put the game beyond doubt when scoring direct from a corner just after the hour mark, while Saskia Vosper headed home from a corner eight minutes from time and Angela Pivac's volleyed lob in stoppage time ensured United would net a nap hand in this encounter, while new goalkeeping recruit Hannah Mitchell was little troubled on her debut.
Round Two details:
Ellerslie 0, Auckland United 4 (A. Cook (4), R. Wasi (31), T. Green (47), C. Roche (73)) HT 0-2
Hamilton Wanderers 0, Fencibles United 3 (H. Miller (36), R, Missen (45), K. Berry (51)) HT 0-2
Hibiscus Coast 1 (L. Henry (5)), West Coast Rangers 3 (C. Smith (32), S. Henson (45), M. Dewell (48)) HT 1-2
Western Springs 1 (A. Stephan (62)), Eastern Suburbs 0 HT 0-0
Round Three details:
Auckland United 5 (R. Wasi (27), A. Cook (30), D. Canham (62), S. Vosper (82), A. Pivac (90)), Hamilton Wanderers 0 HT 2-0
Fencibles United 0, Eastern Suburbs 6 (K. Brooke (21), Z. Benson (29, 45, 77), S. Garcia (72, 86)) HT 0-3
West Coast Rangers 5 (K. Short (6), S. Henson (22, 36, 76), M. Dewell (53)), Ellerslie 1 (H. Leona (83 pen)) HT 3-0
Western Springs 2 (K. Jacob (19), M. Lee (43)), Hibiscus Coast 2 (S. Martin (15), D. Urlich-Beech (24)) HT 2-2
The reigning champions didn't have it all their own way a week later, Fencibles giving Auckland plenty of cheek before experience overcame exuberance to the tune of 2-0 under the Keith Hay Park floodlights.
Bree Johnson's close-range header on the half-hour gave Auckland the edge on the scoreboard, but they weren't overly convincing, and Hayley Miller came within the width of the crossbar of levelling the scores in the 54th minute as Fencibles gave as good as they got.
It was only after Missen departed the fray that Auckland truly got on top of things, and Chloe Knott confirmed the fact with an absolute screamer twenty minutes from time, an unstoppable twenty-five yarder which had "top far corner" written all over it from the second it left her boot.
That win gave Auckland, who have a game in hand, the overnight lead on goal difference, but West Coast returned to the outright lead of the competition on April 14 after prevailing 4-0 at Hamilton, where an Anna Fullerton own goal and another Henson strike had the visitors on top inside the opening ten minutes.
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It wasn't until the second half that Rangers guaranteed the points, Emily Lyon's nine-minute double wrapping up a fourth successive win for the league leaders, who are being chased by Auckland and Eastern Suburbs.
Despite what the final 5-1 scoreline would suggest, Hibiscus Coast certainly weren't four goals worse off than "The Lilywhites" at Madills Farm, with the home team riding their luck to lead by two goals at the break, Garcia's strike on the counter-attack being supplemented on the half-hour by Olivia Erskine, who nipped in front of Georgia Craig to head home from close range.
Hannah Gray was denied a goal the visitors richly deserved soon after due to a controversial foul in the build-up, but it was Benson's "Olympico" - a goal direct from a corner - soon after half-time which dealt "The Coasters" a body blow from which they didn't recover.
A dubious penalty award - Garcia converted it - soon after made it four, but straight from the kick-off Urlich-Beech earned Hibiscus due reward for their endeavour. Benson restored Suburbs' four-goal advantage fifteen minutes from time, while Putri Ardana hit the post soon after as "The Lilywhites" went nap for the third time in four games.
At Michaels Avenue, Ellerslie's woes continued unabated as "The Hoops" prevailed 4-2, twice coming from behind to do so after Anita "Choo Choo" Trudgen had twice afforded "The Ponies" the lead in the first half.
With Rebecca Burrows, having returned home from playing professionally in China, making her Springs debut in this match, the visitors drew level firstly through Arisa Takeda then Maia Lythe, before Lee put them in front soon afterwards, half-time substitute Sienna Vercauteran concluding the scoring seven minutes into the second half.
