Flying Kiwis – October 16
Grace Wisnewski – FC Nordsjælland (Danish A-Liga)
For whatever reason, FC Nordsjælland just don’t seem to be able to win consistently in the A-Liga this season. Their dual commitments in Europe have been a factor but it must go deeper than that because they’ve been close in every single game, yet recurring draws against their fellow top teams (0-0 draws against Brøndby twice and Fortuna once) have seen them settle into a very distant third place. Pesky stuff.
That was the context as FCN took on last-placed Midtjylland... and were 2-0 down with ten minutes remaining. Very concerning, very concerning. Until Astrid Engsig-Karup freaked one straight into the net from a free kick that was intended as a cross (83’) and then Grace Wisnewski took over from there with an 88th minute equaliser. And what an equaliser it was...
You know what? There was still enough time for both teams to have one more major chance to win it. Midtjylland had theirs on the counter, drawing the defence and then switching into open space only for their striker to put it past the post. Then Wisnewski drew some attention on the edge of the box before slipping a smart pass forward for Anna Walter whose attempt was straight at the keeper. 2-2 was the way it ended. FCN didn’t win but at least they didn’t lose.
Tricky times for the club however as far as Grace Wisnewski goes, this goal was just another bright spot in a season full of them. She’s quickly become a first eleven player, putting in reliable shifts in a few different midfield roles – including as a goal-scorer. This was her first goal in the A-Liga but she’s also scored in both Champions League and Europa Cup qualifying. Against Midtjylland, she had four total shots with two on target. She completed 94% of her passes with five key passes amongst, unlucky not to add an assist. 13 ground duels. 11 recoveries. Nordsjælland may be having some wobbles but Wisnewski has been a revelation for them.
Then came the challenge of overturning a 1-0 deficit in their Europa Cup qualifier against Gintra this morning. Grace Wisnewski started that game like she starts every game and it turned out there was nothing to worry about. Cecilie Larsen scored in the second minute to cancel out the damage in the first leg and within 25 minutes they were 3-0 up (3-1 aggregate). No goals for Wisnewski but a job well done all the same. She was subbed off after an hour as FCN went on to win 5-0. With that, Nordsjælland join the initial round of sixteen phase for the inaugural Women’s Europa Cup (it’s two-legged knockout ties all the way to the end). Little bit of history made there... and she might even run into a Footy Ferns teammate there depending on what the draw serves up in a couple days.
Up Next: FCN vs Fortuna at 6am on Monday (NZT)
Katie Bowen – Inter Milan (Italian Serie A)
FC Nordsjælland had some trouble dropping that first leg away to Ginstra in their Europa Cup final round qualifier... but Inter Milan knew no such issues. They were at home against KFF Vllaznia of Albania seeking a spot in the competition proper (it starts at the round of sixteen) and they cruised to a 7-0 victory, scoring four times in the first half to pretty much put the tie to bed before the second leg has even begun.
That was great because it mean an early introduction for Katie Bowen who, since starting their Champions League qualifiers in August, seems to have fallen back in the pecking order. She’s only made two starts in the last eight games and both of those were as a wing-back rather than the right-sided centre-back position that she made her own last season. That’s fine, this is a very good team with plenty of depth – there are five players in contention for CB starts at Internazionale and every one of them is a full international (for Italy, Spain, Denmark, Bosnia, and New Zealand). Bowen played 35 minutes against Vllaznia.
She also played ten mins at the end of a 2-2 draw against Fiorentina back in Serie A. Got a yellow card for stopping a counter. Ran around heaps with a licence to push forward from the right side of defence as Inter chased a goal. For some reason they did a VAR review of her yellow card, not sure why, but anyway a few minutes later she was up in attack as Inter won a free kick that led to Irene Santi’s stoppage time equaliser. A short cameo for KB but an eventful one.
And then as we all hoped, Bowen was picked to start in a rotated eleven for the second leg away against Vllaznia. There were only four starters in common with the first leg’s team. Again, there’s plenty of depth in this Inter squad and this was an ideal time to mix it up... although Bowen may have forgotten what that’s like because she nearly missed the pre-game team photo...
She’s a very mature, professional character these days but KB still loves a laugh. She played 54 minutes at RCB against Vllaznia as Inter Milan cruised to a 5-0 win to chuck on top of the 7-0 home leg win. 12-0 on aggregate. They’re into the competition proper. No dramas here.
