Soccer2 (Auckland-Manukau) threw down the gauntlet to their National Women’s Soccer League title rivals, Central Soccer and Capital Soccer (Wellington) at Ken Maunder Park on November 1, as they downed Canterbury 3-1 to maintain their advantage at the top of the table. The result means Central have to beat United Soccer 1 (North Harbour) by six clear goals at New Plymouth’s Yarrows Stadium from 1pm on Sunday, while an hour later, the Wellingtonians will set out on quest to thrash Force3 (Waikato-Bay of Plenty) by eleven goals, if either are to deny the "A Team" a second consecutive National Women’s Soccer League championship. As it is, the defending champions have retained the Challenge Cup for the summer with this victory, one which they set about securing right from the kick-off. Within three minutes, they had created their first opening, Kirsty Yallop’s lob forward saw Hayley Moorwood beat Tina Bosscher in the air before racing through on goal. Ingrid Bain advanced off her line to save at the midfielder’s feet, but Sara Clapham was quickly on the scene, only to see Jane Simpson block her shot on the line. Before the striker could capitalise on the rebound, Bain had recovered to keep Auckland at bay. The home team were testing the goalkeeper again five minutes later, thanks to a slick move down the right featuring Moorwood and Michele Keinzley. The latter burst past Bosscher before firing over a deep cross to Yallop, who evaded Ruth Bourke’s challenge before unleashing a drive which Bain turned round the post. The ‘keeper endured no such joy in the eleventh minute, as the "A Team" opened the scoring. Vicki Rainbow released Moorwood down the right - the midfielder had a field day in the first half running through unchallenged. On this occasion, it proved costly for Canterbury, as Moorwood produced a peach of a cross to the far post. Clapham came racing in, and sent a diving header flying across the diving figure of Bain into the far corner - a classic strike. The Cantabrians offered few answers to the "A Team"’s concerted pressure throughout the first half, but in Simpson, they had one player who was prepared to stand up and be counted for the cause. Her eighteenth minute surge from deep wasn’t picked up by Auckland’s midfield forced a corner which Clare Warner delivered into the goalmouth. Rainbow scrambled it clear, but there was Simpson again to regain possession, beating Keinzley in the process before being forced into a tight spot, from where she extracted herself with a neat turn, only to run out of room. Back came the Aucklanders, Rainbow releasing Moorwood once more seconds later, the midfielder again unaccompanied. But who should be haring back but Simpson - her covering tackle thwarted the Northern Premier Women’s League’s Player of the Year dead in her tracks. Two minutes on, and Moorwood was in again, this time after a Clapham break down the right. The resulting cross dipped as the SWANZ international homed in on it, forcing her to respond with a diving header executed inches above the ground. Bain duly grabbed the effort, but Moorwood would have gained better reward from a shot, given the position she was in. Unperturbed, she soldiered on, and after Keinzley had blazed over following more good work by Yallop, a slick one-two on the left between Clapham and Margot Bowker on the half-hour saw the latter fire in a delicious cross which beat all-comers at the near post. Moorwood arrived on the scene late, but with the goal at her mercy, she hit the post from the tightest of angles, with the solidly-performed Amber Hearn forcing another save from Bain with the rebound. Despite dominating the half, it appeared that one goal would be all Auckland-Manukau had to show for their efforts, but after Zarnia Cogle had raced back to thwart the marauding Moorwood in the 38th minute, the "A Team" doubled their advantage with the very last kick of the half. Keinzley intercepted a pass on half-way and surged forward before laying the ball off to Moorwood. Her reverse pass split the defence, and put Clapham in on the right. The striker’s drive was parried by Bain, who turned Keinzley’s close-range effort from the rebound onto the crossbar. But the ’keeper couldn’t keep out Moorwood, who volleyed the rebound from this effort into the roof of the net for a goal her first half display fully merited.

Canterbury raids had been sporadic, and but for Simpson’s foray, all had foundered on Auckland’s well-marshalled defence, with Terry McCahill once again leading by example in this regard. But come the second half, the visitors proved themselves more competitive, with Kirsty Butland setting out their stall just three minutes into the half. Released by Bourke, she fired in a cross-shot which had Yvonne Vale, in her last match prior to hanging up her gloves, scrambling across her goal as the ball zoomed past the far post. Four minutes later, Clapham found herself on the end of a mistimed tackle from Simpson, for which the otherwise well-performed defender rightly received a booking. But the injured party wasn’t to recover, and paved the way for the introduction of Maia Jackman, who, for reasons known only to "A Team" coach, Dave Parkinson, again found herself enduring bench duty, much to the bemusement of all in attendance, the player particularly. Before the substitute had entered the fray, however, the Clapham-less "A Team" engineered another opening, with Moorwood winning the ball well in the air before playing it through to Bowker. The striker’s drive was well saved by Bain. In the 62nd minute, pressure by half-time substitute Sarah Cumming and Warner on the right forced an opening which saw the latter’s cross cleared by Melissa Ray - another solid performer throughout. Cogle latched onto the ball, and duly let fly, but the Whau River was in greater danger of stopping this effort than the goal Vale was defending!! It didn’t take long for Jackman to make her mark on the match, her attacking dynamism adding new life to an Auckland attack in need of it. Rebecca West, another replacement, was given a torrid time by the Sport Auckland Sportswoman of the Year finalist, and in the 71st minute resorted to foul means rather than fair to curtail Jackman’s progress. The resulting free-kick was whipped in by Dana Humby, and while West edged out Jackman in the air, the ball fell perfectly for Rachel Doody, who lashed an unstoppable drive into the top left-hand corner of Bain’s net, the ‘keeper left with not a prayer of stopping the substitute’s effort. At 3-0, the "A Team" had the points - and the Challenge Cup - in the bag, and went goal-hunting. But Keinzley spurned three glorious chances in the next ten minutes to increase their margin of victory. Moorwood released the striker in the 75th minute, but Simpson’s superb covering tackle denied her SWANZ team-mate. Four minutes later, Doody sent Keinzley hurtling clear from half-way, with Jackman racing forward in support on her right. The former Wellington player charged on, but Bosscher came across to close down the danger. With nine minutes remaining, Keinzley struck out, firing wide after Jackman and Bowker had combined to put her through with just Bain to beat, mere seconds after Warner had got the better of Humby at the other end of the park, and fired over a cross which zoomed across the bows of the incoming Butland. Two minutes remained in Vale’s career when the ambition she had set herself for this, and every match in her career - a clean sheet - was denied her. Cumming worked her way to the byline on the right flank before laying the ball back to Warner. Her cross was headed skywards by McCahill, and as Vale came to gather the dropping ball, substitute Saskia Sullivan charged in fearlessly, getting the vital touch on the ball as she collided with Vale to reward Canterbury’s dogged efforts with a goal which could yet prove crucial in the final wash of the 2003 National Women’s Soccer League. For the reigning champions’ 3-1 victory gives them a six-goal cushion over Central Soccer, and an eleven-goal advantage over Wellington, the results of whose matches on Sunday will be keenly awaited in "A Team" country. "A Team":     Vale; Ray, McCahill, Humby; Keinzley, Hearn, Rainbow (Doody, 67), Moorwood, Yallop; Clapham (Jackman, 57), Bowker Canterbury:     Bain; Bourke (Sullivan, 57), Simpson (booked, 52), Edwards, Bosscher; Warner, McDowall, Cogle, White (West, 46); Neilson (Cumming, 46), Butland Referee:     Chris Richardson (replaced due to injury by Matthew Cooke, 46)