2024 Women’s National League – Week 6
Waterside Karori vs Canterbury United Pride
Let us now set the scene at David Farrington Park. It’s one of the iconic National League venues but Miramar Rangers haven’t made the Nats for a couple of years, so thankfully Waterside Karori were able to commandeer the venue for a huge match against Canterbury United. Karori were undefeated through five games while Canterbury were on a similar trajectory until they got Aucklandunitedified in a 4-1 defeat last week. Neither team has trouble finding the net but the Wharfies also boast one of the best defences in the competition having only conceded twice in five matches. This was second versus third in a competition where only two teams progress. To put it simply: there are no second chances.
There was a return for Nikki Furukawa on the right wing for the home side while Tessa McPherson moved into midfield and Sarah Morton to central defence. Lizzie Ingham came in at left-back. A few shuffles there but only one actual change. The Pride gave Britney Lee-Nicholson her first start of the term plus Lisa Evans jumped into the midfield and there was also a debut for young goalie Scarlett Gray, the Cashmere Tech product who was presumably the same Scarlett Gray who played for Auckland United at the Napier U19s last week and kept a clean sheet through the entire tournament as AUFC won the whole thing. Guest players are common in that stuff and it’d be weird if there were two goalies named Scarlett Gray in the same age range, right?
The Wharfies pressed high and caused some hiccups in the initial stages but no amount of tactical cohesion can account for Anna McPhie’s tendency to score amazing goals. The Pride didn’t need five minutes before they’d broken through the league’s best defence, McPhie adding a first-time wicked curler from the edge of the area to the two direct free kicks and the magical header she’s already scored. Normal goals are for normal players, McPhie only scores bangers.
Karori would probably have equalised immediately had Grace Johns not slid in and denied Kendall Pollock after Emma Starr won the ball and sent it through for her fellow American. The top scorer in the comp wasn’t going to miss but she didn’t get to shoot. Pollock also put a header over the top from a corner. But the Cantabs have more than one player in fine form. Nicola Dominikovich hasn’t stopped scoring goals all year so when Lisa Evans thieved a loose ball and sent it early over the top before the WKAFC backline could get set, Dominikovich didn’t hesitate for a second to simply side-foot the bouncing ball over the keeper for 2-0, ten minutes gone. No stress, no mess.
Dominikovich had a chance to make it three when Daphne Ranta tripped on the ball to allow ND to run through on goal... but she pulled up early and shot from distance, Annie Foote making an easy save. Otherwise it was lots of Karori trying to pick their way past the CU midfield and defence, mostly failing, then trying not to get countered. As they did when Lisa Evans followed her pass into the area, holding off two defenders as the ball dropped for her but losing her balance and dragging it wide from a great position. Gotta be careful with those misses because, straight afterwards, Renee Bacon (who’d switched wings) dashed up the right edge and squared for Tui Dugan to score and the Wharfies were right back in it.
The Pride were able to scramble the ball away when Gray got tackled by a rushing Pollock. It all became a bit stop-and-start from there, though Dominikovich did ping another shot on target, again running off the shoulder of a defender onto a bouncing ball. Straight at Foote though. Kate Loye had a crack which was deflected into harmlessness. Good from the Cantabs... but not as clinical as they needed to be and soon they paid the price. A few minutes before the half an Emma Starr cross was sliced off the laces, a rare miss-hit from someone who has played several levels beyond this one but a happy miss-hit as it swerved over Gray and into the net for 2-2.
Claudia Wilson subbed on at fullback for Canterbury at HT as they tried to steady things. The change didn’t do anything to stop Ranta unleashing a rocket volley early in the second which flew narrowly wide. Gray also did fantastically rushing out of her area to clear away a pass in behind, while Meg Simpson was doing proper sweeper things at the back for CU once again. Dominikovich won a corner charging into the area onto a McPhie pass. Waterside were edging things but there were chances both ways with a tied scoreline. Margi Dias came on for CU. A great run from Charlotte Mortlock led to a low cross to Dias whose shot hit Dominikovich and almost deflected in. Almost but not quite. Then Ranta cut out another Dias opportunity. It was up for grabs, someone just had to go and grab it.