Up Next: Inter vs Parma at 5am on Monday back in Serie A (NZT)
Jacqui Hand, Olivia Chance & Liz Anton – Kolbotn (Norwegian Toppserien)
Alright, there we go, keeping the flame burning with another point for the cause. Kolbotn drew 2-2 away against Lyn, twice coming from behind including the Jacqui Hand equaliser that ultimately got them this result. They need wins if they’re going to stay up but on the basis of this game they did well not to lose this one. That’s a level of fight that hasn’t always been there from this team. And this was a great outing for the three kiwis because not only did Jacqui Hand score that goal but it was also set up by Olivia Chance. The kiwis combining – that was Chance’s first assist of the year (having mostly been operating as a deeper midfielder).
Hand was also credited with the assist for Camilla Linberg’s earlier goal so she’s now up to three goals and two assists in nine games. Pretty amazing numbers considering she’s playing for the bottom team in the division and mostly as a winger. She might have had more if she’d taken the 57th min penalty that they won (while it was still 2-1) but Linberg got that and missed it, so it goes. Hand scored her goal ten mins later to make up for it.
And just in case you thought Liz Anton was being left out, well, she wasn’t because she captained the side. Not for the first time either, having emerged as one of the main leaders at the club since regular captain Camilla Huseby (and her twin sister Linn) disappeared from the squad in late August. Allegedly not for injury reasons but due to a fallout with the club hierarchy. All the more reason why that kiwi trio have been so indispensable to this club.
Kolbotn are still in a very perilous place despite the fight back against Lyn. Røa also drew this round so they didn’t gain any ground, still loitering four points adrift in the relegation spot with now only three games remaining... and KIL’s next match is against the league leaders Brann who are a couple of results away from officially securing the title (they could do it next week if they beat Kolbotn and Vålerenga lose their game). They’re probably losing that, which will make the last two fixtures against Bodø/Glimt and Rosenborg into must-win encounters. Even a draw and a win won’t help them due to their goal difference.
Up Next: Kolbotn vs Brann at 1.30am on Monday (NZT)
Hannah Blake & Michaela Foster – Durham FC (English Super League 2)
Durham lead the way in our WSL2 section this week for three reasons. Playing against local rivals Nottingham Forest for the first time at this level, following a run of four games without a win, the first reason was that Hannah Blake was back in the starting eleven after her assist in the previous game. Blake played right wing. Mickey Foster was at centre-back. The second reason was that former Wellington Phoenix striker Mariana Speckamaier returned from injury for this outing. The third and most important reason: Durham won... and won comfortably after scoring three times in the opening 23 minutes.
No goals for the kiwis although Hannah Blake had her footprints all over this thing. She sparked the transitional attack for Mollie Lambert’s fifth minute opener by driving the into the attacking half and getting that ball moving. Beth Hepple scored the second exactly ninety seconds later after Blake sent a good pass up the line for Pritchard who turned and set up Hepple’s first time strike. Then it was Mariana Speckmaier’s turn to get on the scoresheet... and again Hannah Blake was heavily involved, this time nutmegging a defender as part of a one-two before drilling the ball across to Spackmaier who buried it. Defender got a touch on the cross so it doesn’t count as an assist but we saw what really happened. All three of Durham’s goals stemmed from the mahi of Hannah Blake.
The second half was then a very different tale with Nottm Forest applying the pressure and Durham having to sit back and soak it up. Lots more Foster than Blake in those phases but they got the job done. Didn’t concede. Held on for the 3-0 win, snapping a run of four games without a win since the opening day victory against Portsmouth. Durham have now won 2/3 games in which Hannah Blake has started (and also 2/3 with Speckmaier starting) so the secret isn’t hard to discover.
The other bonus reason that Durham got to lead the way is that there wasn’t any competition. Grace Neville’s Ipswich Town lost 4-0 at home against Birmingham. Full game for Neville but her team got blown off the park. It’s looking very likely that Ipswich will be in a relegation battle – their win against Portsmouth last week is their only one to date. Also, Crystal Palace drew 1-1 with Sunderland. Quiet game from Katie Kitching playing as an attacking midfielder. Didn’t really get a lot of involvements... although she got a lot more than Indi Riley who sat on the bench the whole time for Crystal Palace. Still just the one league appearance for IPR this season with five games out of six having been spent as an unused substitute. It’s become a concern.
