Six different goalscorers celebrated at the Samoan Football Association's headquarters in Apia on August 8 as New Zealand's Young Ferns eased past American Samoa 6-0 to top their group at the OFC U-16 Women's Championship without conceding a goal. That situation came under threat inside the first sixty seconds, however, as the team which won the qualifying round for the first time ever in order to contest this event attacked their highly favoured opponents straight from the kick-off. Emma Meadows' first task on debut in goal for her country was to divert Salamasina Satele's shot round the post inside the first sixty seconds of play - a raid which definitely wasn't in the anticipated script! Buoyed by that bright start, the American Samoans gave plenty of cheek in the opening twenty minutes, and played the offside trap exceedingly well, with Charlotte Summers frequently falling foul of this ploy as the Young Ferns struggled to get on the front foot during the early stages of proceedings. It took 24 minutes for Alana Gunn's charges to fire their first shot in anger. Isla Robson gathered possession on the right and delivered a cross which deceived goalkeeper Leila Salausa, allowing Ariana Vosper to steal in and direct a difficult headed opportunity narrowly past the post. Two minutes later, the Young Ferns opened the scoring in classy fashion. Summers, Bonnie Rice and Robson combined to send Vosper dashing through the inside left channel. Salausa came off her line to narrow the angle, but the flying fullback had other ideas, an exquisite lob arcing over the 'keeper's head then bouncing once before finding the far corner of the net. That goal gave the Young Ferns a welcome boost of confidence, and they swiftly rediscovered their mojo. Robson rattled the near post side-netting after working a one-two with Vosper, while Salausa pulled off a fine diving save to her right to deny Bree Toatelegese after she deftly evaded four challenges in the 34th minute. Seconds later, Robson skied an opening created by the industry of Vosper and Summers, while in the 38th minute, a Vosper corner was parried by Salausa straight to Miche Cloete, who directed a close-range header against the post. The ball rebounded to Summers, whose instinctive volley was blocked by the goalkeeper, allowing her team-mates to scramble the ball to safety. The woodwork rattled again five minutes before half-time, this time to deny a Robson header after Summers and Toatelegese had combined on the right. Rice was then thwarted by Salausa at close quarters before the Young Ferns' sustained pressure saw them score twice in the shadows of the half-time whistle to put them firmly in control of the contest. Madison Sharkey had only just come on for the injured Elizabeth Rennell when she worked a one-two with the hugely influential figure of Vosper in the 43rd minute. Receiving the return pass in the penalty area, the substitute lashed an angled drive

beyond Salausa and into the far corner of the net. 2-0 swiftly became 3-0, and Vosper was once again the catalyst upon whom the move was founded. She swept the ball across to the similarly impressive Eden Chaytor, who surged forward before unleashing a chip which Salausa tipped onto the bar. The goalkeeper was powerless to prevent Robson from heading home the rebound, and her fourth goal of the tournament. The group winners took a little while to get back into the swing of things in the second half, carving out just one opening of note before the hour mark - a Summers shot on the turn which flashed over the bar following Lania Fili's bursting run down the right in the 53rd minute. It was a case of from famine to feast between the sixtieth and seventieth minutes, however, three goals in a six-minute spell doubling the Young Ferns' tally for the game and leaving their less experienced opponents a tad shellshocked. Summers raced down the right in the 62nd minute before slipping a pass to half-time substitute Cate Atkinson. Her shot was blocked, but rebounded perfectly into the stride of Aleesha Gray, who confidently despatched the ball beyond Salausa. 4-0 became 5-0 four minutes later, Sharkey spreading play wide to ignite the move. Fili's first time low cross was slammed into the top near corner by Summers. And in the 68th minute, Chaytor and Fili worked a one-two which saw the fullback's fulminating twenty-yarder fly into the top far corner of the net for New Zealand's sixth goal of the game. Amelia Hitchcock wasn't far away from netting a seventh in the 74th minute, while within sixty seconds, Summers fired wide from the edge of the penalty area after Gray and Hitchcock had worked a one-two to play in the striker. Fili was denied New Zealand's seventh goal ten minutes from time after a foul in the build-up, while American Samoa's replacement goalkeeper - Reililah Noa took over the gloves from Salausa with twelve minutes remaining - produced sound saves to thwart Micaela Besley, Atkinson - after she had evaded three players in the area - and Hitchcock before the final whistle, the latter having gone close from twenty-five yards as the game entered stoppage time. New Zealand's reward for winning their group is a semi-final encounter with New Caledonia in three days' time, with the winners of that match qualifying for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Finals in Morocco. The other semi-final, which also takes place on August 11, pits Samoa against the Solomon Islands. Am. Samoa:     Salausa (Noa, 78); Polikapo, Magalo, Brice, Tuulaupua; Tua (Savea, 78), Vee, Joung, Gaisoa (Samuelu, 35 (Tagaloa, 78)); Satele (Malala, 53), Laina Young Ferns:     Meadows; Chaytor (Besley, 78), Hedington, Cloete, Vosper (Atkinson, 46); Toatelegese, Rennell (Sharkey, 42), Gray; Summers, Robson (Fili, 46), Rice (Hitchcock, 61) Referee:     Alexandra Toto (Vanuatu)