That someone was... [suspenseful pause]... not Emma Starr, who missed with a close range header after Pollock hurled in a high cross. But Starr did set up the winning goal, taking control of a loose ball in midfield and wasting no time in sending it through for Kendall Pollock to attack. With complete efficiency, Pollock skipped through and slotted it past Gray for that all-important next goal. From 2-0 down after ten minutes to 3-2 up after 78 minutes... and eventually 3-2 after ninety minutes because the Pride simply didn’t have the gas in the tank for retaliation.
There ya go. They may have doubled their goals against tally in this game but Waterside Karori still found what they needed for a 3-2 comeback win to stay undefeated with 14 points from six games, moving closer and closer towards a grand final berth. Yet again, Emma Starr and Kendall Pollock’s imported abilities took them beyond, while a couple of Renee Bacon assists were fine value for her exploits and Daphne Ranta was very good at the back. This team is organised, experienced, confident, and motivated. Nobody’s been able to stop them yet. Except for Wellington United during the Central League but they can aim for revenge on them next week.
As for the Pride, that’s two defeats in a row as they faced arguably the two best teams. Park the idea of them pushing for top two because that’s not happening... but they have managed to get back to a much more competitive place than last year despite a number of younger players coming through in important positions. McPhie and Dominikovich keep scoring goals. They’ve got two great emerging goalies in Amber Bennett and Scarlett Gray. Meg Simpson is leading a very solid rookie defence. Top four should still be the target from here on out.
Waterside Karori 3-2 Canterbury United Pride
5’ | CU | 0-1 | McPhie (Nicholson)
10’ | CU | 0-2 | Dominikovich (Evans)
27’ | WK | 1-2 | Dugan (Bacon)
43’ | WK | 2-2 | Starr (Bacon)
78’ | WK | 3-2 | Pollock (Starr)
Auckland United vs Wellington United
Big time footy over here. Wellington United suffered their first loss last week, beaten 2-1 by Southern United, and despite proving themselves a handful to every team they’ve faced... they’ve not yet managed to win consecutive games. More dropped points this week would take them out of the running for top two... and their opponents were Auckland United who haven’t lost a game all year. Righto. Wellington United were also undefeated in their regional league but they didn’t have an Oceania Champions League or Kate Sheppard Cup title to add to the collection.
There was no Charlotte Roche for Auckland United as they wandered out at Keith Hay Park. But that’s what Kaley Ward is there for. Paige Satchell was back for her second start (and third appearance – only featuring in home games so far which stacks up with her putting a bit more focus on her day job these days). Alexis Cook also returned to the eleven with Rene Wasi unavailable. For the sixth game in a row their midfield was untouched and three-quarters of their defence plus their keeper have started every game too. It’s the best starting eleven in the league. No reason to mess with things. On the other side of the coin, Wellington United welcomed Hannah Pilley back from injury, similar deals with Nea Blackham in the midfield and Caelin Patterson at centre-back (with a cast on one of her wrists). Jemma Robertson was a surprise pick at right-back, going toe to toe with the pace of Satchell on that side.
That meant a slightly different look for the Diamonds but you wouldn’t know it. They were locked in from the start, pushing AUFC out wide where they were able to double up on the wingers. Paige Satchell’s strength and pace showed potential to bust things up but there were very few notable moments in the opening ten minutes and that’s exactly how Wellington United wanted it. Molly Simons was good under the high ball. They were winning their headers. And another credit to the Diamonds is that when they did have rare chances to get numbers forward, they went for it. None of this letting the forwards go to work by themselves... they tried to offer support to Pilley, Olson, and Olliver-Bell where they could. Granted, an Olson long effort smacked straight at Hannah Mitchell was the closest they came to doing anything.
Sadly for Wellington United, all the structure and hard mahi in the world can’t account for a moment of magic. One bad clearance and Yume Harashima did this...
Swish. Simons might have done better but that thing was dipping and swerving, much tougher than it looks. Bottom line is that Wellington Utd had been superb at preventing any kinds of chances in and around their penalty area, demanding that Auckland United do something freaky if they were going to score. So Auckland United did something freaky. First goal of the 2024 Nats for AU’s defensive midfielder, carrying on her wonderful string of performances.
