It was a case of normal service resumes for the Australian Secondary Schoolgirls soccer team on North Harbour Stadium’s outer oval on September 30, as they thrashed their New Zealand counterparts 4-1 to return to winning ways against their old foe. Until Tuesday’s goalless draw between the sides, Australia had won every game played between the trans-tasman rivals in their annual battle for the Deane Low Shield in each of the last ten seasons. And they wasted little time in putting the record straight in this encounter. Australian captain Melissa Feuerriegel had the ball inside New Zealand’s net inside two minutes of this encounter, only for team-mate Renee Rollason to be adjudged offside. But the visitors had just six minutes to wait before they scored the opening goal of the three-test series. Rollason broke down the left at pace and rolled the ball into the path of Kylie Nicolaci, who, despite being under pressure, produced an accomplished, clipped finish over the plunging figure of Ashleigh Cox to open the scoring in fine style. With New Zealand at sixes and sevens as players were accommodated in unusual positions to ensure all would play at least part of a game by the end of the second match in the three-test series - seemingly a more important principle than fielding your best eleven to endeavour to overcome thine enemy! - Australia made the most of their opponents’ confusion, and looked to emphasise it on the scoreboard. That they didn’t owed much to Cox’s shot-stopping prowess. While the Lynn-Avon United goalkeeper was often found wanting in the air during this encounter - she was far better than her opposite number, Australia’s Amanda Johnston, in this regard, however - she produced two fine saves to twice deny Fleurriegel in the next six minutes, after the Australians had prised open New Zealand’s defence with some enterprising football, most notably featuring Nicolaci and pint-sized powerhouse Tenneille Shaw. Cox’s second save produced a corner, from which Nicolaci’s delivery was headed unchallenged over the crossbar by Melissa Frankcombe - a genuine let-off for the natives, who were further unhinged when the ultra-reliable Petria Rennie hobbled off with a hamstring strain twenty minutes into the match. The first hints that New Zealand would be a competitive force in this match came in the 25th minute, when it took a superbly timed tackle from Emma Owens to stop Josie Fitzsimons in her tracks, after she had caught the ponderous Samantha Blacka in possession deep inside her own half. This raised the spirits of the host nation, and Hannah Rishworth, who was playing in midfield rather than the central defensive position she is best suited to at this level, spurred them on still further three minutes later, picking out Emma Harrison with a cross. But Shaw was back to cut out the threat, and spark another Australian raid which culminated in the smallest player on the park outgunning Katie Hoyle in a foot race down the right. Shaw fired in a cross for Feuerriegel, who was often running through unchallenged as the spare player in Australia’s five-strong midfield. On this occasion, her shot ricocheted off Renee Dale through to Cox, just shy of the half-hour mark. Five minutes later, the tide began to turn New Zealand’s way, with set-piece specialist Hannah Bromley calling the tune. Her booming 35th minute free-kick dropped right into the goalmouth, and found Johnston sorely wanting in the air. Rishworth was in the thick of things, and beat the goalkeeper with a back-header, only for the ball to strike Johnston on the back and ricocheted out for a corner. Bromley’s delivery saw the ‘keeper flapping once more, the ball falling kindly for Fitzsimons. She unleashed a splendidly struck volley which crashed against a wall of gold-shirted players, the ball being scrambled clear. The Kiwis weren’t content with the situation, and five minutes before the interval, pressed for goal once more. This time, Dale and Grace Vincent combined, the Eastern Suburbs star slipping the hard-working Sarah Gregorius through Australia’s defence. Blacka was again found wanting, but help was at hand in the form of Owens to douse the threat posed by the full-of-running Wellingtonian. Before half-time, the Australians could have doubled

their advantage, Frankcombe having sent Nicolaci galloping clear of the offside trap with just Cox to beat. But the goalkeeper didn’t flinch, and it was the game’s lone goalscorer to this point who came off second-best after the custodian blocked the through ball to safety. Two minutes after the resumption of play in the second half, the entire complexion of the game changed, as Australia struck their second goal. Not for the first time in the match, Cox was guilty of windmill imitation, as Nicolaci’s corner arced over her to fall kindly for Feuerriegel. The Australian captain unleashed an unerring shot under the dive of the recovering Cox to double the visitors’ lead. Stung, the home team pressed on, forcing a series of corners within eight minutes of the goal. Bromley’s deliveries into the heart of the goalmouth were pinpoint accurate, much to Johnston’s despair, as she flailed wildly at them - Australia’s second-string shot-stopper’s biggest weakness was being well exploited by Bromley, who deserved better reward for her efforts. Unfortunately for New Zealand, it was Australia who capitalised, hitting their hosts hard on the counter-attack. Nicolaci gathered the ball on the right and unleashed a stunning twenty-five yard drive which soared over Cox and fair ripped into the back of the net - 3-0, and easily the goal of the game to boot. That 57th minute effort was followed four minutes later by a fourth Australian goal. This time, it was another delightful interchange of passes which scythed open the Kiwi defence, Feuerriegel and Andrea Totsidis combined, the substitute releasing Krystina Walker down the left at pace. Her cross arrowed into Ellie Brush, who turned and fired an unstoppable shot into the top left-hand corner of Cox’s net from fifteen yards - a fine finish to crown a well-worked move. The numerous Kiwi supporters in the crowd were silenced, but they were soon in full voice once more, as their team found the net in the 64th minute. Substitute Krista Neilson and Gregorius combined on the right, the latter’s cross picking out another half-time replacement, Allena Hill, who coolly steered the ball home from close range to break Johnston’s resolve - she was swiftly replaced by Erin Herd. It was her opposite number who was to prove the busier goalkeeper in the remaining minutes, as the Australians went for a nap hand against their old foe. After saving at the feet of Brush, Cox dealt with another shot from the same player which had come about through another enterprising right-flank raid, in which Shaw, Walker and Feuerriegel were all prominent. Walker was relishing the chance to run at defenders, and did so with aplomb eleven minutes from time, scything through three challenges before letting fly. Unfortunately for the lively midfielder, Cox greedily grabbed a shot hit straight at her to curtail this threat. New Zealand’s attempts to reduce the margin of defeat to two goals were thwarted in the 87th minute by Carys Hawkins, the substitute scurrying across to thwart Fitzsimons, who had set sail for goal upon crossing the half-way line. The defender’s clearance prompted another Australian raid, which resulted in referee Hengo Sioneloto correctly awarding an indirect free-kick after Cox had smothered a Rishworth back-pass. The visitors made a dog’s breakfast of this opportunity to go nap, while the home team had strong claims for an indirect free-kick of their own turned down in stoppage time, as Herd spectacularly saved a lobbed ball played back towards her by Owens, who was forced into the unorthodox pass - at least for a defender - by Leah Tagaloa’s pressure, the highly promising Kiwi striker’s absence from the starting line-up being something of a surprise. It mattered not, however, for Australia were worthy victors over their New Zealand Secondary Schoolgirls counterparts once more. New Zealand:     Cox; Rennie (Taylor, 21), Dale, Bromley, Hoyle; Peterson (Neilson, 46), Rishworth, Vincent, Harrison (Hill, 46); Fitzsimons, Gregorius (Tagaloa, 73) Australia:     Johnston (Herd, 64); Frankcombe (Hawkins, 78), Owens, Blacka (Day, 46); Shaw, Walker, Feuerriegel, Hart, Brush; Rollason (Tavolaro, 58), Nicolaci (Totsidis, 58) Referee:     Hengo Sioneloto