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A Personal Appreciation
SIMONE FERRARA
A Personal Appreciation
by Jeremy Ruane
 It’s often said that first impressions last, and that is certainly the case with this writer in regard to Simone Ferrara.The first time I saw her in action was within hours of her stepping off the plane following the Auckland Invitation Women’s Soccer Development Squad’s triumphant tour of South America, in which she had scored two winning goals, against both Uruguay's Nacional side, and the Paraguayan national team.
Her match-dominating performance for Three Kings United that day, April 9, 2000, made light of the fact that she had spent the bulk of the previous twenty-four hours at 35,000 feet. Quite simply, she was perpetual motion personified, and when challenged by an opponent, seemed to glide past with gazelle-like gracefulness.
Indeed, so full of running was this newcomer to Auckland’s women’s soccer scene that I got the distinct impression that somewhere within her compact frame existed a third lung!
She richly deserved, and ultimately got, a goal to do justice to her performance that day, but throughout the vast majority of the rest of the season, no matter how hard she tried, an addition to that tally just wouldn‘t come.
Despite the disappointment of failing to find the target herself, however, "Supa-Sim" never once failed to do justice to her ability, and in every match she played, gave everything of herself for the good of the team.
 On the international stage, this was best seen in her fifth New Zealand international, the Pacific Cup encounter with China, in Newcastle, Australia. In that match alone, Simone would have covered every blade of grass on the pitch as she produced an outstanding individual performance in an attempt to quell the seemingly unstoppable red tide which confronted the Kiwis that day.Simone finally broke her scoring drought in spectacular fashion, netting a screamer from fully thirty yards in her final match for Three Kings, the local Knockout Final against their arch-rivals and league champions, Lynn-Avon United.
Three Kings won that encounter, earning Simone her lone honour in club soccer for the season, an honour she richly deserved for her efforts for the team throughout the campaign. It went some way to making up for the semi-final loss to Lynn-Avon in the national Knockout competition, after which it was all Simone could do to hide her disappointment in defeat - not easy for someone clearly not used to accepting second-best on the park.
Simone’s season wasn’t over, however, for she performed with distinction for “The A Team”, Auckland women’s soccer’s senior representative side, at the National Women’s Soccer Tournament, the annual week-long competition for the country’s regional representative teams.
 Auckland were convincing winners of the event for the fourth year running, and Simone’s role was, typically, dynamic - ten goals (from six games) meant she finished as runner-up in the Leading Goalscorer stakes, while her performances throughout the week earned her the highly coveted Player of the Tournament title.It was a fitting way for Simone to conclude her season in New Zealand - as a winner.
Off the park, this attractive 25-year-old - born June 6, 1977 - really impressed me. Hers is a warm, engaging, vivacious personality, while she is extremely diligent and responsible, and will be a tremendous asset to any team she plays for and with, as she has proven to be for Three Kings and New Zealand.
For over a year, Simone’s ambition to become a professional women’s soccer player in the WUSA League was on hold, due to suffering a complex knee injury in the first trial match of the drafting process in which she took part, just weeks after concluding her stint in NZ.
 But in mid-January, 2002, she played her first match since her career came to a grinding halt. She came through with flying colours, her knee giving her no problems whatsoever, particularly in light of the lengthy rehabilitation period she has endured. Suffice to say, "Supa Sim"'s fighting fit and smiling again - the caricature of Wonder Woman, pictured right, pretty much sums up how she's feeling right now!!
And now that one of the stars of the SWANZ is back in action, Ajax's New Zealand international - Ajax being the club she is now playing for, a feeder club to the WUSA's San Diego Spirit - can resume the pursuit of her ambition.
It goes without saying that, having overcome an obstacle as potentially soul-destroying as this injury has been, I have every confidence in Simone's ability to realise her goal. Eat 'em up, kid!!
NB The folding of the WUSA is the latest setback in Simone's quest to realise her ambitions, but she has another highlight on the horizon, having got engaged in August, 2003.
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Scoring record for Three Kings United
(15 games, 2 goals)
Date
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Opponents
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Score
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Tally
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Comp.
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9/4/00
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Te Atatu
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2-0
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1
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PWL
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6/9/00
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Lynn-Avon United
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2-2
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1
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WKS
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Scoring record for Auckland’s “A Team”
(6 games, 10 goals)
Date
|
Opponents
|
Score
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Tally
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17/9/00
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Otago-Southland
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16-0
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4
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19/9/00
|
Wellington
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2-2
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2
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20/9/00
|
NZ Universities
|
7-0
|
1
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21/9/00
|
Waikato-Bay of Plenty
|
8-0
|
1
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22/9/00
|
North Harbour
|
6-0
|
1
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23/9/00
|
Canterbury
|
2-0
|
1
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Scoring record for Auckland Invitation Women's Development Squad
Date
|
Opponents
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Score
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Tally
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31/3/00
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Nacional (Uruguay)
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1-0
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1
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5/4/00
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Paraguay
|
1-0
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1
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Scoring record for New Zealand
Date
|
Opponents
|
Score
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Tally
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Comp
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19/3/03
|
Baylor University
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3-2
|
1
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Friendly
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7/4/03
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Samoa
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15-0
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3
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World Cup
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9/4/03
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Cook Islands
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9-0
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2
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World Cup
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