That forced Wellington United to take a few more risks in the second half... which in turn meant they couldn’t be as sturdy as they had been. Patterson nearly turned a Vosper cross into her own net. The hand of apology to her teammates expressed her relief, though no harm was done. In fact, it was a good clearance. Satchell went on a mazy run but then stabbed her shot wide, bit disappointing. The Diamonds subbed off impressive midfielder Carolyn O’Reilly, who seemed to be moving gingerly so probably an enforced change as Misha Koyari came on in her place.
WU’s best moment yet arrived when Pilley flicked a header through for Hope Gilchrist dashing around the left edge. HG’s low cross was travelling straight towards Natalie Olson on the edge of the six yard box but Vosper stuck close enough to put her off. Vosper then did the same thing to the same player soon afterwards plus Jemma Catherwood swung in a few tasty crosses. Suggestions there that one goal may not be enough for AU. Thus they picked up the tools and got back to work.
Koyari had to make a desperate tackle to block Satchell off in the area after some stepovers from Alexis Cook. Ward headed wide from a mint angled cross from Green. Vopser lashed a half-volley over the top after a Satchell lay-off... this game was really stretching out now. Cook pulled the stepover tricks out again to create a huge opportunity that Molly Simons palmed away on the dive. That was a great save... though not as great as the block that Caelin Patterson produced to prevent Ward from nudging in the rebound. Ward was having a rotten day because also put her head on an Elliott free kick only to see Gilchrist make a goal-line clearance this time. But not to worry because 75 minutes into this thing, the Diamonds got their zones a little wonky from a Dani Canham corner kick and Ward was able to do that thing she does so well: score goals. Almost just had to stand there and let it bounce in off her.
That was the decisive second goal to end the resistance. Both teams rolled out some subs, both teams continued to produce good defensive acts. 2-0 was the final score which means that not only have Auckland United won five games in a row now, they’ve also yet to concede a goal at home. Three cleanies in a row at Keith Hay Park. They were held 1-1 by Waterside Karori in week one but nobody else has had an answer for them since (hence why Waterside Karori seem to be positioning themselves as the most likely challengers in that grand final). Yume Harashima was a class above but that statement applies every week. Saskia Vosper and Talisha Green continue to set the fullback benchmark in this competition. Cool to see Paige Satchell stretch her legs a few times though it was Alexis Cook on the other wing who arguably stood out even more. By no means was this Auckland United in top gear. This was Auckland United staying controlled against a dangerous opponent and doing what they needed to do to emerge with three points.
Stink buzz for Welly Utd because it was a superb defensive display for 99% of that game. Zoe Barrott and Caelin Patterson were magnifient. Hope Gilchrist too. Molly Simons showed again why she was recently announced Central League Player of the Year Award (Ben Mata won the Men’s equivalent). Attacking moments were far more limited though Jemma Catherwood did give them a few instances... but that stuff was never going to flow easy against a team that has spent roughly sixty seconds in deficit this WNL season. Auckland United refuse to falter. Wellington United suffer consecutive defeats and next week they’ve got the derby against undefeated Waterside Karori.
Auckland United 2-0 Wellington United
42’ | AU | 1-0 | Harashima
74’ | AU | 2-0 | Ward (Canham)
Wellington Phoenix Reserves vs Central Football
While the rest of the league scrapped it out with finals berths in mind, the most consequential game of the round may have been between the two teams at the bottom of the ladder. The WeeNix and Central had lost ten combined games through the first five weeks. The Phoenix Reserves with a goal difference of -18, Central with a goal difference of -29. They’d each only scored twice (every other team had at least 8 goals) and are comfortably the two youngest squads. This was the wooden spoon on the line, folks.
Aside from an awkwardly timed double-header last week in which Central conceded 18 goals with a weakened squad due to national U19s commitments (some players unavailable, some backing up for both, head coach and most experienced midfielder both absent whilst coaching at that tourney), it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Central might have had the edge on the WeeNix. But of course the fear was that the WeeNix could stack their team at any given point. Timing was cruel for Central last week. It was cruel again this week with the U17 World Cup squad available again and the A-League kicking off to free up a few fringe first-teamers too.