The early season leaders clashed out west on the following Friday evening, and West Coast responded to the challenge posed by Fencibles by scoring at least four goals in a game for the third successive fixture as they powered to a 4-0 win - they're already looking a good bet to contest the National Women's League come mid-September.
Lorna Selby gave the home team a dream start inside the opening sixty seconds, but it took until first half stoppage time for Dewell to double Rangers' advantage, one which was supplemented in the second spell by goals from Nicole Stratford and Anelise Karakostas.
Across town on the North Harbour Stadium Tigerturf, Hibiscus Coast and Ellerslie battled out a scoreless draw in which "Coasters" goalkeeper Leah Botica produced a couple of fine saves to prevent "The Ponies" from taking home all three points.
The game of the round took place on Saturday afternoon, with Auckland coming from two goals down to hold "The Lilywhites" to a 2-2 draw in a proper contest between two of the best teams in the country at Keith Hay Park.
United enjoyed the better of the early exchanges, but paid the price for leaving Garcia unmarked at a corner in the seventeenth minute. Suburbs' Nikki White continued to be the busier goalkeeper as Auckland pursued an equaliser, with the crossbar coming to her rescue to deny Knott in the 51st minute.
Four minutes later, Garcia struck again, this time on the counter-attack with Auckland screaming in vain for offside. This prompted Ben Bate to change things up, withdrawing the ineffective Charlotte Roche and replacing her with Cook, who added extra impetus to the home team's attack, and gave Wasi more licence to roam.
This was rewarded twice in a seven-minute spell inside the last twenty minutes, earning the champions a deserved share of the spoils from the latest chapter in this longstanding rivalry which invariably sees one of the most entertaining games come to pass.
Sunday's fare saw a one-sided encounter unfold, with "The Hoops" proving far too strong for "The Blue Army", who found themselves on the wrong end of a 5-0 scoreline. Rina Hirano opened the scoring with a seventeenth minute screamer before Tiana Hill volleyed home from close range after Vercauteran hit the post with a header.
Lythe netted a third on the stroke of half-time, with Takeda picking her spot from the edge of the area early in the second spell to put the result beyond doubt. There was time for Lily Jervis to head home a farewell goal - she's heading abroad to take up a coaching opportunity - before the final whistle brought an end to Hamilton's latest defeat.
Sixth round action commenced on Wednesday evening with Auckland's rescheduled first round tussle with Hibiscus Coast. Anzac Day saw the East Auckland derby take place at Madills Farm, while on Saturday evening, it's the top-of-the-table tussle twixt Auckland and West Coast, a fixture given added spice by Johnson's midweek transfer to Rangers - a clear statement of intent from the table-topping team if ever there was one.
Sunday's fixtures see Fencibles and "The Hoops" locking horns at Riverhills Park, while Hamilton and "The Coasters" dispute who'll occupy the last rung of the ladder heading into May.
Round Four details:
Auckland United 2 (B. Johnson (29), C. Knott (69)), Fencibles United 0 HT 1-0
Eastern Suburbs 5 (S. Garcia (21, 54 pen), O. Erskine (29), Z. Benson (47, 75)), Hibiscus Coast 1 (D. Urlich-Beech (55)) HT 2-0
Ellerslie 2 (A. Trudgen (13, 24)), Western Springs 4 (A. Takeda (15), M. Lythe (36), M. Lee (38), S. Vercauteran (52)) HT 2-3
Hamilton Wanderers 0, West Coast Rangers 4 ("oggie" (4), S. Henson (9), E. Lyon (60, 68)) HT 0-2
Round Five details:
Auckland United 2 (R. Wasi (71, 78)), Eastern Suburbs 2 (S. Garcia (17, 55)) HT 0-1
Hibiscus Coast 0, Ellerslie 0
West Coast Rangers 4 (L. Selby (1), M. Dewell (45), N. Stratford (48), A. Karakostas (75)), Fencibles United 0 HT 2-0
Western Springs 5 (R. Hirano (17), T. Hill (36), M. Lythe (45), A. Takeda (53), L. Jervis (82)), Hamilton Wanderers 0 HT 3-0
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