New Zealand's Young Ferns retained their grip on the Oceania U-16 Women's Championship on August 14, seeing off Samoa 3-0 in the tournament final at the Samoan Football Association's headquarters in Apia. Alana Gunn's charges couldn't have wished for a better start, with Mia Humphrey stinging the gloves of Margaret Tuii before Mia Afoa's sixth minute clearance found its way to Lania Fili, who let rip from thirty yards with a shot which soared over Tuii's head into the top corner of the net. That goal took the wind out of the local fans' sails. They were eager to see their young heroines become the first Samoan team to ever beat New Zealand, but this left Juan Chang Urrea's charges facing an even steeper mountain to climb - Mt Cook had become Mt Kilimanjaro in the blink of an eye. Worse was to come for Samoa, with a Micaela Besley cross-shot rattling the upright on the quarter hour. Two minutes later, Isla Robson sent Humphrey hurtling through the inside right channel into the penalty area, where Makeli Leonard's desperation to stop her saw the defender pull the striker back by her arm. Fijian referee Torika Delai had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot, from where Young Ferns captain Amelia Hitchcock doubled their lead - 2-0, with just eighteen minutes having been played. Samoa tried to fight their way back into the game, but any hopes they harboured of recording a come-from-behind victory were dashed in the 29th minute, when the Young Ferns scored their third goal. Ariana Vosper's corner to the near post saw Robson execute a deft header in between defenders, the ball finding its way past Tuii to pretty much wrap up the contest between the nations which have qualified for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Finals in Morocco. Samoa offered their first threat of note in the 34th minute, the lively Cali Willis evading a couple of challenges before letting fly from twenty yards. Emma Meadows was right behind her shot, and produced two fine saves before half-time to thwart both Macey Tuiolosega and Aaliyah Johnson, the latter's chance created by Taimane Devoux. In this young lady, Samoa has unearthed a wee gem - one of the best young players this writer has seen emerging from the island nations in nearly four decades of providing women's football coverage.

A proper midfield general, the diminutive Devoux has a great eye for a pass, shirks neither work nor challenges, is confident on the ball, can pass and shoot with either foot … this lass is the future of Samoan women's football, and is someone around whom they should build their national side in the months and years to come. The Young Ferns' last chance of the half materialised in the 38th minute, Robson and Bonnie Rice working a one-two on the right before the former unleashed an angled twenty yarder which hit the crossbar. Humphrey was onto the rebound in an instant, only to see her shot blocked by the face of Samoan captain Breanna Kitiona - ouch! The champions-elect were swiftly into their work after half-time, with Rice and half-time substitute Charlotte Summers in the 48th minute for Robson, who cleverly deceived a defender before again battering the crossbar, this time from fifteen yards. The striker then rattled the side-netting after getting the better of Afoa, before Vosper stung the gloves of Tuii with an angled twenty-five yard free-kick. But after this early flurry, Samoa came back into the contest, Johnson particularly prominent as they asked questions of the Young Ferns' rearguard, Brielle Tautua going desperately close to giving Samoa the goal they sought when heading against the post from Tuiolosega's corner on the hour. Johnson sent an eighteen-yarder narrowly over the top soon after, the move ignited by a brilliant back-heeled pass from Devoux, who was beginning to tire. Once she was withdrawn from the fray, Samoa rather lost their way, despite the best efforts of Kitiona and Johnson to inspire their team-mates, the latter drawing a scrambling save from Meadows in the 73rd minute. It was New Zealand's day, however, Robson being denied by Tuii after a lovely move involving Bree Toatelegese, Humphrey, Summers and Hitchcock, before Humphrey's dipping twenty-yarder was well saved by Tuii in stoppage time. 3-0 it remained, however, with the Young Ferns once more claiming the crown as Oceania's women's champions at junior age-grade level. Samoa:          Tuii; Kitiona, Mia Afoa, Ava; Leonard (Loua, 66), Devoux (booked, 70 (Tumanuvao, 76), Tuiolosega, Tautua, Willis (Mikayla Afoa, 46); Sagapolutele (Auvaa, 35), Johnson Young Ferns:     Meadows; Besley, Hedington, Cloete, Sharkey (Gray, 46); Rice (Toatelegese, 59), Vosper (Rennell, 79), Hitchcock; Humphrey, Robson (Atkinson, 72), Fili (Summers, 46) Referee:     Torika Delai (Fiji)