Brooke Neary started in goal for the Nix, Emily Humphrey was at right wing-back, and Grace Bartlett in midfield. All three of them were back from the U17s (as was Katie Pugh on the bench). Same applies to Ela Jerez who is also on a scholarship contract with the ALW squad. She played too. As did Ella McMillan, another scholar, turning up to captain the reserves and try fix their leaky defensive shape. For Central, Isabelle Dunning returned at CB while Megan Thomas was in at LB. Molly Mills moved to midfield where she was joined by Zara Erol-Watt (who had previously been used at fullback), with ex-West Ham and Newcastle midfielder Rosie Missen pushing into a more attacking role. Charlotte Noakes also started on one of the wings. Very different to last week but that was a good thing.
Didn’t take long for the Phoenix to get on the front foot. Georgie Furnell let loose a dipping strike from outside the area after combining with Isla Cleall-Harding. Heck was able to stick a hand on that one and push it over for a corner. Nothing came of that corner except another corner but from that other corner, Ela Jerez put that ball right on the head of Ella McMillan who thumped it in for the early breakthrough. 1-0 to the WeeNix after six mins. Four minutes later, Central conceded a needless corner which Jerez curled off the crossbar and then, after some scrambling, McMillan popped that one in as well for 2-0. Bloody hell. The Wellington Phoenix Reserves pouncing from set pieces.
The annoying thing for Central is that they settled pretty well after those first ten minutes, not doing a whole lot with the ball but definitely disrupting much of what the WeeNix were trying to achieve. Missen’s advanced role clearly had a lot to do with pressing the build-up and that was a clever ploy against a team that fumbled a couple of those last week. Central were a tad vulnerable out wide, given how condensed their back four was, but the plan was working well on the whole... just a pity they were already losing by two goals.
Heck produced a couple nice acts, rushing out and clearing a through ball and also claiming a swerving Jerez cross. Jerez was happy to show her range with raking switches of play and crunching long shots. It’s like every time she plays, there’s a fresh new skill that she’s acquired. Jerez nearly scored a screamer late in the half when she went past three defenders with a mixture of shimmies and stepovers only for Heck to slap the shot away for a corner. There was an even better save when SC denied Cleall-Harding, then a better one than that when she recovered to tip a Furnell strike onto the post. Central’s best chance of the half was an Erol-Watt free kick smacked on target from a tricky angle over by the left edge of the penalty area. Good save from Brooke Neary who also dealt with a follow-up attempt from Noakes. 2-0 to the WeeNix after forty-five.
What Central needed was a commanding start to the second half to show that they’d made a few positive adjustments and still believed they could get back into the contest. Instead they lost the ball playing out from the back and Furnell was bumped over in the area, with Isla Cleall-Harding scoring from the penalty spot. Okay then. Another magical bit of dribbling from Jerez then led to a deep strike that pumped the crossbar. She was seriously toying with scoring a worldie.
A few times Neary was put under huge danger by the Central press but each time she was able to find a calm, composed pass or clearance. Love to see that from a 17yo goalie. She did make a booboo when Kya Solomon slammed a shot in her direction, fumbling it over her shoulder... but the ball hit the crossbar and dropped back into her arms. Phew. Solomon also sent a wonderful cut-back right to Lilly Dowsing only for Ella McMillan to hurl herself in the way of the shot. That’s another thing you love to see: desperation defence from the captain, dropping down from the seniors, despite her team being comfortably ahead by three goals. Elite mentality right there. Sadly for Central, that shut the door on any possible rally. Instead it got worse. Lily Brazendale scored a beauty from distance with five minutes to go and then in stoppage time Ela Jerez scored the brilliant goal she’d been teasing all afternoon.