But down a division we did see Rebekah Trewhitt score again as Lewes won 4-0 against Cardiff City. Back to winning ways after three defeats. Trewhitt has started every game for Lewes this season, scoring four goals in nine games across all competitions.
Up Next: Monday at 3am away to Hashtag United in the WNL Cup (NZT)
Abby Erceg – Deportivo Toluca (Mexican Liga MX)
No goal or clean sheet for Abby Erceg this week but another solid outing all the same. Erceg played the full thing as Toluca drew 1-1 away against Atletico de San Luis, blocking a couple of shots and getting plenty of touches. There was one amazing tackle in particular that she made midway through the first half, keeping up with a runaway striker (Erceg is 35yo remember) and getting a foot in just in time to spoil the shot and force it wide.
This was an annoying result because having gone 1-0 up with a goal from a corner early in the second half, Toluca had a golden chance to make it two when Faustine Robert headed onto the crossbar with an open goal in front of her less than six yards out. The cross had some fizz on it but for a player of Robert’s quality (she’s played internationally for France) that’s gotta go down as a missed sitter. What’s worse is that they conceded the equaliser two minutes later. One extreme to the other Nevertheless, Toluca have two more games left in the regular season and they’re basically guaranteed to make the playoffs from here.
Up Next: Saturday at midday is Necaxa vs Toluca (NZT)
Meikayla Moore & Ally Green – Calgary Wild / Milly Clegg – Halifax Tides (Canadian Northern Super League)
Just a couple kiwis abroad, doing what they do. Unfortunately no Ally Green on this occasion – she was also missing from the most recent Football Ferns squad so that might be injury related. This was the fifth and final time that these two teams faced each other this year and only once did we get all three of the NZers involved. Meikayla Moore started for Calgary (which she actually hasn’t been doing that much of lately, so that was cool) and Milly Clegg started for Halifax (having boosted her prominence since scoring that goal a couple weeks ago) going directly up against each other. Centre-back versus striker.
The game finished 3-1 to Calgary which was annoying because it meant that most of the action was up the other end. But Milly Clegg did absolutely munt the crossbar with a long shot during the second half. Clegg played the full game while Moore was subbed after 75 minutes. This was the penultimate fixture for each of them since these are the two teams that have missed the playoffs in this six-team competition... at least that means that Rebecca Lake and Vancouver FC have made the cut. Lake played 45 minutes at left-back as Vancouver won 1-0 away against Montreal in their last match – one of three players subbed at HT as they seemingly manage everyone’s loading levels ahead of the more meaningful stuff. Calgary and Vancouver play each other in the last game of the regular season.
As for Halifax Tides, they’ve already wrapped things up after hosting Ottawa Rapid this very afternoon. Milly Clegg was only on the bench after the short turnaround and her team was 2-0 down when she was summoned. It was more of same from what we’ve seen all season with Halifax. They play very vertically. Not a lot of movement between the lines. That means for someone like Clegg, who played up front in this game, she often finds herself being dragged away from goal in order to get involved... but to be fair she does that pretty well.
Clegg had a chance up the right edge where she blitzed her way to the line only to underhit the cut-back. A few mins later, she made a similar run on the left to get into the area, a brilliant first touch creating space for her to smack a shot on target. She was unlikely to beat the keeper from that angle but she hit it well enough that the goalie spilled it for Megumi Nakamura to pounce and make it 2-1. Straight after that, Clegg flicked a header in behind for Saorla Miller to run onto... shooting into the side-netting via a hand from the keeper. Her next involvement was a sharp turn-and-shot outside the area which was blocked by a defender’s hand for a free kick. There were also a couple of blocked shots and another where she would have gotten on the end of a square ball but for a defensive intervention.
Halifax ran out of time and lost 2-1 although they were the better team for most of the time that Milly Clegg was out there. And... that’ll probably be the last time that Milly Clegg ever plays for them as her loan deal comes to a conclusion. Only one goal in 1237 minutes (19 appearances) stuck playing for the worst team in the competition. It’s all part of the journey. Clegg only turns 20 years old on 1 November and everywhere she’s been, she’s been one of the youngest players in the team.
