Invitational XI

The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website | home

Invitational XI

Ferns Impress In Replacement Fixture

by Jeremy Ruane

The Football Ferns celebrated qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Women's Football Tournament in Rio de Janeiro by overcoming a hastily put-together NZ Invitational XI 5-0 at QBE Stadium on January 26, as questions are asked in FIFA headquarters re the no-show of Papua New Guinea for the second leg of the Oceania Olympic women's qualifying play-off.

Having accounted for the Papuans 7-1 in Lae on Saturday, the Football Ferns fully expected to be able to address a few issues arising from that match three days later. But something somewhere has gone decidedly awry, and only one international women's football team made the trip from Port Moresby to Auckland in between the two matches, prompting plenty of communication activity twixt the two countries.

This writer prefers to keep his counsel on the matter at present, and allow the various processes to run their course and all the relevant facts to emerge before passing comment if necessary. But the fact the matter is already being addressed by FIFA's Disciplinary Committee chairman speaks volumes.

On to the people who matter most, and in the eyes of anywhere up to 1000 fans at QBE Stadium on a drizzly Tuesday evening, the Football Ferns and their NZ Invitational XI counterparts certainly do, far more than any behind the scenes goings-on ever will.

Both teams took a few minutes to get used to the sandpit which North Harbour Stadium has become before they got into their stride, and it was the Football Ferns, who have been in camp for a fortnight - most members of the Invitational XI answered a call for help at the eleventh hour to provide our Olympians with some challenging opposition - who settled better, led by Annalie Longo.

She was at her impish best throughout the opening forty-five minutes, while Ali Riley and Sarah Gregorius produced some eye-catching combination work down the left to give Emily Oosterhof an experience she will glean much from, given she hasn't faced two professionals operating in tandem too often during her career to date.

The Invitational XI included a few players who have had a modicum of experience playing for the national team, and one with plenty. Successive long-term injuries have prevented Anna Green from adding to her 56 caps since September 2013, but she is making good progress along the comeback trail, and that lethal left foot is still a dangerous weapon upon which the national team will surely call again.

Her movement off the ball was a feature of Michael Mayne's team throughout the first half, as was her set-piece work. Indeed, Green engineered the first genuine opening of the match, a ninth minute corner which scythed through the six-yard box without a player from either team making contact with the sphere.

It sparked Tony Readings' charges into life, Amber Hearn bidding to add to her 275 career goals with a wayward lob on the quarter-hour, after Riley and the ever-lively Betsy Hassett had prised open their opponents' defence, in which Meikayla Moore performed most impressively, such as in racing back to thwart Riley's progress after the fullback and Gregorius had got up to more mischief.

The Elfen Saitama striker was next to let fly, Hearn's deft back-heeled pass prompting Gregorius to unleash a twenty yard curler which Cushla Lichtwark, flying to her left, saved impressively.

From the resulting Katie Bowen corner, Rebekah Stott's shot was cleared off the line by Daisy Cleverley, soon after which Stott, Abby Erceg and Bowen combined with Longo, whose jinking run culminated in a curling effort which Lichtwark greedily grabbed.

The 'keeper threw the ball out to Cleverley, who rewarded Green's rampaging break down the left with a made-to-measure pass which the fullback crossed without breaking stride. Grace Jale was the recipient of the delivery, rising above Erceg to direct a header goalwards which Erin Nayler saved smartly in the 23rd minute.

After Stott fired narrowly over upon contriving an opening with Hassett following a corner, the Football Ferns opened the scoring in the 28th minute. It was a real striker's goal, too, with Bowen's corner being headed into the goalmouth by Erceg.

Lurking with intent was Aimee Phillips, and her deft flick from four yards was all it took to earn the first big cheer of the night, and the delighted scorer the 134th goal of her career to date.

This inspired the Football Ferns to press on in search of more goals, and Gregorius was just inches away from making contact with Hearn's low cross seconds later. Bowen was then narrowly astray with a twenty-five yarder after Riley had outpaced Paige Satchell down the left - their individual duel was one of the game's outstanding features, with experience edging exuberance on the majority of occasions.

Back came the Invitees, Green leading the charge in the 34th minute with a teasing cross-shot which Nayler was forced to turn round the far post. The 'keeper fared better with Green's corner, and ignited a counter-attack which featured a one-two between Riley and Gregorius on the left, the fullback's resulting cross being met on the volley by Hearn.

Unfortunately for the striker, she directed it straight at Lichtwark, but there was no such let-off for the

'keeper when the pair came face to face again five minutes later. This time, Phillips had made fine in-roads down the right before teeing up Hearn for a tap-in - 2-0.