So that was a bummer for Central Football. Their only winnable fixture and they were beaten by five goals. They had some moments in this one, including Zara Erol-Watt curling a free kick onto the crossbar with the last act of the match, but set piece concessions dug them into a hole that their organised press and brave defence couldn’t help them with. They conceded twice inside ten minutes in the first half, they conceded inside of ten minutes in the second half. Then they conceded twice in the final ten minutes (including stoppage time). But we already know that Central are on a different trajectory. This is such a young squad and if the examples of Trewhitt, Cleall-Harding, and Furnell are anything to go by then some of them might well end up in this Wellington Phoenix system in the near future. Quite a few of these Centrallers are actually younger than their WeeNix counterparts.
Celebrations for the WeeNix though. This was their biggest ever National League win (topping their debut 4-0 win against Ellerslie last year) and only the fourth time they’ve avoided defeat in 15 matches. Interestingly, six of their starters here also started the 1-0 win against Central that concluded their 2023 WNL efforts (Central only had three starters in common: Thomas, Noakes & Hughes) while Cleall-Harding has swapped sides since that game. They got superb contributions from Ella McMillan and Ela Jerez dropping down from the first team, while Isla Cleall-Harding is growing into this season nicely. No frills for Brooke Neary after the U17s. She’ll be stoked with a clean sheet. Hopefully we get to see this calibre of WeeNix side every week now that the A-League’s underway.
Wellington Phoenix Reserves 5-0 Central Football
6’ | WP | 1-0 | E.McMillan (Jerez)
10’ | WP | 2-0 | E.McMillan
53’ | WP | 3-0 | Cleall-Harding (Furnell)
85’ | WP | 4-0 | L.Brazendale
90+2’ | WP | 5-0 | Jerez (E.McMillan)
Southern United vs West Coast Rangers
Here we had two teams who’d each finally returned to winning ways in week five but they were going to have to keep winning if they harboured any remaining thoughts of a top two finish. Southern United had a double game-week last time where they beat Wellington United and Central Football in contrasting manners (though both games were in Wellington, making use of the long weekend). They had Toni Power back for this one while Abby Rankin returned to the starting team as well – leading to Stacey Martin continuing where she finished last game: in central defence, despite having otherwise been starting up front. The in-form Shontelle Smith played striker instead (she’s also played right-back and all across the midfield this term). Speaking of strikers, the exciting news for Southern was that talisman forward Amy Hislop was fit enough for a spot on the bench.
West Coast Rangers loaned a few players to Southern last year for the grand final journey, so there may have been a few mixed emotions for Marissa Porteous and Kendrah Smith lining up for WCR against their former teammates. Only the one change for Rangers with Emily Lyon back in the eleven to reinstate the Henson/Lyon/Johnson supertrio up front. Like last week, Kendrah Smith was in defence with Mackenzie Longmuir in midfield.
There was a slight delay to kickoff in order to tape up one of the nets at Logan Park... where the turf seemed to be both a help and a hindrance as the teams tried to whip the ball around in combinations only for the ball to fizz of reach like it often does on the artificials. The quick tempo was more in West Coast Rangers’ favour though. Bree Johnson was getting up the left wing and whipping the ball into the area. Some controversy ensued when Martin bumped Shannon Henson in the area... no penalty given. Meanwhile, Emily Couchman did need to slap away an in-swinging corner from Danica Urlich-Beech while Georgia Keen was able to spark a few things for the home side. WCR are famously fast-starting so the task for Southern was to see out those frisky initial stages. Which they did. WCR have scored five goals in the first twenty minutes of games, the most in the competition, but they didn’t get one here.
They nearly got one after 28 mins when Kailey Short’s cross was headed onto the crossbar by Emily Lyon. So close. Southern did have a few instances where their midfield hustle paid off but they were a bit too happy to take low percentage shots from distance. An exception was a silky team move which ended with Urlich-Beech sending a delicious low cross to the back post where Millie Scott put it over the top. Easily their best moment of the first half. They couldn’t make it to half-time unscathed though. Kendrah Smith wasn’t able to punish her old team when she blasted a free kick over the top, however Marissa Porteous had no such issues when she flicked a corner kick into the top corner off her head. Breaking through before the break came through. Probably fair enough on the measure of the game.