Up Next: Calgary Wild finish their season against Vancouver FC at 2pm on Friday (NZT)
Maya Hahn – Viktoria Berlin (German Bundesliga 2)
Time for a Maya Hahn check-in, where her Viktoria Berlin team drew again on the weekend. They walked away with a 1-1 result against SC Sand which was their fourth draw in a row and fifth in six games since being promoted to the 2.Liga. Hahn came off the bench against Sand having started every other game to that point. Played half an hour. Picked up a yellow card near the end. All those draws have put the club in a situation where they’’re sitting third-to-last, only two points above relegation, despite only having the same amount of losses as the team that leads the division (1). That leading team is actually SC Sand who VB just drew against so they’re obviously really close. Just gotta find a few more goals to open it up. Viktoria had most of the chances over the time that Hahn was out there so they were pushing for that win rather than hanging on for a draw.
Up Next: Away to VfL Bochum at 1am on Monday (NZT)
Norman Garbett – Dundalk (League of Ireland First Division)
Relegation is never any fun. It usually means a reset in the squad, often means a new manager coming in, and always means a drop in off-field capabilities of the club. Dundalk faced that reality last year when they finished dead last in the LOI Premier Division (by a chunky margin too) amidst some very worrying financial worries... but they’ve handled it as well as possible, losing just three games out of 35 so far this season to claim the First Division championship and promotion straight back up to the top flight. A 3-0 win over Finn Harps doubled with a loss for second-placed Cobh Ramblers did the trick with one week to spare. Lovely stuff.
As for Norman Garbett, well the hope was that relegation would allow him to play more regularly and establish himself but a long stint on the sidelines with a hamstring injury hasn’t allowed that. However, he has come into contention more recently. Garbs has made ten appearances for Dundalk in 2025 (nine as a sub, one start). He’s gotten at least 13 minutes in seven of the past eight games. The buzz around him has always been pretty high within the club, it’s just the injuries that have stopped him from progressing. But we’re getting a few hints lately. Hopefully he gets another start in the final game now that they’ve already ticked off all of their objectives, and hopefully he’s re-signed ahead of the club’s return to the Premier Division.
Up Next: Last game of the season... Cobh Ramblers vs Dundalk at 7.45am on Saturday (NZT)
Gabi Rennie – Eskilstuna United (Swedish Elitettan)
A strange thing happened where Gabi Rennie didn’t score or assist any goals this week. We’re not used to that. But it didn’t matter because Eskilstuna United still won 4-1 away against Bollstanäs SK thanks to doubles from Felicia Rogic and Viivi Ollonqvist. That ensures they keep their three point lead at the top of the standings for another week as we creep closer and closer to the finish line. Uppsala (second) and Trelleborg (third) both won but with only four rounds remaining that’s fine. If they all keep matching each other’s results then Eskilstuna will be promoted as champions soon enough.
The lack of Rennie goal contributions was purely bad luck because she had another barnstormer on the right wing. The only reason she didn’t get the assist for the first goal was because Rogic needed two attempts at the shot, the initial one being blocked, after Rennie had burst past a defender to the byline for the low cross. In the 72 minutes that Rennie played, she was credited with three shots on target (five overall), four key passes, and six accurate crosses. Some weeks the reward is there, some weeks it isn’t, but every week Gabi Rennie is out there tearing things up in this league. She deserves the chance to do this at a higher level and if Eskilstuna beat third-placed Trelleborg next match then it’ll almost guarantee that she’ll get it. Two clubs get promoted automatically and everyone else is running out of time to catch up.
Up Next: Eskilstuna vs Trelleborg at 2am on Sunday (NZT)
James Musa – Indy Eleven (American USL Championship)
On ya, Moose. Second goal of the year for James Musa although his Indy Eleven side did lose 2-1 against Pittsburgh Riverhounds which leaves them three points out of the playoff spots with two games left to play. Musa is a first choice centre-back for this team. Elliot Collier is also at the club but he wasn’t in the squad for this game and only ever plays off the bench – his 18 appearance totalling just 294 minutes of action.
Up Next: Indy Eleven vs Loudoun United at midday on Sunday (NZT)
Riley Bidois – Loudoun United (American USL Championship)
Look here’s another one. Late winner from Riley Bidois for Loudoun United to beat Detroit City in stoppage time. That win has lifted Loudoun up to fourth in their conference and confirmed that they’ll be playing postseason soccer. Bidois has scored five goals in 26 USL Championship games in 2025, averaging out to a goal every 182 minutes. He’s also scored four more times across the cup competitions. He’ll be up against James Musa in the penultimate round of the regular season. Two ex-Phoenix players crossing paths.
Up Next: Indy Eleven vs Loudoun United at midday on Sunday (NZT)
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