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SWANZ Cup 2012
Puketapu Double Clinches Three Kings' Fourth Cup
by Jeremy Ruane
photos courtesy Getty Images, except for MVP pic (by JR)
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Three Kings United scored a hard-earned 2-0 win over Lotto Central Region Premier Women's League champions Massey University at Newtown Park on August 26 to win the ASB National Women's Knockout Cup for the first time since 1999.
Two Martine Puketapu goals, the second of which was struck in the ninetieth minute of the match, ended the season-long unbeaten run of the Palmerston North-based combination, who held the upper hand in the early stages of the match.
Emma Boyack tested Jo Kennedy's handling with a stinging eighteen-yarder just 100 seconds into the contest, with the 'keeper saving at the striker's feet five minutes later after Rhonda Bridges had flicked a Jane Barnett throw-in into the path of the prolific Boyack, who topped the league goalscoring charts this season.
Seconds later, Massey should have opened the scoring through captain Rosie Missen, who found herself four yards out from goal upon receipt of a Leah Gallie header. Unbelievably, the skipper sliced her seventh minute attempt horribly wide - it was an awful miss, and certainly not one to make in a cup final.
It was to prove an expensive one, for after Barnett had stung Kennedy's palms with a 35-yard free-kick, Three Kings launched their first attack of note in the eleventh minute. Hannah Hoeksema, Chloe Knott and Michelle Windsor combined to present Annalie Longo with the ball.
A lovely shimmy left Gallie standing, but the midfielder - later named winner of the Maia Jackman Trophy as the Cup Final MVP - was unable to beat Rachel Ingram from twenty-five yards.
Seconds later, the Aucklanders were in front. Morany Chek and Jessie Mathews worked an opening on the right which saw Missen block the ball. But it fell perfectly into the stride of Puketapu, who thrashed home an unerring volley inside Ingram's near post from the edge of the penalty area.
Trailing somewhat against the early run of play, Massey stormed downfield straight from the kick-off and came within the width of a post of equalising. Boyack surged into the area, stood up Hoeksema and proceeded towards the goal area, where Emily Jensen stopped her in her tracks with a stunning tackle - the defender had a cracking game.
The ricochet fell into the stride of Bridges, who battered the right-hand upright of Kennedy's goal, much to the relief of the 'keeper and her defenders, who scrambled the ball to safety.
Two efforts in a minute from Longo and Puketapu gave Ingram cause for concern soon after, but it was Barnett's dipping twenty-yarder which had Kennedy on tenterhooks on the quarter hour. The 'keeper did well to tip the ball over the bar while back-pedalling nervously towards her own goal.
Three Kings gradually began to impose their passing style on the game, with Tina Kolose knocking the ball round confidently and inspiring her team-mates to do the same. Meanwhile, a battle within the battle was unfolding, with Longo and former Football Fern Emily McColl engaging in a ding-dong go for midfield dominance.
The Massey player flexed her muscles in the 26th minute with a post-rattler, the ball falling into her stride after Jensen had again thwarted the progress of Boyack, who fired wide soon after when Hoeksema sliced a clearance straight to her.
Back came United, Knott picking out Puketapu with a darting run in between defenders, much like the move they contrived in the 23rd minute. On that occasion, the striker overran the ball, affording Ingram a comfortable save, while this time round, Hollie Cleaver stepped in to thwart the fourteen-year-old, who should have done better.
Ingram got a surprise in the 32nd minute when Longo's header, from a Knott corner, was allowed to bounce in the heart of the goalmouth. The 'keeper greedily grabbed the ball, but her resulting clearance wasn't much chop, as it invited Chek and Puketapu to link with Mathews, whose shot on the run was tipped
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 Annalie Longo (10) and Jessie Mathews tangle with Leah Gallie
 Chloe Knott heads off Hollie Cleaver
 Morany Chek is sent flying by Rosie Missen
 Emily Jensen kept Emma Boyack quiet
 Matchwinner Martine Puketapu challenges Emily McColl
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round the post by the 'keeper.
After Boyack had lashed a volley over the bar - Kolose gifted possession to her just outside United's penalty area, the Three Kings midfielder made amends with a gem of a pass in the 42nd minute which sent Puketapu scooting clear. She surged into the area before letting fly, only to see her shot crash to safety off the upright with Ingram beaten once more.
Right on the stroke of half-time, Longo showed she was getting the upper hand in her battle with McColl. A driving run took her past three opponents before a low cross invited Chek to shoot, only for the French front-runner to be frustrated by Jess Green's timely intervention.
Three Kings began the second half brightly, Chek and Longo combining for Puketapu's benefit just 75 seconds after the resumption. Jess Oulaghan was on the striker's shoulder every step of the way as they charged into the penalty area, and it was the defender's presence which doubtless prompted Puketapu to shoot tamely at Ingram.
A stinging twenty-yarder from Longo soon followed, Ingram tipping this away in the 49th minute. Massey counter-attacked straight away, but Boyack's progress was this time halted by Hoeksema - one of her best displays of the campaign, without question.
After Missen had lashed a thirty-yarder narrowly wide just before the hour, the even contest was on a knife-edge - whoever scored next would doubtless go on to win it, because the heavy pitch and challenging wind were taking their toll on both teams, as some tired legs were becoming increasingly evident.
Cue Longo, whose brilliant jinking run past four players in the 69th minute deserved far better reward than to see her rising drive crash off the crossbar. Chek latched onto the rebound and picked out Knott beyond the far post, but Missen blocked her drive for a corner.
Knott's resulting corner curled out to the edge of the penalty area, where Longo was lurking with intent. She lashed a low drive through the crowded goalmouth which careered narrowly past Ingram's right-hand post - the 'keeper had no chance if it had been on target.
Massey came again, a couple of Barnett set-pieces giving United cause for concern, a 76th minute corner in particular. Kennedy punched the delivery off the head of Gallie, but it landed at the feet of Missen, who thrashed her shot on the turn into the side-netting.
A Barnett free-kick two minutes later saw Gallie's header grabbed by Kennedy, who was happy to erase the memories of her last Cup Final appearance two years ago in this match - a clean sheet and a winner's medal beats five goals against any day of the week!
That was Kennedy's last save, as it turned out, for any further attempts Massey made to get back into the contest invariably foundered on Jensen, who kept the dangerous Boyack quiet throughout a second spell in which Longo was increasingly influential.
Such as in the 84th minute, when after another jinking run, she whipped in a cross which Puketapu was only a yard away from getting on the end of. But in the 90th minute, the young striker was "Jenny-on-the-spot" as Ingram spilled an innocuous long-range effort from Chek.
Before she had a chance to recover her error, Puketapu, following in like any good striker worth her salt, swooped to conquer, driving the ball home into an empty net to clinch a 2-0 victory for Three Kings, their fourth triumph ending a thirteen-year drought since their last Cup win in 1999, when they completed an unprecedented "three-peat".
Three Kings: Kennedy; Molloy, Hoeksema, Jensen, Windsor; Longo, Kolose (Hayr, 90), Mathews; Puketapu, Chek (Eaton, 90), Knott (Robert, 87)
Massey: R. Ingram; Cleaver, Green, Missen (booked, 58), Oulaghan; McColl, Gallie, K. Ingram (Patterson, 79); Barnett (Seath, 83), Boyack, Bridges
Referee: Helen Mallon
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