Southern United had work to do... and barely a minute into the second spell Keen unleashed an attempt that Porteous did very well to throw her body in front of. Then again, Bree Johnson did similar for WCR with a slick turn leading to a clear shot leading to a one-handed save by Lauren Paterson. Henson also had a shot on target keeping Rangers on the prowl. Kendrah Smith got in the way of a Hannah Mackay-Wright header from a corner, HMW trying to continue her scoring run after three goals in two games last round and Shontelle Smith picked out Milly Scott who dragged her first-time shot wide. Plenty of action all of a sudden... leading to a very well taken leveller from Danica Urlich-Beech.
Well now. That there was a spanner in the works – especially since Rangers have been so sloppy at holding leads this season. A draw wasn’t going to suit either team though, hence Southern kept up the intensity while Rangers went close again through Johnson (shot on target cutting in) and Henson (header onto the roof of the net). Crucial defensive interventions ensued, no surprises given the calibre of defenders involved. Meanwhile, Paterson took a kick in the ribs rushing out to scoop up the ball ahead of Johnson (though it was her own teammate who copped her)... and maybe that played a part in her hesitation soon afterwards when a wicked outswinger from Porteous, who’d been creeping further and further forward from her left CB role, was left to bounce in the area and Shannon Henson put a nod on that for 2-1 to WCR.
Amy Hislop was immediately summoned by Southern. Rangers responded with 18yo Luci Hollister and 14yo Ariana Vosper (Ella Dorward and Maisy Dewell had already been chucked on). Hislop’s first involvement saw her going shoulder to shoulder with Kendrah Smith making her the only Southern player who managed that feat all day, though nothing came of it. Positive vibes to Shontelle Smith because she absolutely wore a Kendrah Smith free kick right in the side of the face while standing in the wall. That had to sting. As did the fact that Shannon Henson headed in a third WCR goal off the post from the ensuing corner. How do you hang on to a late lead? You score another goal and give yourself some breathing room. West Coast Rangers figured that out eventually and a 3-1 win away against Southern lifts them up to third on the ladder with three weeks left.
This was a genuinely high quality game between two sides unwilling to settle for anything other than victory. The midfield was a battleground, with the likes of Morton, Keen, and Longmuir getting all amongst it Kendrah Smith and Marissa Porteous were amazing in defence against their old team (Porteous also contributing a goal and an assist), while Bree Johnson was a constant creative threat with her dribbling and Shannon Henson scrapped away to be rewarded with two goals, taking her to four for the campaign (she’s got five assists too, best mark in the WNL). Shontelle Smith worked tirelessly for the home side. Danica Urlich-Beech caused trouble from both open play and with her set piece deliveries.
Really enjoyable footy... but Southern’s intentions of getting back to the final are surely now dashed, although on the plus side they can at least be spoilers because they still have to play Auckland United and Waterside Karori. And if Southern do manage to tip the apple cart over in one or both of those fixtures then no side is better poised to capitalise now than West Coast Rangers themselves.
Southern United 1-3 West Coast Rangers
42’ | WCR | 0-1 | Porteous (Lyon)
57’ | SU | 1-1 | Urlich-Beech
75’ | WCR | 1-2 | Henson (Porteous)
87’ | WCR | 1-3 | Henson (Dewell)
Eastern Suburbs vs Western Springs
Last one up for the week was East versus West at Madills Farm. Eastern Suburbs having roared back into shape with a 15-0 aggregate over their previous two games... but they were against the WeeNix and Central so it was going to take more than that to prove themselves. Western Springs having grabbed a commendable 1-1 draw with Waterside Karori last time but also having failed to win nearly enough of these close games they’re always involved in. None of their first five fixtures were decided by more than one goal either way yet they’d only won once.
Funkiness abounded with both line-ups. Eastern Subs got captain Kenyah Brooke back into the eleven, though she played at left-back in a four while Emily Pilbrow moved into the middle. Hannah Saxon also got a start on her return from the U17 World Cup. She played on the right wing in this match, despite her previous start coming at left-back. Sofia Garcia also leapt back into the side, joining Jess Innes in getting a go at their old club. Western Springs switched things up with a 3-4-3 formation that included Jaedeci Uluvili and Rina Hirano in midfield. The former is usually a defender, the latter is usually a forward. But injuries have forced a few things upon the Swans. Anya Stephan also got her third start of the WNL.