Hearn and Lichtwark continued their personal duel early in the second half, following a handful of personnel changes and a Liz Anton clearance, which ricocheted off Phillips and presented Hearn with the chance to shoot.

Lichtwark grabbed this effort, but was afforded no chance by Phillips in the 55th minute, as the Football Ferns increased their lead to 3-0. Gregorius' fine work down the left culminated in a cross to the near post to reward Phillips' angled run, and the striker got in between Moore and Lichtwark to deftly prod home her second of the night.

Estelle Harrison was one of the Invitational XI's half-time substitutions, due reward for her fine year in 2015 which saw her earn, amongst other honours, the Maia Jackman Trophy as MVP in the ASB National Women's Knockout Cup Final.

To the vast majority of the Football Ferns, she is a new face on the scene, but in the 57th minute they discovered at first hand Harrison's not-so-secret weapon - the ability to deliver a searching in-swinging corner at pace. This one arced towards the far post, where Jasmine Pereira only just failed to direct her shot on target.

Warning heeded, the fans' favourites promptly charged up-field, Catherine Bott leading the raid down the right. Her cross-shot was tipped away by Lichtwark, the 'keeper's last act in the match, with Rebecca Rolls taking over twixt the sticks for the final half-hour, and the penalty shoot-out to follow.

Not before the Invitees had threatened once more, with Satchell and half-time substitute Katie Rood combining on the left. Bott's superbly timed and technically excellent tackle in the penalty area put the skids on that 59th minute foray.

Rolls wasn't the only new face on the pitch at this time, as the Football Ferns opted to give a couple of centurions and "The Golazo Girl" their heads for the final half-hour of action.

Once the newcomers - Katie Duncan, Ria Percival and Rosie White - had got used to the sandpit, which was starting to test the calf muscles of Pereira and Bott in particular, the fun and games resumed with a vengeance, and in particular with a 71st minute goal which rolled back the years to the days of Lynn-Avon United's period of dominance in the local women's game.

Half-time substitute Kirsty Yallop was now on set-piece duty, and duly curled in a corner to the near post. As the ball was struck, Hearn, knowing exactly what her old club-mate had in mind, set off on an arcing run which saw the striker arriving at said near post right on cue - nothin' but net, as was so often the case at Ken Maunder Park when this set-piece routine was employed by this same combination.

Seconds later, Hearn went desperately close to completing her hat-trick. Ria Percival went for a run on the left flank before cutting inside and, spotting Hearn's angled run in behind the defence, duly delivered an angled cross to suit. The striker met it with a flicked header which arced over Rolls but over the bar as well.

The Invitees kept pressing for a goal, and fifteen minutes from time came desperately close to realising their objective. But for Nayler's solid save, Pereira would have done so, following Satchell's sound work on the right.

The Football Ferns' response was to increase their lead to 5-0 fourteen minutes from time. This one had "Made In Melwood" stamped all over it, as former Liverpool striker Gregorius, on receipt of a pass from Percival, scampered down the left before picking out her Kiwi successor in Anfield red.

White still had plenty to do, but did it superbly. Controlling the ball with her back to goal, she swivelled and unleashed an unerring low drive which arrowed past Rolls right into the corner of the net - 5-0, White's first goal for her country in fifteen months.

She came desperately close to bagging a second nine minutes later. Out of nothing, White unleashed an angled fifteen yard volley which was hit with such ferocity that Rolls only moved to stop it when it cannoned back off the inside of the far post and flew towards the 'keeper - definitely one deserving of better fate!

It was the cue for a final onslaught from the Football Ferns, as they looked to give the fans a goal to go home with. 'Twas not to be, however, Erceg heading narrowly wide from Yallop's corner, while Rolls' outstretched leg denied Hearn after Yallop and Hassett had combined to play in New Zealand's leading markswoman.

5-0 was the Football Ferns' lot, however, and they also struck home all five of their penalties in the post-match shoot-out, Nayler denying Cleverley and Pereira from the spot as our Olympics-bound footballers took the opportunity to practice, in a match environment, an attribute of the game which may be a means of earning a much-coveted medal in seven months' time.

Football Ferns: Nayler; Bott, Stott, Erceg, Riley (Percival, 62); Hassett, Bowen (Duncan, 62), Longo (Yallop, 46); Phillips (White, 62), Hearn, Gregorius

Invitational: Lichtwark (Rolls, 61); Oosterhof (Burrows, 52), Moore (Rolston, 61), Anton, Green (Harrison, 46); Jale, Loye, Cleverley; Satchell, Barnett (Rood, 46), Pereira

Referee: Tupou Patia (Cook Islands)

Rio 2016