These were different looks from both teams, as far as tactics go. That led to some sneaky instances with both teams pressing on the early possession stuff, with the headwind also influencing proceedings, including one where Aimee Phillips had the chance to try and chip Nikki Whyte from out on the right wing before the keeper got back in position... but it was a tricky angle and Phillips couldn’t clear the target. Then another one where something even rarer than a nil-all draw in the NZ National League occurred: a bad pass from Arisa Takeda. The Japanese defender wanted to send the ball back to her keeper to ease the pressure but she underhit the pass and Britney Cunningham-Lee jumped all over it. BCL then showed composure and selflessness not to shoot but instead to square the ball for Hannah Saxon who picked her spot and put it right there. Saxon was NZ’s only goal-scorer at the U17s (their other goal was an own goal), now she’s followed up Estadio Cibao with Madills Farm. Quality hustle from BCL too because she caused that error in the first place.
Springs found some useful interplay at times, though it tended to lack the key pass at the end of it. An exception was a bursting run from Hirano out of midfield towards the right edge, sneaking past Kenya Brooke (who’d blocked off every other challenger to that point) and fizzing a shot on target which Whyte clutched out of the air with deceptive comfort. That thing had some heat on it, great keeping. Also, it must have been toasty in Kohimarama because they had a drinks break after half an hour. Then they effectively had another minutes later when Brooke and Stephan collided with a head knock. Stephan was okay. Brooke must have been leaking some claret because she needed some more time to recover and returned with a bandaged noggin.
A shallow clearance by Subs allowed Uluvili to step into a volley that dropped off the crossbar. No doubt that it was the Swans finishing the half stronger - Suburbs were having trouble getting the ball clear with the wind in their faces (Zoe Benson would have helped link things up if she’d been around). Even still, it’s never a bad idea to simply get the ball to Cunningham-Lee and see what happens. BCL broke free in stoppage time and would have had another assist if she’d been able to centre the ball to Garcia. But Hirano tracked all the way back to stop that. BCL did find Garcia with a flick soon afterwards but Garcia was forced into a shot from deeper than she’d have liked and it curled wide with the breeze. 1-0 to Eastern Suburbs at the midway.
Two changes for Subs at the break, with Brooke replaced by Lucy Hunt and also Zoe Brazier taking the place of goal-scorer Hannah Saxon. HS had been good on the right wing, ripping in wherever possible and looking confident, but this was probably load management after her U17 exploits. And Brooke obviously had the cut on her head. Anyway, the footy got going again with Hwang keeping TuiSamoa alert with an quick shot on target. This had to be getting frustrating for Springs, who did manage a couple of nice sprints up the wing from Phillips (one leading to a shot across goal, the other to a low cross that didn’t quite catch Savage in the middle) yet the final step continued to evade them... and there was only so long that could remain the case without getting hurt for it.
In the 57th minute, BCL turned her marker on halfway and was off. She picked out Jess Innes in the middle, who had enough time to take a touch and shoot with her left foot and then roll over backwards. A mere three minutes later, the Lilywhites made it 3-0. Clever movement from Cunningham-Lee again, allowing her to stab the ball in behind for Jess Innes running past and Innes put that left boot on it again for her second. Amazingly, all three of these goals were set up by Britney Cunningham-Lee – she’s been undeniable lately and the goal contributions reflect that.
Granted, Western Springs did get one back almost immediately. Like, within twenty seconds of the kickoff. Aimee Phillips drifted infield and then overlapped on the left as Savage found her run. Phillips smacked a cross along the six yard box which Whyte got a glove on but couldn’t keep from meeting Anya Stephan at the back post who made it 3-1. Alright then. Still half an hour to go, was there a comeback in the works?
Nah, don’t panic. It was the Lilywhites who looked much more like scoring again for the rest of the way. When Springs did get into the area, Yukino Nishizono and her mates promptly turned them back around again and sent them on their travels. Further substitutions slowed things down. Eastern Suburbs got the job done for a 3-1 victory. The only drawback was seeing Emily Pilbrow have to be helped off the pitch near the end after a heavy clash.
Funny to think that the Lilywhites didn’t even score a goal in the first three rounds. Since then they’ve scored 18 in three games and are now the top scoring team in the competition. Bonkers stuff. Jess Innes had great fun against her old team, while Britney Cunningham-Lee is busy asserting herself as one of the WNL’s most fearsome forwards after a hat-trick of assists. The likes of Nishizono and Pilbrow were so good defensively and Hannah Saxon is emerging as a serious player to track. In fairness to Suburbs, their only two defeats have come against Auckland United and Waterside Karori and those two have put some daylight between themselves and everyone else in the standings. It may not be too late for Subs if they can carry on like this.
Aimee Phillips did her best to get Western Springs going but it just wasn’t happening for them. They’ve lost basically all of the attacking weaponry they relied upon last year (Garcia, Colpi, Jerez, Tawharu) with only Rina Hirano and Liz Savage hanging around. Savage hasn’t had her usual impact yet and Hirano was playing too deep in this game to affect things the way she usually does. Hirano’s goals have carried them this year... and it hasn’t been enough. One win from six has them nowhere near grand final contention – although they do face Central and the WeeNix over the next fortnight and should boost some stats with those.
Eastern Suburbs 3-1 Western Springs
16’ | ES | 1-0 | Saxon (Cunningham-Lee)
57’ | ES | 2-0 | Innes (Cunningham-Lee)
60’ | ES | 3-0 | Innes (Cunningham-Lee)
61’ | WS | 3-1 | Stephan (Phillips)
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland United | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 12 | 16 |
| Waterside Karori | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 4 | 10 | 14 |
| West Coast Rangers | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 11 |
| Eastern Suburbs | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 4 | 14 | 10 |
| Canterbury United | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 13 | 1 | 10 |
| Wellington United | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 8 |
| Southern United | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 7 |
| Western Springs | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 12 | -3 | 5 |
| Wellington Phoenix | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 20 | -13 | 3 |
| Central | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 36 | -34 | 0 |
Top Assists
Top Goal Scorers
| PLAYER | TEAM | GOALS |
|---|---|---|
| Kendall Pollock | Waterside Karori | 7 |
| Britney Cunningham-Lee | Eastern Suburbs | 4 |
| Bree Johnson | West Coast Rangers | 4 |
| Charlotte Roche | Auckland United | 4 |
| Anna McPhie | Canterbury United Pride | 4 |
| Nicola Dominikovich | Canterbury United Pride | 4 |
| Shannon Henson | West Coast Rangers | 4 |
| Rina Hirano | Western Springs | 3 |
| Renee Bacon | Waterside Karori | 3 |
| Emily Lyon | West Coast Rangers | 3 |
| Charlotte Mortlock | Canterbury United Pride | 3 |
| Shion Hwang | Eastern Suburbs | 3 |
| Hannah Mackay-Wright | Southern United | 3 |
| Jessica Innes | Eastern Suburbs | 3 |
| PLAYER | TEAM | ASSISTS |
|---|---|---|
| Shannon Henson | West Coast Rangers | 5 |
| Britney Cunningham-Lee | Eastern Suburbs | 4 |
| Arisa Takeda | Western Springs | 3 |
| Jemma Catherwood | Wellington United | 3 |
| Zoe Benson | Eastern Suburbs | 3 |
| Emily Lyon | West Coast Rangers | 3 |
| Tessa McPherson | Waterside Karori | 2 |
| Zoe Barrott | Wellington United | 2 |
| Chloe Knott | Auckland United | 2 |
| Natalie Olson | Wellington United | 2 |
| Kaley Ward | Auckland United | 2 |
| Margi Dias | Canterbury United Pride | 2 |
| Nikki Furukawa | Waterside Karori | 2 |
| Charlotte Roche | Auckland United | 2 |
| Rose Morton | Southern United | 2 |
| Danica Urlich-Beech | Southern United | 2 |
| Sarah Morton | Waterside Karori | 2 |
| Danielle Canham | Auckland United | 2 |
| Emma Starr | Waterside Karori | 2 |
| Maisy Dewell | West Coast Rangers | 2 |
| Renee Bacon | Waterside Karori | 2 |
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